| abstract |
Hard, stable, extruded animal feed nuggets are prepared for ruminants, the nuggets comprising between about 90 to 99 wt % of at least one protein-containing ingredient and between about 1.0 to 6.0 wt % of added fat. Preferably, the animal feed nugget is also comprised of between about 0.02 and 5.0 wt % of sulfur. The animal feed nugget of this invention is prepared by a method comprising the steps of: A. plasticizing a blend of at least one protein-containing ingredient, added fat, sulfur, if present, and water in an extruder, B. extruding the plasticized blend to form an animal feed nugget, and C. drying the extruded nugget to a water content of less than about 12 wt %, based on the total weight of the nugget. Animal feed nuggets prepared by this method function as a rumen escape composition in that they permit the release of beneficial nutrients in the abomasum or subsequent digestive tract. Thus, when this nugget is fed as part of a lower crude protein diet, the ruminants can actually achieve the same level of milk and milk component yield as those ruminants fed a normal crude protein diet. |