White protein gluten meal and methods of use

#The present invention relates to the novel use of a new, low phosphorus, low-pigmented (xanthophyll), highly digestible white protein gluten meal to be used as an ingredient in feeding operations, especially aquaculture. It is derived from the wet milling of an identity preserved, white corn hybrid with distinct characteristics. The development of this novel product involves several selection criteria across a variety of disciplines involving plant breeding, industrial processing, feeding operations, and environmental issues.

#The publications and other materials used herein to illuminate the background of the invention or provide additional details respecting the practice, are incorporated by reference, and for convenience are respectively grouped in the appended Bibliography.

#The goal of plant breeding is to develop new, unique, and superior corn inbred lines and hybrids. Typically, the development of a hybrid corn variety involves three steps: 1) the selection of plants from various germplasm pools for initial breeding crosses; 2) the selfing of the selected plants from the breeding crosses for several generations to produce a series of inbred lines, which, although different from each other, breed true and are highly uniform; and, 3) crossing the selected inbred lines with unrelated inbred lines to produce the hybrid progeny (F1). The breeder can theoretically generate billions of different genetic combinations via crossing, selfing, and mutations.

#Analysis of the white protein gluten meal of the present invention was prepared from wet milling 1851W at Colorado Sweet Gold, Johnston, Colorado and comparison to yellow corn gluten as shown in Table 1. This analysis was completed according to standard procedures used by the Experiment Station Chemical Laboratories, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Mo., in accordance with AOAC standards. The white protein gluten meal of the present invention has higher protein, less phosphorus, and very low xanthophyll and beta-carotene levels. The results in Table 1 do not include the embryo as it is cleanly extracted prior to the formation of the gluten meal. The values shown in Table 1 are based on a 9% moisture basis.

#TABLE 1 Analysis of White Protein Gluten vs Standard Yellow Gluten Trait White Protein Gluten Yellow Gluten Crude Protein (%) 73.31-77.46 68.55-73.57 Crude Fat (%) 0.69-1.47 0.87-3.06 Crude Fiber (%) 0.60-0.80 0.60-0.92 Ash (%) 1.67-2.90 2.93-4.45 ADF (%) 2.30 0.96 NDF (%) 2.82 1.65 Cellulose (%) 2.15 1.93 Phosphorus (%) 0.36-0.58 0.67-0.98 Beta-carotene (ug/100 g) 104.0 345.0 Xanthophylls (mg/lb) 5.0-25.0 130.0-170.0

#The phosphorus content of most fish meal sources ranges from about 2.7 to about 3.8% (Feedstuffs Ingredient Analysis Table: 2000 edition) while the phosphorus content of the white protein gluten meal of the present invention was 0.36%-0.58%. The white protein gluten meal of the present invention was incorporated into rainbow trout experimental diets at 6% incremental levels ranging from 0-36%. The effects of incorporating the white protein gluten meal on the phosphorus level of the diet are summarized in Table 2. In Table 2 and subsequent tables, the white protein gluten meal of the present invention is simply referred to as white protein.