Food & Animal feed

ProtiGrain®

ProtiGrain® - valuable co-product from the bioethanol plant in Zeitz
CropEnergies manufactures the high-grade animal feed ProtiGrain® from the stillage produced as a co-product in the production of bioethanol from cereals that contain starch. The stillage left over from alcohol production has been fed to animals in liquid form, which severely restricts its regional distribution, for centuries. If it is dried and pelletized, a storable, easily transportable and thus merchantable product is obtained known as DDGS (Distillers' Dried Grains with Solubles), a comparatively new product in Europe. Because of its high protein and fat content and its advantageous energy content DDGS can be used as a high-grade feed for all types of livestock as well as for pets. It is a substitute above all for soy and rapeseed meal extract in feed rations. CropEnergies markets the DDGS produced in Zeitz throughout Europe under the brand name ProtiGrain®.
New protein feedstuff
Supported especially by early scientific studies even before its commercial introduction, ProtiGrain® established itself as a high-grade protein animal feed in the German and European market within just a few years. Today, it is a regular ingredient in the rations of leading European compound feed manufacturers and processors.
Highest quality standards
Only high-quality, tested raw materials (cereals and sugar syrups) are used for the production of ProtiGrain®.
According to the designations for individual animal feeds under the animal feed regulations ProtiGrain® is a stillage (number 5.05.01 in the positive list). It is manufactured according to the highest quality standards and in conformity with the relevant quality management systems. An important factor for its quality is also the gentle, indirect drying of the product at relatively low temperatures, which guarantees that the proteins are easily digestible.
CropEnergies AG also collaborates with various universities and other research institutes in order to be able to make recommendations to its customers on the optimum use of ProtiGrain® in livestock feeding. The following tables show the key data on the constituents of ProtiGrain®. Information on the rations for the various types of livestock can be found under Feeding.
The production flow chart shows how DDGS is manufactured. (PDF, 114.99 KB)
ProtiGrain® at a glance
Product data    Since January 2010   
Dry matter (DM)     92.8%     
Constituents per kg of dry matter    
Raw ash     62 g     
Raw protein     327 g     
Raw fibre     79 g     
Raw fat     77 g     
Starch     29 g     
Sugar     49 g     
Nitrogen-free extracts     455 g     
Neutral-detergent fibre     351 g     
Acid detergent fibre     190 g     
Lignin   104 g   
Enzyme soluble organic matter 794 g 
Gas formation     47 ml/200mg     
Amino acids (% in DM) (2009)     
Lys     Met    Thr      Cys   
0.74     0.54     1.06    0.65     
Minerals (g/kg DM) (2009)     
Ca     P     Na     Mg     K     
0.9     8.8     5.4     3.1     14.7    
Trace elements (mg/kg DM) (2009)     
Cu     Zn     Mn     Fe     
8.8     72.5     54.0    106     

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