Meat and bone meal is a dry product that contains a lot of protein and mineral compounds. Its use as an additive in feed helps to accelerate the growth of animals, strengthen the musculoskeletal system.
What is meat and bone meal
Meat and bone meal is a light brown or dark brown powder. The product has a specific and not pleasant smell for everyone. It is used as a feed additive for cattle, small ruminants and poultry. Its use allows you to balance the diet of animals and increase breeding productivity.
The product contains many vitamins and mineral compounds. Meat and bone meal is rich in trace elements such as:
- phosphorus;
- calcium;
- potassium;
- nitrogen.
The product contains a lot of protein, consisting of essential amino acids. Flour also contains fat. The crushed product is divided into 3 classes depending on its fat content. The lower the fat content of the flour, the higher its quality. A product with a low concentration of fat contains more protein, vitamins and is stored much better. Fatty flour tends to turn rancid quickly.
When buying, you should also pay attention to other signs. The color of a good flour is uniform and quite dark. There should be no large inclusions in the powdery product. The yellow color indicates the low quality of the flour and the high content of crushed feathers in it. The smell should be specific, but not putrid or musty.
Good flour contains ingredients in the following proportions:
- protein (30-50%);
- fat (13-20% depending on the grade);
- ash (26-28%);
- water (no more than 7%).
The quality of the product is regulated by GOST 17536-82. All information about the composition of flour should be presented on the package.
How is meat and bone meal made?
Meat and bone meal is produced from meat processing waste. For its manufacture, you can use the remains of meat that are not suitable for eating, carcasses of dead animals, the insides of cattle and small cattle, bone waste. If the meat and bones of dead animals are used to make flour, the raw materials must be examined first. When the carcass is contaminated, it is disposed of. Such a product cannot be used for food even after deep processing.
Raw material processing technology is quite complex and consists of the following stages:
- meat production waste, entrails are boiled in large boilers and cooled to 25 ° C;
- the greaves are finely crushed and dried;
- the powder is sieved through a sieve;
- flour is driven through magnetic separators in order to detect and extract metal impurities;
- flour is treated with antioxidants;
- the finished product is packed in bags or packages.
The production process requires the use of expensive equipment and large industrial areas. The output of the finished product is 25-30%, depending on the type of raw material. That is why meat and bone meal is not a cheap product.
The flour may contain impurities, but there should be no more than 150-200 grams per ton of product. Exceeding this indicator indicates poor product quality. Modern manufacturers produce flour with various additives that increase its nutritional value.
Many manufacturers sort the raw materials before processing. This allows them to receive separate feed and technical products with different prices. If the entrails of animals prevail in the raw materials, the flour turns out to be too oily. Bone meal contains more mineral compounds. It is used as an additive to feed, if it is necessary to strengthen the musculoskeletal system of animals.
Is it possible to make flour at home
It is difficult, but possible, to prepare meat and bone meal on your own without the use of special equipment. First, the raw materials must be divided into meat and bone. Meat must be processed separately from bones.
The bones should be crushed, put in a metal mesh and lowered into the fire. Once burned, they become brittle and can be easily crushed. You can wrap them in a piece of cloth and smash them with a hammer.
The meat must be boiled in a kettle, chopped, dried and re-chopped. Next, you can combine the meat and bone meal and sift the mixture to separate the large particles. Such a homemade product can only be used as plant fertilizer or for technical purposes.
Flour application
The main application of meat and bone meal is as a nutritional supplement to feed. It increases the nutritional value of feed mixtures and helps to save them. Animals and birds receiving such a supplement grow faster and are less likely to get sick. The product contributes to the normalization of metabolism in the body of chickens, small and cattle. Veterinarians especially recommend giving flour to animals during lactation, after illness.
Pigs are given flour in the amount of 7-10% of the total feed. Animals in this case gain weight well. The flour is recommended for feeding sows and small piglets, slowly gaining weight.
For feeding cows, it is recommended to use flour that was produced from meat and bones of pigs and birds. When included in the diet of a product containing meat and bones of cattle, they can develop such an unpleasant disease as spongiform encephalopathy. Cows are herbivores and many skip the supplement. Farmers mix flour into their usual feed. The daily rate of flour for an adult is no more than 20 grams.
Meat and bone meal is also added to bird feed. In laying hens, the inclusion of the product in the diet increases egg production and allows some savings on feed. But it is impossible to add flour to birds in an amount of more than 7% of the total volume of cereals. In this case, it is very important to use only high-quality flour. Unscrupulous manufacturers add soy to their products. It is unacceptable. Such flour is not beneficial, but its use can negatively affect the health of animals.
Currently, such a product is almost never used for feeding dogs. It can partially replace feed, but to a greater extent in order to save the main food product.
Meat and bone meal is used as fertilizer. Any kind of product is suitable for these purposes. It is introduced into the soil in its pure form or preliminarily diluted in water. It contains a lot of nitrogen, phosphorus, and such fertilizers are recommended to be applied in the fall. When caring for each type of plant, you need to be guided by the recommendations of a specialist and apply flour to the soil in certain quantities. Unlike many fertilizers, this product is completely safe for vegetable crops and its use does not lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in vegetables.
How to store flour
Meat and bone meal contains a lot of protein and fat, so it must be stored properly. It is recommended to keep it in clean, well-ventilated and preferably dark rooms. Temperature control is also important, but there is no need to store flour in a cool place. The most important thing is not to allow the temperature in the room to rise above +25 ° C.
Water and direct sunlight are not allowed on the bags with flour. If all conditions are met, the product can be stored for about 1 year. The shelf life depends on the type of product, its fat content, moisture content. Manufacturers can set different expiration dates for different types of flour.
If the smell or color of the product has changed or the shelf life has expired, the flour must be disposed of. It is dangerous to use it for feed purposes, as fats can release toxic compounds during decomposition. In some cases, it is permissible to use such products as fertilizers.
