- Bearish Black Sea soybean imports: Enzyme-processed pea concentrate offers a domestically sourced, lower-cost alternative to imported soybeans in Russian poultry feed.
- Improved feed efficiency: Chickens on pea concentrate showed higher weight gain with lower feed consumption, enhancing profitability and reducing reliance on premium protein feeds.
- Cost advantage: Ability to process substandard peas cuts protein production costs by 8–10 times versus conventional feed ingredients.
Russian Pea-Based Protein Innovation
Scientists from Kazan State Agrarian University and Kazan National Research Technical University have created an enzyme-processed pea-based protein concentrate designed to replace imported soybeans in Russian poultry feed. The technology unlocks three times more protein from domestically grown peas, including substandard grades that are unsuitable for human consumption.
According to Dr. Nadiya Kasanova of Kazan SAU, enzymes break the molecular bonds of carbohydrates, releasing protein in a purified form. The resulting concentrate is comparable to soybean meal in protein composition, while leveraging Russia’s ample pea production base.
Trial Results and Performance Metrics
A controlled trial on 100 chickens demonstrated clear performance benefits from the pea-based concentrate. Birds fed the new feed achieved higher final weights and better feed conversion than those on standard soybean-based diets.
| Metric | Pea Concentrate vs. Control | Pea Concentrate vs. Soybean Diet | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body weight at 2 months | +5% | +12% | Higher growth rates under pea-based diet |
| Feed consumption | -6% | Improved feed efficiency | |
| Production cost of protein | 8–10x lower | Versus conventional protein feed ingredients | |
Blood tests confirmed the safety of the pea-based diet and indicated improved metabolic activity, supporting the case for commercial-scale adoption in poultry production.
Market Impact: Bearish for Black Sea Soybean Imports
The development is structurally bearish for soybean imports into Russia, the Black Sea region’s largest feed consumer. If the technology scales, pea-based protein concentrates could substitute a meaningful share of imported soybeans in poultry rations, particularly as they can utilize cheaper, substandard peas.
Lower-cost domestic protein inputs reduce demand for higher-priced imported soybean meal and related premium protein feeds. Market participants should track pilot commercialization, capacity expansion announcements, and any policy support that could accelerate adoption in the Russian feed industry.
Source: Market Data
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