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Palm Kernel Meal (PKE / PKC) Animal Feed

Palm kernel meal is what is left when the oil is pressed from the kernel of the oil palm fruit. It is a fibre- and energy-rich feed ingredient that ruminants accept well, and it lets feed mills and large livestock farms replace part of the maize and soybean meal in a ration.

Feed mills and livestock farms know it as palm kernel meal, palm kernel expeller (PKE) or palm kernel cake (PKC). The three names describe the same by-product: the kernel is cleaned, crushed and pressed, the oil goes to food and industry, and the pressed cake is ground into a coarse, brown meal.

It does not replace soybean meal on protein alone. Its value is energy, digestible fibre and a protein that breaks down slowly in the rumen, which is why it suits cattle, sheep and goats best and is used in smaller shares for poultry, fish and rabbits.

At a glance

Typical crude protein 16 to 18% (higher in dehulled meal)
Crude fat 6 to 8% in pressed cake, 10% at most
Crude fibre 17 to 20%
Moisture 10 to 12% at most, ash 5 to 6% at most
Total aflatoxin below 20 ppb; free of mould, rancidity, caking, foreign matter and insects
Packed in bulk in lined 20-foot containers, or in jumbo bags of 1 to 1.5 tonnes

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Best for

Beef cattle and dairy cow rations
Fattening sheep and goats
Broiler and layer feed, in smaller shares
Fish feed: tilapia and catfish
Rabbit feed
Feed mills and large livestock farms buying in volume

How to use

Start at the lower end of the range for the animal (see the table on the animal feed page) and raise the share over one to two weeks.
Mix it evenly into the ration. The meal is coarse and can separate from fine ingredients if it is mixed badly.
Balance lysine and methionine, especially for high-yielding cows, poultry and fish: blend with a protein feed such as soybean meal or add synthetic amino acids.
For sheep, keep the share low and ask a nutritionist about zinc before going above 30%, because sheep are sensitive to copper.

Storage and care

Keep it dry. Moisture above 12% invites mould and aflatoxin. Store off the floor and away from damp walls.
Check bulk loads for caking, heat and smell before unloading, and keep a sealed sample of every lot.
Use older stock first.
Do not store it next to fertilizer or chemicals.

Palm fruit, kernel, pressing and the finished palm kernel meal fed to cattle, sheep and poultry

From oil palm fruit to feed meal

The fruit gives palm oil from its flesh and a hard nut with a kernel inside. The kernel is cleaned, crushed and pressed. The oil is taken off and the pressed cake is ground into meal.

Nothing from the kernel is wasted: the oil goes to food and industry, and the meal goes to animals.

A lined 20-foot container loaded with bulk palm kernel meal

Packed for the way you buy

Large buyers take bulk loads in lined 20-foot containers of about 20 tonnes. Smaller lots can ship in jumbo bags of 1 to 1.5 tonnes.

Tell us your monthly volume and destination and we will tell you what can be shipped and how.

Photos

Frequently asked questions

Are palm kernel meal, PKE and PKC the same thing?

Yes. Palm kernel meal, palm kernel expeller (PKE) and palm kernel cake (PKC) are names for the pressed by-product of oil palm kernels. Our description follows the pressed (expeller) type.

How much can I put in a ration?

Typical shares of the dry matter are 30 to 50% for cattle, 15 to 20% for fattening sheep, 10 to 15% for goats, 10 to 15% for broilers without enzymes, 15 to 20% for layers, 20 to 30% for tilapia and catfish and 20 to 25% for rabbits. Confirm the exact share with your nutritionist.

Why is the protein lower than soybean meal?

Soybean meal is about 44 to 48% protein and palm kernel meal 16 to 18%. Palm kernel meal adds energy and fibre next to the protein, so it replaces part of the maize and soybean in a ration, not all of the soybean.

What about aflatoxin?

The typical commercial specification is total aflatoxin not above 20 ppb, with B1 not above 10 ppb. Ask for the figure for the lot you are buying.

How is it shipped, and how do I ask for a quote?

In bulk in lined 20-foot containers (about 20 tonnes) or in jumbo bags of 1 to 1.5 tonnes. Use the request button on this page and tell us your monthly volume, packing and destination.