Apple waste as alternative broiler feed ingredient

Broiler gut health could benefit by adding pomace to diets, while alleviating the need to send the waste material to landfill.

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Machine squeezes apples and apple pomace remain as press residues
Machine squeezes apples and apple pomace remain as press residues
As a by-product of the apple juice processing industries, pomace contains various nutritionally important compounds, such as carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, dietary fiber and minerals, and its use in poultry feed would be a sustainable alternative to landfill. (K_Thalhofer | iStock.com)

Apple waste could be used in broiler diets, and it may confer health benefits, according to findings from a study conducted in the U.S.

The study, conducted at Cornell University, has found that industrial apple waste, which is currently often sent to landfill, could provide broilers with a number of health benefits, particularly improved intestinal health, and the study’s researchers are calling for longer-term studies to establish health benefits.

The research project saw juice, pomace the waste product from juice extraction  and pulp from Empire apples injected into the amniotic fluid of developing chick embryos.

After the chicks hatched, samples were collected for analysis, and the researchers found that introducing apple juice and pomace into the egg could increase the chick’s transport system for amino acids, improve the bioavailability of iron, boost the microbial population in the bird’s large intestine and support the growth of potentially beneficial gut bacteria.

Global source of useable waste

Apple production around the world is forecast to continue growing. Figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization reveal that 93 million metric tons (MT) of apples were produced globally, and not all of them are eaten directly.

Within the U.S., for example 35% of apples are processed, with most being used for juice. Juice extraction has approximately 75% efficiency, meaning that 25-30% of the fruit is currently wasted. According to trade body the U.S. Apple Association, nearly 175,350 MT of apple pomace is produced annually and typically sent to landfill, where it disrupts the carbon nitrogen ratio of soil due to its high sugar content.

While the U.S. may be a major apple producer, its output is dwarfed by that of China, which, in 2021, stood at almost 46 million MT, or some 10 times that of the U.S.

Elad Tako, associate professor of food science at Cornell’s College of Life Sciences and co-author of the paper detailing the research, points out that apples are comprised of bioactive compounds, such as phytochemicals and prebiotics that could help intestinal health and the gut microbiome.

He continued that pomace is typically treated as industrial waste, but if it could be added to broiler diets, productivity could be enhanced.

 

How to use more alternative ingredients in poultry feed

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