More energy than maize
Biscuit meal has about 25% more digestible energy than maize meal: weight for weight, it concentrates the ration.
Source: Suinicoltura 9-2007, Fig. 1
Economic analysis: biscuit meal in the ration
Biscuit meal replaces part of the maize, soya and fats: why it pays, what the saving depends on and what it is worth to you.
It pays when it costs less than what it replaces
In the ration, biscuit meal (bakery by-products) takes the place of part of the maize, soya bean meal and fats. The sum is simple: if a tonne of biscuit meal costs less than the quantity of these ingredients that supplies the same energy and the same protein, every tonne used is a saving. On this page we explain why this happens and what it depends on; further down you can run the calculation with your own figures and prices.
Why biscuit meal pays
Six technical reasons, all documented, why a tonne of biscuit meal can be worth more than a tonne of cereal.
The fats are already there
The lipids in biscuit meal are almost entirely hydrogenated: biscuit meal reduces or eliminates the need to add fats to the diet.
Source: Suinicoltura 9-2007, p. 3
Sugars and cooked starch
Sugars provide readily available energy and cooked starches are highly digestible.
Source: Bakery by-products page; Suinicoltura 9-2007, Tab. 1
Some soya, too
Biscuit meal also supplies protein: to match energy and protein, it replaces a small share of soya bean meal as well as maize.
Source: substitution model, literature values
Palatable, even in summer
When dry matter intake falls in the heat, biscuit meal concentrates energy and improves feed palatability. It is also an excellent substitute for high-moisture maize.
Source: Bakery by-products page
Circular economy
These are recovered former foodstuffs, almost all fresh production residues: ingredients intended for human consumption that go back into the food chain instead of being wasted.
Source: Suinicoltura 9-2007, pp. 1 and 3
The substitution principle
To compare costs correctly, we set one tonne of biscuit meal against the mix of maize, soya bean meal and fats that supplies the same mass, the same digestible energy and the same crude protein.
The result is a mix made of about seven tenths maize, one tenth soya bean meal and two tenths fats. Fats are the item that weighs most: they cost much more than maize, and biscuit meal already contains them.
Source: calculation model based on reference values (energy of biscuit meal and maize from Suinicoltura 9-2007, Tab. 2 and Fig. 1; soya, fats and maize protein from the literature). This is not Alpha data: the values are listed in the advanced details of the tool.
What the saving depends on
Four variables, all adjustable in the calculation tool at the bottom of the page.
Prices of maize, soya and fats
They are the value of what biscuit meal replaces: when they rise, the saving grows. The price of fats matters more than the others.
Price of biscuit meal
This is the benchmark: the saving per tonne is the difference between the cost of the replaced ingredients and the price of biscuit meal.
Quantity used
The saving grows in proportion to the tonnes of biscuit meal used each month: what counts is the number of animals and the inclusion rate.
Animal category
For dairy cows the rate is expressed in kg per head per day, for pigs as a percentage of the ration: that is why the calculation changes from one farm to another. For pigs: only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.
Inclusion limits
The savings calculation holds within the recommended inclusion rates. The ration should always be formulated with Alpha’s technical service.
2–3 kg
Per head per day for dairy cows
Recommended rate on the Bakery by-products page.
Source: Bakery by-products page, alphasrl.com
15–20%
Of the ration for sows and piglets
For gestating and lactating sows the 2007 technical article indicates 10–15% (Tab. 4). Only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.
Source: Bakery by-products page; Suinicoltura 9-2007, Tab. 4
Bakery by-products: composition and usesHow much biscuit meal you need
Economic analysis
How much you save with biscuit meal
Biscuit meal goes into the ration in place of part of the maize, soya bean meal and fats. Enter how much biscuit meal you use: the calculation compares the cost of the components it replaces with the price of biscuit meal and shows the saving per month and per year. All prices and quantities can be edited.
Open the tool full page: How much you save with biscuit mealAll tools
Sources
- Average cost of biscuit meal and principle of substitution for maize, fats and soya bean meal: Alpha guidance, October 2026.
- Prices of maize, soya bean meal and animal fat used as reference in the tool: Milan commodity exchange, 6 October 2026.
- Cevolani D., Massa V., Rizzi M. (Alpha technical service), ‘Bakery by-products in sow and piglet rations’ (‘Biscotti nella razione di scrofe e suinetti’), Suinicoltura 9-2007, pp. 54–58: energy (Fig. 1, Tab. 2), hydrogenated lipids, strengths (Tab. 1), withdrawn product, inclusion rates (Tab. 4), diet for lactating sows (Tab. 7).
- ‘Bakery by-products’ page (‘Biscotti’) on alphasrl.com: 2–3 kg per head per day for dairy cows, 15–20% of the ration for sows and piglets, summer use.
- Maize protein, energy and protein of soya bean meal 44 (INRA-CIRAD-AFZ tables) and of fats: literature references, not Alpha data.
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