Research on enriched copra meal ongoing

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has allotted P8 million to fund a research project on how to enrich the protein content of copra meal.

Now ongoing, the three-year (until 2015) project, titled “Protein Enhancement of Copra Meal (PECM) as Food for Swine and Poultry,” aims to boost the development of the country’s swine and poultry industries.

Funded by the Los Baños-based DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), it will be conducted by the University of the Philippines Los Baños-National Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (Biotech) and the UPLB-Animal and Dairy Science Cluster (ADSC).

With Dr. Laura Pham of Biotech and Prof. Amado Angeles of ADSC as project leaders, the research aims to find ways to decrease the fiber content of copra meal (coconut meat minus the oil) and improve its protein content up to 42 percent, or almost the same as that of soybean meal.

“The bioconversion of copra meal to protein-enriched copra meal (PECM) will use the solid state fermentation technology using a specific fungus in a complete bioprocessing system,” PCAARRD said.

“With PECM, we can potentially replace 20 to 50 percent of soybean meal used in feed rations,” it said.

The country imports almost half a billion dollars worth of soybean meal every year, PCAARRD reported at a recent media-research forum. Speakers and resource persons were PCAARRD executive director Dr. Patricio Faylon, PCAARRD livestock division director Dr. Edwin Villar, Pham, Angeles, and Dr. Ernesto Martin of the Central Luzon State University.

The Philippine swine and poultry industries require about 3.3 million metric tons of food yearly and 10-20 percent of that food mix includes soybean meal.

“Since soybean meal is a perennial import, the partial replacement of soybean will translate to savings in foreign exchange,” PCAARRD said.

It further said the Philippines is one of the world’s leading coconut producers and the top copra meal producer.

In 2010 alone, 878,000 tons of copra meal was produced as coconut oil by-product. More than 40 percent of copra meal was exported for use as animal food.

Copra meal contains 20 percent crude protein. Depending on its quality, it can only comprise 10-15 percent of swine and poultry food ration.

“This limitation,” PCAARRD said, “is primarily due to copra meal’s high fiber content, unbalanced nutrient content, aflatoxin contamination, and presence of anti-nutritional factors, which affect the digestibility of nutrients.”