A finishing study was conducted to evaluate removal of corn oil from modified distillers grains plus solubles (MDGS) and replacement of supplemental corn oil on finishing cattle performance. Four treatments were evaluated: a corn control diet, 40% de-oiled MDGS, 38% de-oiled MDGS plus 2% corn oil to equal the fat content of full fat MDGS, or 40% full fat MDGS. There was a significant improvement in ADG and F:G for cattle fed de-oiled MDGS plus oil compared to other treatments. Cattle fed full fat MDGS had numerically lower ADG and numerically poorer F:G (3.7%) compared with cattle fed MDGS plus oil. Cattle fed de-oiled MDGS had greater intake and numerically higher ADG than full fat MDGS, however F:G was similar (1.2%). Even with the improvement in feed conversion, the benefit is too small to make adding corn oil to the diet economical at current prices

Bittner, Curtis J.

Burhoop, Jordan E.

Erickson, Galen E.

Hilscher, F. Henry, Hilscher

Luebbe, Matt K.

MacDonald, Jim C.

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnNebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department2018Impact of Corn Oil Removal from ModifiedDistillers Grains Plus Solubles and SupplementalCorn Oil on Finishing Cattle PerformanceJordan E. BurhoopUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, jordanburhoop_28@hotmail.comCurtis J. BittnerUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, curtis.bittner@unl.eduF. Henry Hilscher HilscherUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, henry.hilscher@unl.eduMatt K. LuebbeUniversity of Nebraska - Lincoln, mluebbe2@unl.eduJim C. MacDonaldUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, jmacdonald2@unl.eduSee next page for additional authorsFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcrPart of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, andthe Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Burhoop, Jordan E.; Bittner, Curtis J.; Hilscher, F. Henry Hilscher; Luebbe, Matt K.; MacDonald, Jim C.; and Erickson, Galen E.,"Impact of Corn Oil Removal from Modified Distillers Grains Plus Solubles and Supplemental Corn Oil on Finishing CattlePerformance" (2018). Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 993.http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/993AuthorsJordan E. Burhoop, Curtis J. Bittner, F. Henry Hilscher Hilscher, Matt K. Luebbe, Jim C. MacDonald, andGalen E. EricksonThis article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/993102 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report©  The Board Regents of the University of  Nebraska. All rights reserved.tent, there were no statistical differences for final BW, ADG, or F:G; however, F:G was improved 2.6% for normal WDGS com-pared to de- oiled WDGS. Cattle consuming normal MDGS at 30% inclusion level were numerically 3.4% more efficient than cattle consuming de- oiled MDGS; however, at the 15% inclusion level, the difference was only 1.4%. These results suggest that oil removed via centrifugation will have minimal impact MDGS at 40% inclusion level, there was no significant difference in any performance measurement due to the fat content of MDGS (2013 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 64– 65). Another study compared de- oiled versus normal WDGS at increasing inclusion levels, and a significant increase in DMI was noted when de- oiled WDGS was fed (2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 81– 82). For the main effect of oil con-Impact of Corn Oil Removal from Modified  Distillers Grains Plus Solubles and Supplemental  Corn Oil on Finishing Cattle PerformanceJordan E. BurhoopCurtis J. BittnerF. Henry HilscherMatt K. LuebbeJim C. MacDonaldGalen E. EricksonSummary with ImplicationsA finishing study was conducted to evaluate removal of corn oil from modified distillers grains plus solubles (MDGS) and replacement of supplemental corn oil on finishing cattle performance. Four treatments were evaluated: a corn control diet, 40% de- oiled MDGS, 38% de- oiled MDGS plus 2% corn oil to equal the fat content of full fat MDGS, or 40% full fat MDGS. There was a significant improvement in ADG and F:G for cattle fed de- oiled MDGS plus oil compared to other treatments. Cattle fed full fat MDGS had numerically lower ADG and numer-ically poorer F:G (3.7%) compared with cattle fed MDGS plus oil. Cattle fed de- oiled MDGS had greater intake and numerically higher ADG than full fat MDGS, however F:G was similar (1.2%). Even with the im-provement in feed conversion, the benefit is too small to make adding corn oil to the diet economical at current prices.IntroductionDistillers grains are commonly fed in finishing diets as either a protein or energy source depending on inclusion level. The ethanol industry has recently started removing components of distillers grains, such as corn oil, which changes the nutri-ent composition of distillers grains plus solubles (DGS) that are available to be fed. Some producers are concerned that feeding de- oiled DGS will have a negative impact on finishing cattle performance. When comparing de- oiled versus normal fat Table 1. Composition (% of diet DM) of dietary treatments fed to yearling steers.IngredientTreatment1CON DO MDGS MDGS + Oil FF MDGSDry- rolled corn 43.75 23.75 23.75 23.75High- moisture corn 43.75 23.75 23.75 23.75MDGS De- oiled2 - 40 38 - MDGS Full Fat3 - - - 40Corn Oil - - 2 - Alfalfa hay 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5Sorghum Silage 4 4 4 4Supplement4 - - - - Fine Ground Corn 0.773 2.787 2.787 2.787Limestone 1.729 1.697 1.697 1.697Tallow 0.125 0.125 0.125 0.125Urea 1.517 - - - Potassium Chloride 0.465 - - - Salt 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3Beef Trace Minerals 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05Vitamin A- D- E 0.015 0.015 0.015 0.015Rumensin- 90®5 0.017 0.017 0.017 0.017Tylan- 40®6 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009Nutrient Composition, % of DMOM 96.0 95.2 93.3 95.3NDF 11.1 22.7 22.0 22.8Sulfur 0.15 0.45 0.43 0.48CP 12.1 17.0 16.4 16.7Fat 3.89 5.96 7.78 7.101Treatments included CON- control; DO MDGS- 40% de- oiled modified distillers grains plus solubles; MDGS + Oil- 38% de- oiled modified distillers grains plus solubles plus 2% corn oil; FF MDGS- 40% full fat modified distillers grains plus solubles.2 DO MDGS: de- oiled modified distillers grains plus solubles containing 8.9% fat.3 FF MDGS: full fat modified distillers grains plus solubles containing 11.6% fat.4 Supplement fed at 5% of dietary DM5 Formulated to supply Rumensin- 90® (Elanco Animal Health) at 30 g per ton DM6 Formulated to supply Tylan- 40® (Elanco Animal Health) at 90 mg per steer daily2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 103 One died on day 52 due to lung abscess-es from pneumonia, on day 121 due to a rupture of a liver abscess that turned septic, and on day 125 due to heat stress and bad lungs. Additionally, a steer from the MDGS + Oil treatment died on day 130 due to heat stress. One steer from the FF MDGS treat-ment and one steer from the DO MDGS treatment were removed on day 95 and 101, respectively, due to injuries. These six steers were removed from the performance data.ResultsInitial BW (P = 0.43; Table 2) was not influenced by treatment. Intake was impacted by treatment (P < 0.01) with steers fed DO MDGS having the greatest DMI and all other treatments being similar (P > 0.15). Dietary treatment impacted ADG (P < 0.06), with DO MDGS and MDGS + Oil having the greatest ADG, steers fed the FF MDGS treatment had intermediate ADG, and the CON ADG was least. Feed conversion was numerically the best for MDGS + Oil. The FF MDGS treatment had similar F:G to MDGS + Oil and DO MDGS (P > 0.15), while CON was the poorest F:G (P < 0.03). There was a numerical improvement in F:G of 1.2% observed for FF MDGS compared to DO MDGS. When 2% corn oil was added to de- oiled MDGS, there was a 4.9% improvement in alfalfa hay, 4% sorghum silage, 5% sup-plement, and a 50:50 blend of DRC:HMC to make up the remainder of the diet. The control treatment supplement contained 2% Empyreal corn protein concentrate (Cargill, Blair, NE) for days 1– 50 then 1% Empyreal for days 51– 85 to meet metabo-lizable protein requirements. Empyreal was removed from the supplement after day 85, as RUP supplementation was not necessary. The supplement also provided Tylan- 40® (Elanco Animal Health) at 90 mg per steer daily and Rumensin- 90® (Elanco Animal Health) at 30 g per ton DM.Cattle were implanted with Component TE- 200® (Elanco Animal Health) 104 days before harvest and were on feed for a total of 134 days. Steers were shipped to Greater Omaha for slaughter, and carcass data were recorded. On day of harvest, hot carcass weight and liver score were collected. Following a 48- hour chill, USDA marbling score, LM area, and 12th rib fat thickness were recorded. Animal performance and carcass characteristics were analyzed as an unstructured treatment design using a protected F- test, where block was included as a fixed effect. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Insti-tute, Inc. Cary, N.C.), where pen was the experimental unit. Treatment differences were declared significant at P ≤ 0.05. Three steers from the FF MDGS treatment died. on finishing cattle performance. Although corn oil has been added to diets in the past, there has never been a study that evaluat-ed the removal of corn oil from distillers grains compared to adding corn oil back to de- oiled distillers grains. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the removal of corn oil from modified dis-tillers grains plus solubles and replacement with supplemental corn oil on finishing cattle performance.ProcedureA finishing experiment conducted at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center utilized 320 crossbred yearling steers (initial BW = 910 lb ± 55 lb). For 5 days before the start of the trial, cattle were limit- fed a diet of 50% alfalfa hay and 50% Sweet Bran (DM Basis) at 2% of BW to reduce variation in gastrointestinal fill. Cattle were weighed on day 0 and 1 to establish an accurate initial BW. Steers were split into three blocks according to their initial BW. A total of 32 pens were used on the study with 10 steers per pen. Pens were assigned randomly to treatment with four treatments and eight pens per treatment. All cattle were adapted to their respective finishing treatment diet over a five- step adaptation process by replacing alfalfa with dry- rolled- corn (DRC) and high moisture corn (HMC). The three treatments that contained MDGS included it at respective inclusion levels throughout the step- up period and corn oil was included in the MDGS+Oil treatment throughout the step- up period as well.The four treatments consisted of a corn control diet (CON), 40% de- oiled MDGS (DO MDGS), or 38% de- oiled MDGS plus 2% corn oil (MDGS + Oil) formulated to equal the fat content of FF MDGS, or 40% full fat MDGS (FF MDGS; Table 1). The de- oiled MDGS contained 8.9% fat, while the full fat MDGS contained 11.6% fat. All byproducts utilized in the trial were sourced from the same plant (E Energy Adams, Adams, NE). Although the MDGS + Oil and FF MDGS treatments were formulated to have equal fat content, lab analysis showed the MDGS + Oil treatment contained 7.78% dietary fat and the FF MDGS treatment contained 7.10% dietary fat. On a DM basis, all diets contained 3.5% Table 2. Effect of feeding 40% de- oiled MDGS, 40% full fat MDGS, or 38% de- oiled MDGS plus 2% corn oil on feedlot performance and carcass characteristicsTreatment1SEM F- TESTCON DO MDGS MDGS + Oil FF MDGSFeedlot PerformanceInitial BW, lb 924 926 926 926 1.1 0.43Final BW, lb2 1376b 1422a 1411a 1402ab 12.3 0.04DMI, lb/d 22.7b 23.8a 22.0b 22.5b 0.33 0.01ADG, lb 3.35b 3.70a 3.64a 3.55ab 0.09 0.06F:G 6.76c 6.37b 6.06a 6.29ab - <0.01Carcass CharacteristicsHCW, lb 866b 895a 891a 884ab 7.7 0.05LM area, in2 13.6 13.7 13.7 13.4 0.20 0.52Marbling3 463 458 446 467 12.9 0.6412th rib fat, in 0.47b 0.56a 0.54a 0.55a 0.020 0.01a- cMeans with different subscripts differ (P < 0.05)1 Treatments included CON- control; 20MDGS- 20% modified distillers grains plus solubles; 40MDGS- 40% modified distillers grains plus solubles; 20FIB- fiber fed from concentrated ingredients to mimic fiber provided by 20MDGS; 40FIB- fiber fed from concentrated ingredients to mimic fiber provided by 40MDGS.2 Calculated from HCW/common dressing percentage (63%)3 Marbling score: 400 = Slight00, 450 = Slight50, 500 = Small00, 550 = Small50104 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Reportered free oil, so it may negatively impact fiber digestion in the rumen, while the fat in distillers grains is bound in the germ so it may pass through the rumen and not have a negative impact. Even with the improve-ment in feed conversion, the benefit is too small to make adding corn oil to the diet economical at current prices.Jordan E. Burhoop, graduate studentCurtis J. Bittner, research technicianF. Henry Hilscher, research technicianMatt K. Luebbe, assistant professor, UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff, Neb.Jim C. MacDonald, associate professor Animal Science, LincolnGalen E. Erickson, professor Animal Science, Lincolnor corn oil would have to decrease to less than $0.25/lb to make adding corn oil to the diet logical.ConclusionThere was a numerical improvement in F:G of 1.2% observed for full fat MDGS compared to de- oiled MDGS, which is con-sistent with previous observations. When 2% corn oil was added to de- oiled MDGS, there was a 4.9% improvement in F:G compared to de- oiled MDGS. There was a numerical improvement in F:G by 3.7% for MDGS + Oil compared to FF MDGS. This could be partially due to the fact that the MDGS + Oil treatment contained a higher level of fat in the diet. One would expect F:G to decrease because corn oil is consid-F:G compared to DO MDGS. There was a numerical improvement in F:G by 3.7% for MDGS + Oil compared to FF MDGS. Steers on the DO MDGS and MDGS + Oil treatments had the greatest HCW (P < 0.05), with FF MDGS being intermediate and CON having the lowest HCW. Cattle on all treatments had similar LM area (P > 0.52) and marbling (P > 0.64). Fat thickness was greatest (P < 0.01) for the MDGS treat-ments, while CON was lowest.If corn is $3.36/bushel, MDGS is priced at 90% of the price of corn (currently $127/ton), and corn oil is $600/ton, it is not economical to add corn oil to the diet. The improvement in feed efficiency is not large enough to offset the increased cost of the added corn oil. The price of MDGS would have to increase to 118% of the price of corn 

Impact of Corn Oil Removal from Modified Distillers Grains Plus Solubles and Supplemental Corn Oil on Finishing Cattle Performance

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department
2018
Impact of Corn Oil Removal from Modified
Distillers Grains Plus Solubles and Supplemental
Corn Oil on Finishing Cattle Performance
Jordan E. Burhoop
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, jordanburhoop_28@hotmail.com
Curtis J. Bittner
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, curtis.bittner@unl.edu
F. Henry Hilscher Hilscher
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, henry.hilscher@unl.edu
Matt K. Luebbe
University of Nebraska - Lincoln, mluebbe2@unl.edu
Jim C. MacDonald
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, jmacdonald2@unl.edu
See next page for additional authors
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr
Part of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, and
the Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Burhoop, Jordan E.; Bittner, Curtis J.; Hilscher, F. Henry Hilscher; Luebbe, Matt K.; MacDonald, Jim C.; and Erickson, Galen E.,
"Impact of Corn Oil Removal from Modified Distillers Grains Plus Solubles and Supplemental Corn Oil on Finishing Cattle
Performance" (2018). Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 993.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/993
Authors
Jordan E. Burhoop, Curtis J. Bittner, F. Henry Hilscher Hilscher, Matt K. Luebbe, Jim C. MacDonald, and
Galen E. Erickson
This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/993
102 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report
©  The Board Regents of the University of  
Nebraska. All rights reserved.
tent, there were no statistical differences for 
final BW, ADG, or F:G; however, F:G was 
improved 2.6% for normal WDGS com-
pared to de- oiled WDGS. Cattle consuming 
normal MDGS at 30% inclusion level were 
numerically 3.4% more efficient than cattle 
consuming de- oiled MDGS; however, at the 
15% inclusion level, the difference was only 
1.4%. These results suggest that oil removed 
via centrifugation will have minimal impact 
MDGS at 40% inclusion level, there was no 
significant difference in any performance 
measurement due to the fat content of 
MDGS (2013 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, 
pp. 64– 65). Another study compared de- 
oiled versus normal WDGS at increasing 
inclusion levels, and a significant increase 
in DMI was noted when de- oiled WDGS 
was fed (2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, 
pp. 81– 82). For the main effect of oil con-
Impact of Corn Oil Removal from Modified  
Distillers Grains Plus Solubles and Supplemental  
Corn Oil on Finishing Cattle Performance
Jordan E. Burhoop
Curtis J. Bittner
F. Henry Hilscher
Matt K. Luebbe
Jim C. MacDonald
Galen E. Erickson
Summary with Implications
A finishing study was conducted to 
evaluate removal of corn oil from modified 
distillers grains plus solubles (MDGS) and 
replacement of supplemental corn oil on 
finishing cattle performance. Four treatments 
were evaluated: a corn control diet, 40% 
de- oiled MDGS, 38% de- oiled MDGS plus 
2% corn oil to equal the fat content of full fat 
MDGS, or 40% full fat MDGS. There was a 
significant improvement in ADG and F:G for 
cattle fed de- oiled MDGS plus oil compared 
to other treatments. Cattle fed full fat MDGS 
had numerically lower ADG and numer-
ically poorer F:G (3.7%) compared with 
cattle fed MDGS plus oil. Cattle fed de- oiled 
MDGS had greater intake and numerically 
higher ADG than full fat MDGS, however 
F:G was similar (1.2%). Even with the im-
provement in feed conversion, the benefit is 
too small to make adding corn oil to the diet 
economical at current prices.
Introduction
Distillers grains are commonly fed in 
finishing diets as either a protein or energy 
source depending on inclusion level. The 
ethanol industry has recently started 
removing components of distillers grains, 
such as corn oil, which changes the nutri-
ent composition of distillers grains plus 
solubles (DGS) that are available to be fed. 
Some producers are concerned that feeding 
de- oiled DGS will have a negative impact 
on finishing cattle performance. When 
comparing de- oiled versus normal fat 
Table 1. Composition (% of diet DM) of dietary treatments fed to yearling steers.
Ingredient
Treatment1
CON DO MDGS MDGS + Oil FF MDGS
Dry- rolled corn 43.75 23.75 23.75 23.75
High- moisture corn 43.75 23.75 23.75 23.75
MDGS De- oiled2 - 40 38 - 
MDGS Full Fat3 - - - 40
Corn Oil - - 2 - 
Alfalfa hay 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5
Sorghum Silage 4 4 4 4
Supplement4 - - - - 
Fine Ground Corn 0.773 2.787 2.787 2.787
Limestone 1.729 1.697 1.697 1.697
Tallow 0.125 0.125 0.125 0.125
Urea 1.517 - - - 
Potassium Chloride 0.465 - - - 
Salt 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Beef Trace Minerals 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05
Vitamin A- D- E 0.015 0.015 0.015 0.015
Rumensin- 90®5 0.017 0.017 0.017 0.017
Tylan- 40®6 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009
Nutrient Composition, % of DM
OM 96.0 95.2 93.3 95.3
NDF 11.1 22.7 22.0 22.8
Sulfur 0.15 0.45 0.43 0.48
CP 12.1 17.0 16.4 16.7
Fat 3.89 5.96 7.78 7.10
1Treatments included CON- control; DO MDGS- 40% de- oiled modified distillers grains plus solubles; MDGS + Oil- 38% de- oiled 
modified distillers grains plus solubles plus 2% corn oil; FF MDGS- 40% full fat modified distillers grains plus solubles.
2 DO MDGS: de- oiled modified distillers grains plus solubles containing 8.9% fat.
3 FF MDGS: full fat modified distillers grains plus solubles containing 11.6% fat.
4 Supplement fed at 5% of dietary DM
5 Formulated to supply Rumensin- 90® (Elanco Animal Health) at 30 g per ton DM
6 Formulated to supply Tylan- 40® (Elanco Animal Health) at 90 mg per steer daily
2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 103 
One died on day 52 due to lung abscess-
es from pneumonia, on day 121 due to a 
rupture of a liver abscess that turned septic, 
and on day 125 due to heat stress and bad 
lungs. Additionally, a steer from the MDGS 
+ Oil treatment died on day 130 due to heat 
stress. One steer from the FF MDGS treat-
ment and one steer from the DO MDGS 
treatment were removed on day 95 and 101, 
respectively, due to injuries. These six steers 
were removed from the performance data.
Results
Initial BW (P = 0.43; Table 2) was 
not influenced by treatment. Intake was 
impacted by treatment (P < 0.01) with steers 
fed DO MDGS having the greatest DMI 
and all other treatments being similar (P 
> 0.15). Dietary treatment impacted ADG 
(P < 0.06), with DO MDGS and MDGS 
+ Oil having the greatest ADG, steers fed 
the FF MDGS treatment had intermediate 
ADG, and the CON ADG was least. Feed 
conversion was numerically the best for 
MDGS + Oil. The FF MDGS treatment had 
similar F:G to MDGS + Oil and DO MDGS 
(P > 0.15), while CON was the poorest 
F:G (P < 0.03). There was a numerical 
improvement in F:G of 1.2% observed 
for FF MDGS compared to DO MDGS. 
When 2% corn oil was added to de- oiled 
MDGS, there was a 4.9% improvement in 
alfalfa hay, 4% sorghum silage, 5% sup-
plement, and a 50:50 blend of DRC:HMC 
to make up the remainder of the diet. The 
control treatment supplement contained 
2% Empyreal corn protein concentrate 
(Cargill, Blair, NE) for days 1– 50 then 1% 
Empyreal for days 51– 85 to meet metabo-
lizable protein requirements. Empyreal was 
removed from the supplement after day 85, 
as RUP supplementation was not necessary. 
The supplement also provided Tylan- 40® 
(Elanco Animal Health) at 90 mg per steer 
daily and Rumensin- 90® (Elanco Animal 
Health) at 30 g per ton DM.
Cattle were implanted with Component 
TE- 200® (Elanco Animal Health) 104 days 
before harvest and were on feed for a total 
of 134 days. Steers were shipped to Greater 
Omaha for slaughter, and carcass data were 
recorded. On day of harvest, hot carcass 
weight and liver score were collected. 
Following a 48- hour chill, USDA marbling 
score, LM area, and 12th rib fat thickness 
were recorded. Animal performance and 
carcass characteristics were analyzed as 
an unstructured treatment design using a 
protected F- test, where block was included 
as a fixed effect. Data were analyzed using 
the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Insti-
tute, Inc. Cary, N.C.), where pen was the 
experimental unit. Treatment differences 
were declared significant at P ≤ 0.05. Three 
steers from the FF MDGS treatment died. 
on finishing cattle performance. Although 
corn oil has been added to diets in the past, 
there has never been a study that evaluat-
ed the removal of corn oil from distillers 
grains compared to adding corn oil back to 
de- oiled distillers grains. The objective of 
this study was to determine the effects of 
the removal of corn oil from modified dis-
tillers grains plus solubles and replacement 
with supplemental corn oil on finishing 
cattle performance.
Procedure
A finishing experiment conducted at the 
Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension 
Center utilized 320 crossbred yearling 
steers (initial BW = 910 lb ± 55 lb). For 
5 days before the start of the trial, cattle 
were limit- fed a diet of 50% alfalfa hay 
and 50% Sweet Bran (DM Basis) at 2% of 
BW to reduce variation in gastrointestinal 
fill. Cattle were weighed on day 0 and 1 to 
establish an accurate initial BW. Steers were 
split into three blocks according to their 
initial BW. A total of 32 pens were used on 
the study with 10 steers per pen. Pens were 
assigned randomly to treatment with four 
treatments and eight pens per treatment. 
All cattle were adapted to their respective 
finishing treatment diet over a five- step 
adaptation process by replacing alfalfa with 
dry- rolled- corn (DRC) and high moisture 
corn (HMC). The three treatments that 
contained MDGS included it at respective 
inclusion levels throughout the step- up 
period and corn oil was included in the 
MDGS+Oil treatment throughout the step- 
up period as well.
The four treatments consisted of a corn 
control diet (CON), 40% de- oiled MDGS 
(DO MDGS), or 38% de- oiled MDGS plus 
2% corn oil (MDGS + Oil) formulated to 
equal the fat content of FF MDGS, or 40% 
full fat MDGS (FF MDGS; Table 1). The 
de- oiled MDGS contained 8.9% fat, while 
the full fat MDGS contained 11.6% fat. 
All byproducts utilized in the trial were 
sourced from the same plant (E Energy 
Adams, Adams, NE). Although the MDGS 
+ Oil and FF MDGS treatments were 
formulated to have equal fat content, lab 
analysis showed the MDGS + Oil treatment 
contained 7.78% dietary fat and the FF 
MDGS treatment contained 7.10% dietary 
fat. On a DM basis, all diets contained 3.5% 
Table 2. Effect of feeding 40% de- oiled MDGS, 40% full fat MDGS, or 38% de- oiled MDGS plus 2% 
corn oil on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics
Treatment1
SEM F- TESTCON DO MDGS MDGS + Oil FF MDGS
Feedlot Performance
Initial BW, lb 924 926 926 926 1.1 0.43
Final BW, lb2 1376b 1422a 1411a 1402ab 12.3 0.04
DMI, lb/d 22.7b 23.8a 22.0b 22.5b 0.33 0.01
ADG, lb 3.35b 3.70a 3.64a 3.55ab 0.09 0.06
F:G 6.76c 6.37b 6.06a 6.29ab - <0.01
Carcass Characteristics
HCW, lb 866b 895a 891a 884ab 7.7 0.05
LM area, in2 13.6 13.7 13.7 13.4 0.20 0.52
Marbling3 463 458 446 467 12.9 0.64
12th rib fat, in 0.47b 0.56a 0.54a 0.55a 0.020 0.01
a- cMeans with different subscripts differ (P < 0.05)
1 Treatments included CON- control; 20MDGS- 20% modified distillers grains plus solubles; 40MDGS- 40% modified distillers 
grains plus solubles; 20FIB- fiber fed from concentrated ingredients to mimic fiber provided by 20MDGS; 40FIB- fiber fed from 
concentrated ingredients to mimic fiber provided by 40MDGS.
2 Calculated from HCW/common dressing percentage (63%)
3 Marbling score: 400 = Slight00, 450 = Slight50, 500 = Small00, 550 = Small50
104 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report
ered free oil, so it may negatively impact 
fiber digestion in the rumen, while the fat 
in distillers grains is bound in the germ so it 
may pass through the rumen and not have 
a negative impact. Even with the improve-
ment in feed conversion, the benefit is too 
small to make adding corn oil to the diet 
economical at current prices.
Jordan E. Burhoop, graduate student
Curtis J. Bittner, research technician
F. Henry Hilscher, research technician
Matt K. Luebbe, assistant professor, UNL 
Panhandle Research and Extension Center, 
Scottsbluff, Neb.
Jim C. MacDonald, associate professor 
Animal Science, Lincoln
Galen E. Erickson, professor Animal 
Science, Lincoln
or corn oil would have to decrease to less 
than $0.25/lb to make adding corn oil to the 
diet logical.
Conclusion
There was a numerical improvement 
in F:G of 1.2% observed for full fat MDGS 
compared to de- oiled MDGS, which is con-
sistent with previous observations. When 
2% corn oil was added to de- oiled MDGS, 
there was a 4.9% improvement in F:G 
compared to de- oiled MDGS. There was a 
numerical improvement in F:G by 3.7% for 
MDGS + Oil compared to FF MDGS. This 
could be partially due to the fact that the 
MDGS + Oil treatment contained a higher 
level of fat in the diet. One would expect 
F:G to decrease because corn oil is consid-
F:G compared to DO MDGS. There was 
a numerical improvement in F:G by 3.7% 
for MDGS + Oil compared to FF MDGS. 
Steers on the DO MDGS and MDGS + 
Oil treatments had the greatest HCW (P < 
0.05), with FF MDGS being intermediate 
and CON having the lowest HCW. Cattle 
on all treatments had similar LM area (P > 
0.52) and marbling (P > 0.64). Fat thickness 
was greatest (P < 0.01) for the MDGS treat-
ments, while CON was lowest.
If corn is $3.36/bushel, MDGS is priced 
at 90% of the price of corn (currently $127/
ton), and corn oil is $600/ton, it is not 
economical to add corn oil to the diet. The 
improvement in feed efficiency is not large 
enough to offset the increased cost of the 
added corn oil. The price of MDGS would 
have to increase to 118% of the price of corn 


https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1986&context=animalscinbcr

Impact of Corn Oil Removal from Modified Distillers Grains Plus Solubles and Supplemental Corn Oil on Finishing Cattle Performance

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