In the production of bioethanol based on cereals containing starch, the by-product stillage is also produced. Stillage as a by-product of alcohol production has been fed to animals for centuries, admittedly in liquid form, and thus on a regionally very restricted basis. By drying and pelleting it,  a comparatively new commercial and storable product is available in Europe today, which also can be transported over long distances. If the stillage is dried and pelleted, the resulting storable animal feed is known as DDGS (Distillers' Dried Grains with Solubles).
Because of its high protein content of over 30% and its advantageous energy content, DDGS can be used as feed for all livestock as well as for domestic pets.

In Germany, the use of DDGS as an animal feed is not very widespread. In the USA, however, DDGS is very widely used. DDGS belongs to the group of high-protein animal feed, which includes soya and rapeseed meal.

At its location in Zeitz, CropEnergies AG produces DDGS. This by-product which has a wide range of applications is distributed as a high-quality straight feeding stuff under the brand name ProtiGrain®. Helped in particular by early scientific monitoring even before its commercial introduction, ProtiGrain® has established itself within just a few years in the German and European market as a valuable protein animal feed. Today it is a regular ingredient in the rations of leading European mixed feed manufacturers and processors.

For the production of ProtiGrain we use only high quality, tested raw materials (cereals and sugar syrups).
CropEnergies AG works alongside various universities and other research organisations to make sure that its customers are supplied with reliable information on the optimum use of ProtiGrain® in livestock feeding. According to the individual feedstuff designation under feedstuff regulations, ProtiGrain® is a stillage (number 5.05.01 in the positive list). Manufacture is carried out under conditions of the most exacting quality control and the application of appropriate quality management systems and quality seals. A further advantage of the product is its gentle, indirect drying in so-called "tubular bundle driers". Here, the product is gently dried at relatively low temperatures, which guarantees the proteins will be easily digestible.

A summary of the essential nourishment parameters of ProtiGrain are given in the table below.

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