Research into the processing of legumes in animal feed in the Netherlands

Growing leguminous crops such as beans, lupins and peas in Europe can contribute to the regional protein supply for animal feed. Protein concentrates from legumes can be considered as alternatives to imported soy. In the 'Circular Bio-economy' project, research is being conducted into the possibilities and obstacles for applying legume flowers in animal feed. Wageningen Livestock Research and Schothorst Feed Research work together with partners from the animal feed industry in the public-private partnership project 'Circular Bio-economy'. The upgrading of leguminous plants is one of the projects in the FEED working group within this collaboration. A literature study has started. Although the protein quality of legumes is generally good, its value as a protein source can be improved by concentrating the protein fraction. The common way to extract proteins from plants is wet extraction. This requires a lot of water, chemicals for acidification and neutralization, and a lot of energy ...