Sunflower meal protein depends mainly on how much hull was removed before the seed was crushed. The trade sells it in grades often called low-pro, standard and HiPro, but these are conventions, not legal categories, and the numbers mean little without the moisture basis. This guide explains the grades, the parameters a feed buyer contracts and the feed law and private schemes behind the meal.
Key takeaways
- Protein grades of sunflower meal are trade conventions; the contract defines them.
- Dehulling raises protein and lowers fibre; the two numbers move together.
- Always state whether protein is as-is or on dry matter, and the nitrogen factor.
- Feed law names the material (Catalogue) and the undesirable substances (Directive 2002/32/EC).
- GMP+ is a private scheme that many EU compounders require.
How the grade is made
Sunflower seed is pressed and then solvent-extracted. What remains is meal. Hulls are mostly fibre, so the more hull goes into the press, the lower the protein and the higher the fibre. Plants that dehull partly before crushing make HiPro meal; plants that crush whole seed make low-protein meal.
| Grade (trade convention) | Typical crude protein, indicative | Fibre | Main users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-pro, undehulled | About 28 to 32 per cent | High | Ruminants |
| Standard | About 34 to 36 per cent | Medium | Ruminants, some pig feed |
| HiPro, partly dehulled | About 36 to 40 per cent | Lower | Poultry, pigs, aquafeed |
The figures are indicative ranges seen in trade and depend on the basis. The contract, not the name, decides the grade.
The basis trap
Crude protein is nitrogen multiplied by 6.25, measured by Kjeldahl or by Dumas combustion under ISO 16634-1. A meal at 12 per cent moisture with 36 per cent protein as-is is about 41 per cent on dry matter. Offers often quote one basis and certificates the other. Write the basis next to every number.
What to contract
- Protein: minimum, with basis and method
- Fibre: maximum crude fibre, which protects the HiPro claim
- Moisture: maximum, ISO 712 or the method in the contract form
- Residual oil and fat: band, which affects energy value
- Form: loose meal or pellets (granules); pellets handle better in bulk and make less dust
- Contaminants: by instrument, plus any buyer limits for Salmonella and residual solvent
Feed law and private schemes
Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 governs placing feed on the market and its labelling. The material name comes from the Catalogue of feed materials in Regulation (EU) No 68/2013, which distinguishes sunflower seed meal from dehulled meal. Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 requires the crusher, storer and trader to be registered feed business operators. Directive 2002/32/EC sets maximum contents for undesirable substances such as aflatoxin B1 and dioxins, and Commission Recommendation 2006/576/EC gives guidance values for other mycotoxins. None of these figures is restated here.
GMP+ Feed Certification is a private scheme widely required by compounders in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. It covers production, storage, trade and transport, including the previous cargoes of ships and trucks. FAMI-QS is the equivalent for additives and premixes, not bulk meal.
Trading and logistics
Meal is usually traded on GAFTA forms, while the oil from the same crush trades on FOSFA forms. Ukraine ships meal in bulk vessels and, for smaller buyers, in containers. Meal can self-heat if it is too moist or warm, so loading temperature and moisture are worth recording. See sunflower meal and rapeseed meal for the product records and the bulk logistics guide for transport choices.
Comparing offers on a like-for-like basis
Two offers for sunflower meal at different protein levels can only be compared after converting them to the same basis. Convert crude protein to dry matter or to a common moisture, then compare the cost per unit of protein and, for monogastric diets, per unit of digestible amino acids. Fibre matters as much as protein for pigs and poultry, because it sets the inclusion limit.
Ask for the typical amino acid profile and the range of fibre across the last season, not only the guaranteed minimum protein. A meal that sits at the protein minimum with fibre at the maximum is a different product from one with spare protein and low fibre.
Sampling, analysis and disputes
Bulk meal is sampled at loading by an independent superintendent, and the sample is split into contractual, buyer and retained portions. Agree which laboratory analyses the contractual sample and how a second analysis is ordered if the result is disputed. Trade contracts often follow GAFTA forms, an industry convention rather than law; see what a GAFTA contract is.
Storage and handling
Meal must be cool and dry before loading. Warm meal continues to respire, heats and can cake in the hold or the silo. Pellets are less dusty and flow better; loose meal suits local delivery and some on-farm mixing. Check hold cleanliness and the previous cargo before loading. Related: soybean meal and the oilseed meals and feed overview.
Common mistakes
- Comparing a protein figure on dry matter with one quoted as is.
- Buying on minimum protein only and ignoring the fibre maximum.
- Leaving out Salmonella sampling and the action on a positive result.
- Accepting warm meal at loading, which heats and cakes in the hold.
- Treating a private scheme certificate as if it replaced feed law obligations.
Questions to ask a crusher
Ask how much hull is removed and how stable the dehulling is across the season, whether the meal is toasted and cooled before loading, how often Salmonella is tested, and which laboratory issues the certificate. The answers explain most of the difference between two offers at the same protein level. Ask, too, for the share of production sold as pellets and as loose meal, and how each is stored before loading, because storage decides how the meal arrives at the feed mill.
Checklist
- Grade defined by protein minimum and fibre maximum, with basis
- Nitrogen factor and method named
- Moisture, oil and form (meal or pellets) stated
- Catalogue name used on label and contract
- Undesirable substances referenced by instrument; buyer limits added
- GMP+ or other scheme requirement and transport assurance agreed