In April of this year, Argentina confirmed a case of classical scrapie, stripping it of the “scrapie-free” status it had held for 21 years.Consequently, exports of sheep-derived meat and bone meal to China were blocked,and customs authorities immediately suspended import declarations from four Argentine companies; meanwhile, the price of Australian product—an alternative source—rose to 5,100 yuan per tonne. However,fluctuations in imports are merely a side note, as domestically produced goods have always been the mainstay of China’s meat and bone meal supply;imports totaled only 57,000 tonnes from January to April, whereas annual domestic production runs into the hundreds of thousands of tonnes.The real question is: as procurement shifts from imports back to domestic products, do you know how to interpret the laboratory analysis reports?
First, consider the protein content rather than just the price per tonne. To a formulator, “price per tonne” is irrelevant; what matters is the “cost per unit of protein.”Imported super-steam fish meal costs approximately 22,600 yuan/tonne with 65% crude protein,working out to 348 yuan per protein point; in contrast, domestic Grade I meat and bone meal costs 4,500 yuan/tonne with 50% crude protein,coming in at just 90 yuan per protein point—roughly one-quarter the cost of fish meal.While domestic products typically range from 3,000 to 5,000 yuan/tonne, the true dividing line lies in the concept of “digestibility.”
The second aspect involves the three benchmarks established by the new national standard.The 2025 revision of GB/T 20193 classifies meat-and-bone meal into three grades based on crude protein content—Grade I (≥50%), Grade II (≥45%),and Grade III (≥40%)—with corresponding upper limits for crude ash of 29%, 33%, and 37%. High ash content indicates a high proportion of bone;since bone collagen lacks essential amino acids such as tryptophan and threonine, there is a clear negative correlation between ash content and protein digestibility.Freshness is assessed via volatile basic nitrogen (≤100 mg/100g for Grade I), while availability is measured by pepsin digestibility (≥85%).The new standard also mandates that raw materials originate from a single animal species and prohibits the inclusion of hooves,horns, hair, feathers, leather, or digestive tract contents—effectively eliminating opportunities for adulteration at the regulatory level.
The third factor to consider: the amino acid deficit versus the phosphorus advantage.Meat and bone meal has a moderate lysine content (approximately 2.5%) but is deficient in methionine and tryptophan —with the latter often falling below 0.5%—and its overall amino acid digestibility is 3–8 percentage points lower than that of fish meal. Furthermore,if processing temperatures exceed 130°C, lysine can be inactivated through the Maillard reaction with reducing sugars.However, it possesses a unique trump card: high levels of calcium (7%–10%) and phosphorus (3.8%–5.0%),with the phosphorus being entirely bioavailable. In contrast, the phosphorus in plant-based ingredients is largely locked within phytate;thus, in aquafeed and sow diets, this “ready-to-use” phosphorus allows for a direct reduction in the cost of adding dicalcium phosphate.
The true test lies in practical formulation. Going it alone has its limits: keeping inclusion rates below 5% for swine feed and 6% for poultry feed is generally safe,while replacing 25%–45% of fishmeal with alternative ingredients in aquafeed does not hinder the growth of most species.However, the potential of a combined approach is remarkable—research shows that when meat and bone meal is supplemented with crystalline lysine and methionine and paired with soybean meal,tilapia feed can be formulated to be entirely fishmeal-free.Amid the dual trends of reducing fishmeal usage and substituting soybean meal,the ability to formulate diets with a precise grasp of amino acid balance represents the greatest growth opportunity for domestic animal protein ingredients.
The outbreak in Argentina has once again highlighted the vulnerability of the global protein supply chain; however,the solution lies not overseas, but in solidifying, stabilizing, and ensuring the traceability of domestically produced protein derived from by-products.Hebei Chengzhu Machinery Group specializes in complete equipment for the resource utilization of slaughterhouse by-products.By employing stable and reliable processes, the company upholds rigorous quality standards,ensuring that every batch of domestically produced meat and bone meal stands up to the scrutiny of laboratory analysis.
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