PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Cottonseed meal is a by-product from the oil extraction of cottonseed. It is a medium quality protein meal that can be fed to all animals. Cottonseed meal in Australia is of two types depending on the process of oil extraction. Pressed/expeller cottonseed meal and pre-press solvent extracted meal. The following information refers to the solvent extracted cottonseed meal, which is the more common of the two types. Cottonseed meal contains a number of deleterious substances, the most important of which are gossypol and the cyclopropenoids. These substances, if ingested in large enough quantities over a period, can affect livestock performance. Both meals vary in their gossypol content, with the expeller meal containing approximately 0.07% and the solvent extracted meal 0.05%.Solvent extracted cottonseed meal contains a maximum level of gossypol (both bound and free forms) of 0.1%. The level of gossypol in the free form is the concern when feeding to animals. See M. Evans (1985) for more information.