Rapeseed meal is the protein feed left after crushing rapeseed. It sits between sunflower and soybean meal in protein, and its value depends on glucosinolate content, which modern double-low varieties keep low. Buyers contract crude protein, fibre, moisture, residual oil and glucosinolates, and check feed safety like any feed material.
At a glance
- Key numbers: crude protein, crude fibre, moisture, oil and fat, glucosinolates
- Varieties: double-low (00) rapeseed keeps glucosinolates and erucic acid low
- Feed law: Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 and Directive 2002/32/EC
- Formats: loose meal, pellets, or expeller cake
- Compare: sunflower meal
Grades, cuts and calibration
Crude protein and fibre describe feed value. Glucosinolates reduce palatability and affect thyroid function in livestock, so their content limits inclusion rates; double-low varieties keep them low.
Expeller (press) cake keeps more oil and energy than solvent-extracted meal. State which product is being sold, using the Catalogue name.
Rapeseed meal is not sold in named protein grades the way sunflower meal is. Contracts state minimum crude protein and maximum fibre, moisture and sand, usually on an as-is basis, and add oil plus protein where the buyer values energy. Expeller cake carries a higher oil content and a lower protein figure, so its values are not directly comparable with extracted meal.
Colour and smell are checked on arrival: a dark, burnt smell points to overheating in the plant, which lowers the digestibility of the protein even when the crude protein figure looks normal.
Seasonality and availability
Rapeseed is harvested in June and July; much Ukrainian seed is exported, with domestic crushing rising. Rapeseed is harvested in July; crushing peaks in the second half of the year, and much Ukrainian rapeseed is exported as seed, so meal volumes are smaller than for sunflower.
What the buyer checks at intake
- Crude protein, fibre, moisture and oil on the contracted basis.
- Glucosinolates.
- Salmonella and undesirable substances.
- Feed registration of the supplier.
Where it is used
Dairy and beef rations, pig and poultry feed within inclusion limits.
Where rapeseed meal fits
Rapeseed meal is a protein source for dairy cows, where it supports milk yield at a lower cost per unit of protein than soybean meal, and for beef cattle, pigs and poultry within inclusion limits set by nutritionists. Its protein has a good balance of sulphur amino acids; its higher fibre and residual glucosinolates set the ceiling for monogastric diets.
Compared with sunflower meal, rapeseed meal usually carries more lysine and less fibre than standard sunflower grades; soybean meal remains the reference for protein density.
Standards and routes
Bulk vessel, rail or truck; same handling rules as other oilseed meals.
Meal or cake, quality checks and documents
Solvent-extracted meal is a defatted meal with low residual oil; expeller cake, pressed without solvent, keeps more oil and more energy and is often preferred in organic and non-GMO feed chains. State which one the contract covers, because the energy value and the storage behaviour differ.
Glucosinolates are measured on the seed or the meal by ISO 9167; double-low varieties keep them low, but heat treatment in the plant also changes the result. Crude protein, crude fibre, moisture, oil and fibre, and sand are the usual contract values.
Salmonella control and the undesirable substances in Directive 2002/32/EC apply as for other oilseed meals. Pelletised meal ships in bulk; loose meal must be cool and dry before loading to prevent heating.
For grade logic shared across meals, see the sunflower meal protein guide and the oilseed meals and feed overview.
Common specification mistakes
- No glucosinolate value
- Confusing cake and meal
- Protein basis not stated
How to brief a supplier
- State meal or cake and the Catalogue name
- Give protein, fibre, moisture and oil limits
- Require glucosinolate results
- Require Salmonella testing and feed registration
- Agree contract terms