Distillers
By-products
Liquid wheat distillers’ grains (WWDG)
Pigs: wheat distillers’ grains are intended only for finishing pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.
DISTILLERS’ GRAINS are a liquid raw material obtained from the processing of wheat flour to produce alcohol, glucose and starch.
The process is extremely simple and natural: the flour is first mixed with water, then inoculated with brewer’s yeast and fermented to produce alcohol, glucose and starch; after distillation the product is concentrated to about 40% dry matter, ready to be used in animal feeding.
The particular palatability of distillers’ grains makes them extremely interesting: with a pH of about 3.4, wheat distillers’ grains acidify the ration, making it possible to reduce or eliminate acidifying substances in the diets of finishing pigs and of lactating and gestating sows, only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit. For ruminants, the recommended use is approximately 3 kg per head per day for dairy cows, 4 kg for heifers and 3 kg for beef bulls. The low pH limits fermentation processes, increasing the shelf life of the distillers’ grains themselves.
Alpha’s feed technicians have about twenty years of experience in the use of wheat distillers’ grains in pig and dairy cow feeding. In the ration, for pigs distillers’ grains are used in the finishing of pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit. Distillers’ grains are a valuable and economical source of protein, starch and fat, partially replacing soya and cereals.
Liquid wheat distillers’ grains contain lactobacilli from the fermentation process.
Infographic
How wheat distillers’ grains are made
Calculation tool
How much distillers’ grains your herd needs
Enter how many animals you have in each category: the requirement for liquid wheat distillers’ grains updates as you type, per day, per week and per month, together with the dry matter it supplies.
Estimated distillers’ grains requirement
- Per day
- kg
- Dry matter supplied (about 40%)
- kg/day
- Per week
- kg
- Per month (30 days)
- t
For 100 head you need about 300 kg of distillers’ grains a day (about 120 kg of dry matter), 9 tonnes a month.
Reference doses
| Category | Recommended dose |
|---|---|
| Dairy cows | about 3 kg per head per day |
| Heifers | about 4 kg per head per day |
| Beef bulls | about 3 kg per head per day |
| Finishing pigs | for finishing pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit |
For pigs: only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.
Distillers’ grains have about 40% dry matter and a pH of about 3.4: they acidify the ration and keep for longer. To convert other quantities, use the as-fed and dry matter converter.
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