Clean Cassava Chips For Animal Feeding in Thailand: Uthai Kanto and Sukanya Juttupornpong
Clean Cassava Chips For Animal Feeding in Thailand: Uthai Kanto and Sukanya Juttupornpong
Clean Cassava Chips For Animal Feeding in Thailand: Uthai Kanto and Sukanya Juttupornpong
ABSTRACT
Thailand has been the top cassava products exporter to the world market for decades.
However, there was a decline in exports of cassava pellets to the EU market and this has affected the
prices of both cassava fresh roots and dry products in the country. Therefore, greater domestic use
of cassava for animal feeding in Thailand is being encouraged.
Cassava has been promoted for use in animal feeds in Thailand for more than a decade, but
adoption has been very limited due to the unsuitable quality of cassava products (cassava chips and
pellets) available, and the relatively high price of the products (after mixing with a protein source)
when compared to conventional cereals, such as maize and broken rice. In 1997, when Thailand
suffered an economic crisis as well as a severe slump in cassava prices due to the sharp decline of
cassava pellets exports to the EU market, the Animal Nutrition Research and Development Center
(ANRDC) of Kasetsart University and the Thai Tapioca Development Institute (TTDI) decided to
promote more actively the use of cassava for domestic animal feed production in Thailand.
The activities included the transfer of technology to the farmers in the proper use of cassava
for animal feeding via seminars, workshops, publications T.V media, etc. They also included
technologies to improve the quality of cassava chips to be employed by the farmers. Prime quality
(clean) cassava chips are now produced by some cassava processors and this has facilitated the
successful use of cassava in animal diets. At present, the Department of Interior Trade (DIT) and the
Department of Foreign Trade (DFT), Ministry of Commerce, together with ANRDC and TTDI, have
promoted more production and more uses of prime quality cassava chips, both for animal feeding in
the country and for export to the world market.
Proper feeding of prime quality cassava chips to animals, including pigs, poultry (chickens
and ducks) and cattle, both in laboratory and in commercial animal farms, have shown a very
satisfactory and a comparable performance as compared to those animals fed with maize diets. But
cassava diets also have an advantage in terms of better digestibility, health improvement of the
animals, which has led to a much reduced use of antibiotics in animal production, and a considerable
reduction in the odor of manure. Cassava has been extensively used in pigs and cattle (beef and
dairy) diets at substitution levels of 40-60%. A series of studies on the advantages of using cassava
in animal diets have been conducted at ANRDC of Kasetsart University and the results are very
promising.
INTRODUCTION
Cassava is an important economic root crop grown in Southeast Asia as well as in
tropical Africa and Central America. The crop plays a very important role in the economy
of Thailand since a great number of farmers, especially those in the northeastern part of the
country, rely on cassava for much of their income.
The fresh roots, which contain approximately 60% moisture, are mainly utilized for
the production of cassava starch or dried cassava chips and pellets for animal feeds.
1
Animal Nutrition Research and Development Center, Department of Animal Science, Kasetsart
University, Kampaengsaen, Nakhon Pathom, 73140, Thailand.
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approximately 8 million tonnes are utilized for cassava starch production and the remaining
10-14 million tonnes are processed into 4.5-6.0 million tonnes of dried cassava chips and
pellets for animal feed. The chips are mainly utilized domestically while the pellets are
exported mainly to the European Union (EU) countries. But in 1993, the EU initiated a
CAP reform policy, with the objective to reduce the price of cereals grown in the EU
countries; this has resulted in a decrease in the price of cassava and has gradually reduced
the amount of cassava pellets exported to the EU market. However, more cassava chips are
utilized domestically for animal feed; therefore, the production volume is still maintained
and the cassava price crisis has been relieved.
Cassava production is scattered throughout the country but the major production
areas are in the northeastern and eastern parts of Thailand, while considerable volumes of
cassava are also produced in the northern and western parts of the country. Planting of
cassava generally starts in April and May, at the beginning of the rainy season, and
harvesting is normally done in October to March of the following year during the dry
season. It is the good weather in Thailand during the cassava harvesting season that ensures
that Thai cassava products are of high quality, compared to the products of some other
countries.
In addition, in Thailand cassava varieties have been developed that produce high
yields and have high starch contents; these are now widely distributed to the growers. For
example, Kasetsart 50 (KU 50), which was developed by the Department of Agronomy,
Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University; and Rayong 5, Rayong 60 and Rayong 90
which were developed by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Co-
operatives, are new cassava varieties which produce high yields and have high starch
contents; these are now commonly grown by farmers in the country.
Thailand, in which the moisture content is less than 14%, have on average an HCN content
below 30 ppm, and have produced no HCN toxicity in animals.
HCN in cassava may be eliminated by cooking, steaming, drying, ensiling as well
as by washing. Some of these processes are not practical for preparation of cassava
products for animal feeds, but they may be employed in the preparation of cassava for
human consumption.
Table 1. Effects of length of sun drying on the HCN content of cassava chips.
cleaning, sifting
chipping
sun-drying
sun- drying (3-
(3-66 days)
grinding
steaming
pelletizing
cooling
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the cassava chips and pellets production process.
higher than cassava chips due to the addition of pelleting additives such as palm kernel
cake or some vegetable oil for lubricants. The nutritive value of pelleted cassava varies
according to the types and amount of pelleting additives included. Additives that increase
the crude fiber and ash levels in the pelleted cassava will lower the nutritive value of the
product.
Table 3. Comparison of chemical composition of cassava, broken rice, maize and sorghum.
The crude fiber and ash contents of cassava chips depend very much on the quality
of fresh roots and the processing techniques. Good quality fresh roots, which are clean and
have minimal or no adulteration of stems or woody parts will produce good quality cassava
chips with low crude fiber and ash contents. Washing or sifting of fresh roots to eliminate
sand and soil before chipping significantly lowers the ash content. Production of large
cassava chips not only minimizes the dustiness during processing but also prolongs the
drying period and thus reduces the HCN content. Peeling of fresh roots before processing
will also lower the crude fiber and ash contents of the chips. However, peeling is not
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The nutritive value of cassava products also depends on the contents of organic and
inorganic parts of the cassava. Khajarern et al. (1979) have categorized the nutritive value
of cassava products as chemical grade or quality score according to the following equation:
Cassava products may be classified into four grades: A,B,C and D when the quality
score is >80, 7580, 70-75 and <70, respectively. However they did not report any
information on tested results of the effects of the quality score on the performance of the
animals.
Phansurin et al. (2002) and Lokaewmanee et al. (2002) have shown that the
metabolizable energy (ME) content of cassava chips are inversely related to the levels of
crude fiber in the feed ingredients (Table 5). Increasing the levels of crude fiber
significantly (P<0.05) decreased the ME content of the cassava chips, both in pig and in
chicken diets. It is advisable to use only high-quality cassava products in animal feeds;
these not only have low fiber contents and thus allow a higher inclusion rate of the product
in the animal diets, but they also have a higher nutritive value, which is worth the higher
price.
Table 5. Metabolizable energy (ME) of cassava starch and chips with different levels of
crude fiber in pig and chicken diets.
Cassava starch is highly digestible due to the soft-starch as it consists of more than
80% amylopectin. Cassava has the highest digestibilities in dry matter, organic matter and
energy in different parts of the digestive tract of growing pigs when compared to maize,
sorghum and barley (Table 6) (Reas, 1996). The cassava diet showed a significant linear
decline in dry matter, organic matter and energy from the stomach down to the caecum,
resulting in an almost complete digestion before the large intestine. The maize diet had
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lower digestibilities for dry matter, organic matter and energy compared to cassava, but
these differences were not statistically significant. Sorghum and barley were not
significantly different from each other but were significantly lower than cassava and maize
in the digestibilities of dry matter, organic matter and energy after the small intestine. It
can be concluded that cassava is an excellent energy source and can replace the cereal
grains in growing pig diets.
Table 6. Nutrient digestibility (%) of cassava, maize, sorghum and barley in the different
parts of the digestive tract and anus (faeces) of growing pigs.
Small Large
Diets Stomach intestine Caecum intestine Faeces
Dry Matter
cassava 30.6 59.0 87.5 a 89.1 a 90.3
maize 1.4 59.3 82.5 a 87.5 ab 88.2
sorghum 4.0 54.8 74.2 b 84.3 bc 87.6
barley 16.5 63.5 69.1 b 81.4 c 83.0
LSD NS NS 8.12 3.29
Organic Matter
cassava 30.2 a 61.6 88.8 a 90.9 a 92.7
maize 1.0 b 57.0 83.7 a 89.4 ab 90.1
sorghum -7.8 b 56.3 76.2 b 86.8 b 89.6
barley 12.2 ab 64.3 72.7 b 83.4 c 84.0
LSD 19.8 NS 7.4 40.5
Energy
cassava 28.3 a 54.4 86.8 a 89.0 a 90.6
maize 2.0 b 50.4 81.9 a 87.6 a 88.3
sorghum -7.6 b 49.6 72.5 b 83.5 b 86.8
barley 2.2 b 59.4 68.6 b 80.3 c 82.3
LSD 12.0 NS 8.9 2.8
Source: Reas, 1996.
Nutritional composition
Crude protein (%) 7.5 7.5 7.5 8.0
ME-swine (Mcal/kg) 3.25 3.39 3.30 3.30
ME-poultry (Mcal/kg) 3.35 3.48 3.47 3.37
Fat (%) 0.72 3.20 3.39 3.50
Fiber (%) 4.12 4.03 3.90 2.50
Lysine (%) 0.43 0.43 0.44 0.25
Methionine + Cystine (%) 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.39
Tryptophan (%) 0.09 0.09 0.10 0.09
Threonine (%) 0.28 0.28 0.32 0.32
Calcium (%) 0.14 0.13 0.14 0.01
Available phosphorus (%) 0.07 0.20 0.22 0.30
6.1 Pigs
Khajarern and Khajarern (1986) have reported that growing-finishing pigs (17-100
kg) fed a cassava diet had lower average daily gain and a higher feed conversion ratio than
those fed with broken rice and sorghum diets, but the differences were not statistically
significant (Table 8). Pigs on cassava diets tend to have lower feed intake due to the
bulkiness of the diet, which may lead to a lower animal performance.
Chalorklang et al. (2000a) studied the effects of cassava meal substituted for
broken rice in diets for weaned pigs (4-8 weeks). Weaned pigs on a 100% cassava diet
(Diet 4) had a similar average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio as those on the
broken rice diet (Diet 1) (Table 9). Cassava starch has been shown to be very easily
digestible by weaned pigs and produces minimum scouring and minimum unfavorable
effects to the health of the animal.
Wu (1991) fed weaned pigs, aged 28 days (7.1 kg), a daily basal protein
concentrated diet (41.0% protein) at 3% body weight together with ground cassava at 2%
body weight and found that the diet resulted in an average gain of 451 g/day and a feed
conversion ratio of 1.23.
Chalorklang et al. (2000b) also studied the effects of cassava substituted for maize
in diets for growing-finishing pigs (30-100 kg). Pigs fed a 100% cassava diet (Diet 4) had
slightly higher average daily gains but also slightly higher feed conversion ratios as
compared to those on a diet of 100% maize (Diet 1). However, the differences were not
statistically significant (Table 10). Pigs on cassava diets required less number of days to
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attain market weight while carcass characteristics of pigs on every experimental diet were
not significantly different.
Table 8. Effect of the utilizatin of broken rice, sorghum and cassava diets for growing-
finishing pig on their performance.
Table 9. Effect of the substitution of broken rice by cassava meal in diets for weaned
pigs (4-8weeks) on their performance.
Saesim et al. (1990) tested the effects of cassava diets and broken rice diets on the
reproductive performances of breeder pigs. The trial was conducted at the farm for a period
over one year. Sows on cassava diets had very similar reproductive performances to the
sows on broken rice diets. It is clear that cassava can be an excellent source of energy feed
ingredient in pig breeder diets (Table 11).
6.2 Broilers
Khajarern and Khajarern (1986) have demonstrated that cassava meal could be used
as a sole source of energy feed ingredient comparable to maize, broken rice and sorghum in
broiler diets (Table 12). Broilers on cassava diets tend to have smaller body weights and
poorer feed conversion ratios than those on the other diets but the differences were not
significant.
Table 10. Effect of the substitution of maize by cassava meal in diets for growing-finishing
pigs (30-100 kg) on their performance.
Table 11. Effect of the utilization of broken rice and cassava in diets for breeder pigs on their
reproductive performance.
Table 12. Effect of the utilization of maize, broken rice, sorghum and cassava in diets for
broilers on their performance.
and 4) were stronger, required much less medication and had lower mortality rates as
compared to those on the maize diet (Diet 1). The meat of broilers on cassava diets (Diet 2,
3 and 4) had a better perception by consumers than those on the maize diets (Diet 1). The
slightly slower growth of the animals and the minimal use of antibiotics may have
improved the meat quality of broilers on the cassava diets.
Table 13. Effect of the utilization of maize , sorghum and cassava in diets for 4-7 week old
broilers on their performance.
Table 14. Effect of the substitution of maize by cassava meal in diets for broilers (1049 days)
on their performance.
Tathawan et al. (2002) found that broilers fed with cassava diets always had about
half the mortality rate than those fed with maize diets (Table 15). Broilers on a cassava
diet without antibiotics supplemention had significantly (P<0.05) lower mortality rate than
those on a maize diet with antibiotics supplementation. It has been demonstrated that
cassava diets have benefits on animal health and allow a minimal or no use of antibiotics in
animal production. This advantage is also experienced by farmers and feed millers who
have used cassava in animal diets in Thailand.
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Table 15. Performances and mortality rate of broilers fed with maize or cassava diets,
with or without supplementation with antibiotics.
6.3 Layers
Khajarern and Khajarern (1986) have shown that cassava could be used as a sole
source of energy feed ingredient in diets of pullets and layers when compared to maize,
broken rice and sorghum (Tables 16 and 17). Pullets and layers on cassava diets had
similar performances to those on maize, broken rice and sorghum diets. The animals on
cassava diets had a low mortality rate and showed no signs of any toxicity of cassava in the
diet.
Table 16. Effect of the utilization of maize, broken rice, sorghum and cassava in diets for
pullets on their performance.
Table 17. Effect of the utilization of maize, broken rice , sorghum and cassava in diets for layers
on their performance.
Saentaweesuk et al. (200b) studied the substitution of maize by cassava in diets for
layers (22-37 weeks) (Table 18) and found that laying hens on 100% cassava diet (Diet 5)
had similar production performances to those on 100% maize diets (Diets 1 and 2).
Increasing the levels of cassava in the diets significantly (P<0.5) reduced the yolk color
score. Diet 5, in which 100% of the maize was substituted by cassava, needed to be
supplemented with 0.2% of marigold meal to provide adequate yolk pigmentation for local
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market acceptance. Cassava is an excellent energy feed ingredient for the production of
pale yolk eggs for exportation.
Table 18. Substitution of maize cassava meal in diets for layers (22-37 weeks) on their
performance.
Table 19. Effect of substitution of maize by cassava chips in concentrate diets for dairy cattle
on their performance.
Table 20. Effect of substitution of maize by cassava meal in diets for hybrid catfish on their
performance.
It can be concluded that cassava can be used as a sole source of energy feed
ingredient in every kind of animal ration, including pigs, poultry, ruminants and
aquaculture feeds. The inclusion rate of cassava in the animal rations are summarized in
Table 21. However, care should be taken on the use of cassava for broiler rations, since
fowls are sensitive to bulkiness and to the fiber contents of the feed; therefore, cassava is
recommended to replace only 50% of maize (25-30% inclusion of cassava) in broiler diets.
Table 21. Recommended maximum inclusion levels of cassava meal in the feed rations of
various animals.
and a video on the utilization of cassava and soybean meal in animal rations have been
prepared and distributed to the farmers. Follow-up evaluations need to be conducted in
order to correct the field problems and to ensure the success of the project. In addition,
improvement of the quality of cassava chips produced in Thailand has been promoted in
order to satisfy the requirement of the animal industry. Good quality cassava chips and
pellets, which are key factors for the successful use of cassava in animal diets, are
increasingly available in the country and are helping to increase the acceptance of cassava
in the feed industry. To date cassava has been extensively accepted in animal feed rations
in Thailand, including for growing-finishing, breeder and weaned pigs, layer hens and
ducks, meat-type ducks, and dairy and beef cattle, with successful results and satisfaction to
the farmers.
Cassava is an appropriate feed ingredient for pigs, ducks and cattle because these
animals can tolerate high levels of dietary crude fiber and require no pigmentation in the
diets (except for laying ducks). Acceptance of using cassava in animal feed rations is now
widespread among farmers, ranging from small farmers (10-20 sows unit) to large
commercial farmers (over 10,000 sows unit) with rather equally successful results. It is
worthy to note that most of the farmers are satisfied with the following advantages of using
cassava in their animal rations.
1. Satisfactory animal performances and carcass quality while the feed cost and
animal production cost are reduced.
2. Reduction of medication and antibiotics used in animal production, and the
improvement of animal health induced by cassava diets.
3. Reduction of the fetid smell of the manure and reduction of environmental
pollution.
In many occasions when there were no differences in the prices between maize and
cassava diets, a number of farmers still maintained the use of cassava in animal rations due
to the advantages of animal health improvement and less smell and pollution as a result of
the cassava diets. A number of pig and poultry (broiler) farms have used cassava as their
main feed ingredient in the diets for production of antibiotics-free pork and poultry meat.
8.1 Comparable performance but higher quality of animal products than maize diet
Good-quality cassava with proper nutritional balance, obtained by good diet
processing, has produced very comparable production performances of the animals as
compared to those on cereal diets. But farmers always reported that cassava diets produced
better quality animal products including meat, milk and eggs. Although no scientific
explanation can be made, the favorable results may be due to less stress situation for
animals on cassava diets.
pathogenic microorganisms which will produce more acidic conditions and suppress the
growth of pathogenic microorganisms in the digestive tract.
10. National Program on Cassava Chips and Pellets Quality Improvement and
Quality Assurance in Thailand
Good quality cassava is an important factor for the successful use of cassava in
animal diets. The government of Thailand is therefore launching a national program on the
promotion of good quality cassava chips and pellets production in the country, both for
domestic use and for export. Good quality cassava chips should conform to the following
standard :
Moisture max. 14%
Crude fiber max. 3.5-4.0%
Sand/ash max. 2.0%
Starch (NFE) min. 75-80%
Cassava products containing minimal levels of crude fiber and sand/ash will be
good substitutes for cereals in animal diets. Governmental offices and organizations related
to cassava production, utilization and trading are involved in the program and carry out the
following activities:
according to the standard. The project will produce approximately 300,000-500,000 tonnes
of good quality cassava chips annually for domestic consumption and for export.
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