Sunflower meal is the by-product of the extraction of sunflower seeds oil. Sunflower meal is one of the major protein sources in livestock feed, especially dairy cattle, chickens, pigs, and rabbits. It has a high protein, fibre, and oil content. Its protein content is 29-40 %, crude fibre content is 20-23 %, lignin content is 9-12 %, and lysine content is 3.5%. Positive characteristic of sunflower meal is that it does not have any ingredients that affect nutrition in livestock, although its high fibre and lignin (the hard, woody part of the sunflower plant) tend to affect its digestibility. Furthermore, sunflower meal is a source of calcium, phosphorus, and B group vitamins.
