A high-protein feed stuff showcased by a local distributor at the recent Agrilink trade show can be used to partially substitute soybean meal as an ingredient in animal feed ration. Called processed guar meal, it widely used in other countries and in India where it originated but was introduced to the country only few years ago.
Guar meal is one of the byproducts of the milling of guar gum, says Ana Liza Cuyugan of Centrovet Marketing, Inc., which markets imported processed guar meal under the product name Guarcol.
As a primary product of a fodder plant called guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), guar gum is extensively used as emulsifier, thickener, and stabilizer in food and oil industries. After the gum is extracted, guar meal is processed by toasting the guar seeds at high temperature to remove the natural trypsin inhibitor, thus enhancing its nutritive value and digestibility.