Meal

Meal is a by-product of the production of vegetable oils using extraction technology. There are various types of meal, depending on raw material: sunflower, linseed, soybean, cotton, peanut, hemp, etc. In poultry farming, soybean and sunflower meals are most valuable. Cakes and meals differ in the way they are produced. The oil cake is produced by pressing the oil; meal is made by extraction. Cakes usually contain 5 to 7 percent of fat, while meal has only 2–3%. Both are rich in protein, which makes up to 50% of weight. High quality and easily digestible, this protein is often similar to animal protein.

Fields of sunflower meal use: animal, poultry, and fish fodder. Used as is and as an additive in feed. Contains up to 43% of highly digestible protein. Sunflower meal improves animal performance and enhances livestock product quality. Increases fat content in milk and daily milk yields of cows. Broiler chickens: Sunflower meal is widely used in feeding poultry. Farmers start using these products for chickens from 7–14 days of age.

A significant advantage of sunflower meal is its resistance to mycotoxin damage and thus the minimum risk of damage, which related to factors that meal is less susceptible to than other types of feed. In poultry farming, meal with little husk is considered the most valuable product. Laying hens: When laying hens were fed high-fiber (20%) sunflower meal-based feed, there was a significant decrease in feed intake and daily weight gain.