Cotton Seed Cakes/Cotton Seed Meal

ottonseed meal/cake is the by-product of oil extraction from cotton seeds. A protein-rich feed, cottonseed meal is a common source of protein for ruminants, notably in cotton-producing areas such as India, China and the USA, where it is used as a partial substitute for soybean meal.Cottonseed meal is valued as a protein feed, but the protein content is highly variable as it depends on the amount of dehulling and on the efficiency of oil extraction. The range of protein content goes from 30 % DM for non-dehulled cottonseed meal to up to 50 % DM for fully dehulled meals. Lower and higher values than these extrema have also been recorded. The fibre content varies accordingly, from 25 % (non-dehulled) to 5 % (fully dehulled) crude fibre. The various methods used for oil extraction also explain the large range of residual oil present in cottonseed meal. Some solvent-extracted meals contain less than 2 % oil, like the other major oilseed meals, but many cottonseed meals contain higher oil values, often in the 5-10 % range but sometimes over 20 %. The cottonseed meal protein is less rich in lysine than soybean meal (4 % *vs* 6 % of the protein) and since the protein content is generally lower, the total content in lysine and essential amino acids is lower for cottonseed meal.