High Shear, Dry Extruded, Stabilized Rice Bran in Pet Diets
In my first blog on stabilized rice bran, I discussed its ability to be used in broiler diets with up to 12% inclusion, without negatively impacting growth and performance. In addition to those benefits, we discovered that stabilized rice bran, processed through high-shear, dry extrusion, is one solution to preventing free fatty acid (FFA) formation (e.g. rancidity). All in all, high-shear, dry extrusion deactivates FFA formation which increases the value of the product.
Stabilized rice bran as part of a diet provides nutritional benefits to both production animal and companion animals or pets. In the graph below, stabilized rice bran acted as a prebiotic fiber which boosted the amount of “good bacteria”, and hence gut health, when fed to pigs.
There are other factors that are important when formulating a pet diet compared with production animals which include, gut health, palatability, and performance of working breeds. This study evaluated canine diets with up to 12% inclusion of stabilized rice bran. The stabilized rice bran canine diets were more palatable than diets formulated with animal fat and/or soybean meal and oil.
Additionally, stabilized rice bran is used exceedingly as a digestible high fat, low starch ingredient in the horse rations. This study by Kentucky Equine Research, concluded that exercising horses fed a commercial stabilized rice bran supplement called Equi-Jewel, had lower lactate accumulation and lower heart rates during exercise than rations supplemented with another fat source, free corn oil. In other words, exercising horses had better endurance and subsequent shorter recovery periods when fed stabilized rice bran versus traditional vegetable oil as the primary fat source in the ration.
In summary, stabilized rice bran, processed through high-shear, dry extrusion, offers a source of highly digestible, palatable fat and insoluble fiber. The benefits of including stabilized rice bran in pet diets consist of promoting gut health and improving performance in working breeds. Contact us to learn more.
