Cotton isn’t exactly the first thing to come to mind if you are asked to list crops that go farm-to-plate. That may be in the process of changing for more people this month as the FDA approved a ultra low gossypol cottonseed for human and animal consumption. The research on this has been undergoing at Texas A&M led by researcher Dr. Keerti Rathore. I met Dr. Rathore long ago and even wrote about the promise of reduced gossypol cottonseed a year ago when the USDA approved the product for farming.

This brings a few things to mind for me that I would guess are pretty uncommon.

What is gossypol?

Gossypol is a naturally occuring chemical for cotton plants — it’s in the plant’s leaves, stems, seeds, etc. It helps protect the plant from some of the insect pests that love to damage the plant. I am always amazed by the ways nature is cool, but you have to admit that is cool. The bummer is though, that gossypol can be toxic to some animals and to people.

Why feed cottonseed to animals & people?

This one is hard to look at from the place where a lot of us sit. We have a multitude of foods available if you were lucky enough to be born in the developed world. And farmers have lots of choices in livestock feeds that keep those of us who eat meat satisfied.

That isn’t the case in many parts of the developing world. In fact, there are hundreds of thousands of people who live on cotton farms in the developing world. These farms are frequently subsistence farms and while they may have vegetable gardens and/or grain, the addition of another food source for the family and/or livestock, could be life-saving or life-changing. I am not overstating to say it could be a total god-send for people who have a goat, a couple of chickens, etc. 

Would I eat cottonseed?

I am firmly in the “I’d eat it” camp. In fact, I recently fixed myself avocado toast (thanks to visiting an avocado farm) and mixed a little bit of the cilantro-flavored cottonseed oil in with the avocado. But realistically, I know I have so many food choices, that I probably wouldn’t end up eating it directly. I think it could probably be useful in producing some of the meats I eat though. 

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I’m not sure how you all choose the various oils you use in the kitchen, but I have a few that I like. I remember a time when my family used a lot of just general vegetable oil and Crisco (crystallized cottonseed oil). For me, cottonseed oil I use in the kitchen is different. (This post includes affiliate links to Amazon where you can purchase the products I use.)

To be clear, I have a combination of a few oils I use — olive oil is pretty common and you may remember my seeing some olive oil be pressed a few years ago. But I also have used a variety of cottonseed oils that many would find unusual.

Last year, I shared a recipe for a tortilla soup I make in my Instant Pot and casually mentioned that I used a cilantro cottonseed oil. However, I have to confess, I more commonly use the shallot version but also really like several other flavors.

Why cottonseed oil?

There are lots of choices in terms of cooking oils and they all have reasons to use them.

• Flavor — I love the flavor of really good olive oil and use it with a range of the things I make — especially things like hummus, salads, etc. One of the things I love about cottonseed oil is it doesn’t really have a flavor. It seems to take on flavors of the things it is cooking or mixed with.
• Flexibility — Cottonseed oil makes a great oil for frying since it cholesterol free, has a high flashpoint so sauteeing goes well without the oil changing its profile and it is great on salads too — especially some of the flavored oils! Love that Acala Farms, the company that makes the oils I use, has a variety of suggested recipes using cottonseed oil.
• Long history of safe use — I appreciate that cottonseed oil has a long tradition of use, especially in areas of the world where cotton is grown. After all, it is one of the primary uses of cottonseed. The oil doesn’t contain the gossypol I mentioned in a recent post on the effort to create edible cottonseed.

If none of those reasons are enough, then let me add lots of prominent chefs and restaurants use it — my beloved Cafe du Monde beignets are fried up in it!

Cottonseed Oil on the Menu!

I had a chance to taste several of these cottonseed oils thanks to Tom Wedegaertner (@CottonTom) and some of the team at Cotton Incorporated. I’ve been there with my day job to speak to farmers and found the dinner included a range of flavors! Appreciate the Cotton Inc team for working with catering staff to get me thinking about the many ways I can use the oils at home! I have made that happen.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Cooking with cottonseed oil? I had no idea there were so many options! ” quote=”If this is news to you, it may be news to friends too. Hit share and introduce them to a whole new look too!” theme=”style2″]

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Cotton has been in food headlines, which has surprised some friends who gave me a shout with a link like this one from NPR — Not Just For Cows Anymore: New Cottonseed Is Safe For People To Eat. The idea of edible cottonseed isn’t one may people have really pondered I guess cause when we think of cotton, we think of the lint that makes our clothing and some of us don’t even think about the reality that there is also seed that is harvested at the end of the season.

Research on Cottonseed

But Dr. Keerti Rathore of Texas A&M University thinks bigger than a lot of us. I’ve had the chance to hear about his research several times and this idea he came up with two decades ago. To see his research is reaching reality is awesome.

Dr Rathore is originally from India. He’s seen lots of farmers there and in other parts of the world who work incredibly hard on their crops but remain hungry, food insecure. A lot of farmers in that place are growing cotton. Cotton seed has a great nutritional profile however they naturally include a toxin to humans called gossypol. It shows up in the plant matter and seeds.

Dr Rathore theorized if he could remove the gossypol from the seed it could be a good food source grown locally and he’s been working on it for more than 20 years! And whereas a lot of other genetically modified crops have been adding something, he eliminated gossypol production. Really cool work and I cannot begin to imagine the sene of pride for accomplishing something that can really help transform the lives of hungry people.

Here’s a video Texas A&M did that explains.

With the USDA review complete, it means farmers could start planting soon however, the cottonseed will have to be held until the FDA review is complete. If the review comes back positive, the seed could be used as a food product, otherwise it would be used as cattle feed.

Why eat cottonseed?

The nutritional profile of cottonseed is pretty well known. My friend who is a veternarian explained how cottonseed is used in dairy feed offering a good source of fiber, energy and protein. Cattle can eat it because and those complex stomachs process the gossypol. As ruminants, they break down some things that humans can’t — I mean we don’t exactly graze on pastures. All of that is part of what makes the headline such a grabber that they got clicks.

Cottonseed oil is processed removing gossypol which makes it favorite for sauteing and frying. I use it in my Instant Pot pretty often. I really need to write about this a bit more!

The post Edible Cottonseed Research Gets USDA Nod, Awaits FDA Review appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

My friend and one of great patience, John Blue asked me the question “can people eat cottonseed?” some time ago. I’ve meant to write the blog post a number of times. But I kept dragging my feet. I think now maybe it was because there since there isn’t a simple yes or no answer. Its more of a yes, no and maybe. The closest thing I can give you to a simple answer is for now, no, don’t try eating cottonseed.

What Complicates the Ability to Eat Cotton or Cottonseed?

There is a natural chemical produced by cotton plants called gossypol. I love when I have a good friend who’s awesome at science who has already explained a scientific topic I need to refer to, that’s the case with Jesse Bussard having posted about gossypol. Jesse writes about gossypol and livestock saying:

Gossypol is a toxic compound found in the cotton plant.  This compound is concentrated in the cottonseed but can also be found in other parts of the plant such as hulls, leaves and stems.  Gossypol exists in two forms: free and bound.  The free form is toxic, while the bound form binds to proteins is not toxic.

Amounts of free gossypol in cottonseed can vary.  Many factors affect gossypol concentration in seed including species of cotton plant, climatic conditions, soil conditions, fertilizer, etc.  With all these factors it is impossible to come up with one easy way to determine gossypol levels.  The only way is to test the cottonseed….

Gossypol affects mainly the heart and liver.  The reproductive tract, abomasum, and kidneys are also affected.  Monogastric animals, such as pigs and horses, are hightly susceptible to gossypol toxicity.  Ruminants, cattle and sheep, can tolerate higher levels of free gossypol because free gossypol bings to proteins in the rumen.  Even so, gossypol exposure can be toxic to cattle over a cumulative period.  Levels of 800 ppm are considered toxic.  The longer the cattle are on the ration the more likely toxicity will develop.

Common symptoms include:  weakness, depression, loss of appetite, difficult breathing, blood in the urine, inflammation of the intestines, and reproductive problems.  Gossypol toxicity must always be considered anytime their is a death loss in young animals that have been on cottonseed for several weeks (less time if gossypol levels are extreme).

No treatment exists to cure gossypol toxicity.  Removing cottonseed from the ration may have some reversal effect but is not guaranteed.  Some animals have still died even 2 weeks after gossypol was removed from their diet.

via Forage Facts: Gossypol Toxicity in Livestock | Pearl Snaps’ Ponderings.

Is there the potential for change?

Indian cotton farmer using flood irrigation near Hyderbad several years ago. Could he benefit from potential gossypol-free varieties?

If you can read that and think you want to eat cotton seed, you are much stronger mentally than I am. Cattle eating a diversified diet that includes cottonseed is okay, but that’s because they are ruminants — they have multiple stomachs that assist in processing gossypol. BUT as I started this, I said maybe because a researcher at Texas A&M has been working on reducing the levels of gossypol in cotton in order to make the high protein source an option for both people and a wider array of animals. The researcher, Keerti Rathore was honored with recognition in January 2012 for his breakthrough work:

According to Dr. Don Jones, director Agricultural Research for Cotton Inc., Rathore’s ultimate goal is to create cotton plants that produce seeds that contain gossypol at levels below what is considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration while maintaining normal levels of gossypol and related chemicals in the foliage, floral parts, boll rind, and the roots. Gossypol helps cotton plants defend against insects and pathogens.

Dr. Wayne Smith, Texas A&M soil and crop sciences associate department head, applauded Rathore’s honor.

“Keerti has lines that show 95 percent reduction in seed gossypol that makes these seed – an excellent source of oil and protein – edible by humans,” Smith said. “This effort could lead to a new, high-quality food source for people around the world.”

Rathore earned his bachelor’s degree in animal and plant sciences from Rajasthan University, his master’s degree in plant biochemistry from Gujarat University, both in India. He earned his doctorate in plant physiology from Imperial College, University of London. Before joining AgriLife Research and Texas A&M in 2003, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate and a research scientist at Purdue University for 10 years

via Keerti Rathore Receives 2011 Cotton Genetics Research Award.

Yes, No and Maybe

So I guess you see why I answer the question of whether people can eat cottonseed with a yes, no or maybe. For now, it’s best not to because gossypol can be toxic to people. Cows can eat it though and veternarians like my friend Kathy Swift look at the feed combinations to make sure cows are getting too much of it (sort of like too much sugar is bad for us & leaves us hyper or crashing). But researchers are looking for a way that cottonseed could be eaten as a protein source. If that were to happen, it could bring a protein source to parts of the world where there are currently few options. That’s good for the cotton business but more importantly, it would be fantastic for people in parts of Africa and India.

What do you think, can you picture yourself eating cottonseeds instead of sunflower seeds at a ballgame?

The post Cotton 101: Can you eat cotton or cottonseed? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

With grain crops like corn, soybeans and rice, the seed product is the primary commodity you sell. While that’s an everyday realization to farmers, sometimes consumers like myself have to pause to think about that. Yes, the beans we are eating are seeds as are the kernels of corn we are munching on. Well, cotton definitely differs.

Cottonseed are one of the parts of the cotton boll harvested in the picker and once the gin separates the seed from the lint there are a few options for what to do with it. I’ll walk through a few.

Livestock Feed — This one has been mentioned in the blog post that Kathy Swift, DVM wrote on what cattle eat. But I wanted to be sure I didn’t forget it. The seed is a source of good protein I understand. The seed isn’t fed to some other animals due to basic biology. The cotton plant and it seed includes gossypol, a naturally-occurring substance that is difficult for humans and other species with a simple stomach to digest so its fed only to ruminants. You can also feed the hull or meal from seeds to livestock.

Cottonseed Cooking Oil — Trucks from cotton gins frequently head to the press where cottonseed oil is produced. While very few consumers are familiar with cotton seed oil, as vegetable oils or canola oil tend to get the grocery store shelf space, cottonseed oil is something many chefs use.  It is probably one of the oldest oils in the South (according to the cottonseed oil facts) and offers a transfat free healthy oil.  One of the South’s treasures, Cafe duMonde in New Orleans uses cottonseed oil to fry up there famous beignets! You can read that and other tips from them on their website!

Planting Seed — In the US and most of the developed cotton-growing world, this is not a primary use of cottonseed. Yields have continued to grow due to advances in genetics and technology.  Some cotton gins and farmers are contracted to grow cotton seed for replanting in the subsequent season though and this provides a premium above the commodity seed price as they have some specific practices to employ to reduce the potential of outcrossing. (Cotton Trivia: cottonseed is the commodity vs cotton seed is used for planting seed that is preserved by

Land farming — A few times I’ve heard farmers talk about using cottonseed that was no longer viability for planting land farmed as it returns a lot of nutrients to the soil and helps rebuild. 

Personal Products — I don’t have a lot of connection with this first-had but I understand cottonseed oil can be cold-pressed to extract the finest quality of oil for use in cosmetics. According to e-how, “cottonseed oil has health benefits for the skin because it has a 50 percent omega-6 fatty acid content and is rich in natural antioxidants. The use of cottonseed oil in lotions will leave a smooth, silky feeling that will absorb into the skin and leave it well-moisturized.”

I’ve really enjoyed starting this cotton 101 series on my blog. I started with harvest and will keep going for a while! You can click on the linked photo to get to the list of posts on the subject.

The post Cotton 101: What’s Cottonseed Used for? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Editor’s Note:  My AgChat friend and veterinarian Kathy Swift recently asked if I’d like to trade guests posts. She asked if I could do a top 10 list of the ag sites I like and asked if I had something in mind for my blog. I knew immediately what to ask her about! I wanted to take advantage of her expertise in livestock to better understand where cottonseed fit in feed and nutrition with cattle, particularly dairy cattle. I so appreciate her sharing her expertise in an easy to understand blog post! I definitely have learned a lot and hope some of you do too. I know I sure appreciate the hours farmers spend doing chores more than ever before!

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Feeding cattle properly is a very important part of keeping them healthy.  Like with people, diseases can be treated and prevented through proper nutrition.  Cows have a very unique microbial population in their stomach that allows them to digest parts of plants that humans cannot.  This presents a unique situation and opportunity.

In addition to feeding cattle to keep them healthy, feeding them economically is also an important concern.  In dairy farming, feeding the cows to produce milk accounts for roughly 50 percent of the expenses on a farm.  Finding nutritional and economical sources of quality feedstuffs is also important.

Farmers sometimes feed byproducts to their cattle.

Why would a farmer do this?

Economical feed source:  Like any business, farmers are looking for economical ways to keep their cattle healthy.  In Florida, it is a challenge to grow enough quality feed for cattle.  Byproducts can be very economical choices. 

Sustainable environmental practices:  The businesses producing the by product would have to worry about disposing of the product.  Selling them to cattle farmers keeps it out of landfills or other methods of disposal.

In recent visit to one of my dairy farm clients, I photographed the farm’s byproduct and conventional feedstuffs.
Before you even begin with feeding byproducts, you have to decide where you’re going to put them.  Proper storage of these feed ingredients is essential.

Notice the roof and concrete walls?  This keeps the area dry and reduces the amount of spoilage.  The concrete wall and floors also allow for a thorough cleanup once the area is empty.

The feed barn is separated into “bays” by a concrete wall in between.  This allows only one feed ingredient to be in each bay.  This allows for better inventory control  and allows the farmer to only include that specific ingredient when making a feed mix.

Now that we’ve got a place to put them, I’m going to show some of the individual feed ingredients.
This is a pile of whole cottonseed. When cotton plants are harvested and processed to get the cotton fibers, the seeds are captured by the cotton gin.  This whole cottonseed is a good source of fiber, energy and protein for cattle.  Yes, it’s as soft as it looks.  (I must admit I have taken a running leap into the pile on an occasion or two.)

The white “fuzzy” portion is actually not cotton, but the cellulose portion that makes it fiber effective.  (Remember that special bacteria I said cows have?  It allows them to digest the cellulose.)

Cottonseed can be fed to adult cattle because their stomach bacteria are capable of digesting it.  Monogastric animals (like people, cats and dogs) and young cattle and chickens cannot eat whole cottonseed because of the chemical gossypol, which they are overly sensitive to.

Citrus pulp is another feed byproduct for cattle.  It is the dried leftovers of the pulp, peels and seeds of grapefruit, oranges, lemons and limes.  The pulp is created during the process of juicing citrus fruit, something we have a lot of in Florida, compared to the rest of the country.  This pulp is dried by machines to a moisture level of approximately 10 percent (pretty dry).  It is a good source of calcium and carbohydrates and the cows love it!  It smells like the orange extract you use when you’re baking.  To make it easier to store, a portion of it will get made into pellet form, but the cows enjoy the peel form better.  This, of course, is a very economical feed product in Florida since most dairy farms are very close to orange groves.

Wet brewers grains are the byproduct of producing beer.  This is another favorite of the cows too.  It is a high protein feed and an average carbohydrate source.  It’s a wet feed (like the name implies) and is good at keeping a feed mix from getting to dry (like eating popcorn without butter).  Because it is wet, it has to be fed quickly because it won’t store for more than 3 to 4 days, especially in hot weather.  Close up, the texture looks a little bit like sawdust.  The brewers grains this farm feeds happens to come from the Anheuser Busch plant near Jacksonville, Florida.  (Don’t worry, there is no alcohol present, but to be safe, we don’t let the cows drive.)

Distiller’s grains are almost the same thing as wet brewers grains, but are the byproducts from “spirit” making.  It is also used as a protein and energy source.  You may not be able to appreciate from the picture that there are some fine corn pieces and the same smell you might experience when cooking with the flavored alcohol extracts.

Anyone like grits?  Wonder what happens to the rest of the corn in the process?  The corn hominy we feed to cattle is the byproduct of making coarse grits for human consumption.  It is one of the most “powdery” feeds for cattle and is a good energy source.  The cows really like the taste of this.  This is their version of “candy”, but will give them a bad belly ache if they eat too much.

One of the main things needed to keep cows healthy is a good fiber source.  While the byproduct feeds I’ve talked about a good in a variety of ways, we still need an effective way to get fiber in them.  One of the ways is to feed a good quality hay.  This is alfalfa hay, which comes from farms in the west, typically Idaho.  Our sandy soil in Florida does not allow us to grow alfalfa effectively, although we sure can supply the sunshine.  We do have a variety of grasses that my clients make into hay, but they don’t have the protein that alfalfa supplies as well.

Dairy cows in Florida are typically fed two to three times a day.  Most dairy farmers have the fresh feed ready for them to eat once they return from the milking parlor.  (Their perfect time to refuel.)  To help speed things along, farmers will sometimes make a “premix” of the dry ingredients (much like you do when you’re baking).  This is an example of the premix at left.  Notice how everything is evenly mixed?  This premix includes everything I’ve talked about so far except the wet brewers grain (it would make a sloppy mess), but also includes their mineral, which is a gray, finely ground substance (a bit less coarse than table salt).

The last ingredient to talk about here is corn silage.  In Florida, the corn is typically planted in late February to early March and harvested about mid to late June.  The corn is harvested when it has a certain dryness (about 35 percent).  The entire plant (ear, leaves and stalk) is harvested and chopped.  This corn is then stored and allowed to ferment for a minimum of three weeks.

This dairy farm stores their corn silage in long plastic bags.  Some farms will use the upright silos or will use a large bunker.  For this farm, the bags best fit his management style.

You can see that these plastic bags for storing the corn silage are about 200 feet in length.

We’re finally ready to mix a load of feed for the dairy cows.  Using a loader, the farmer can put a specific amount of the premix, corn silage, and wet brewers grains into the feed mixer.  The operator dumps the feed into the mixer wagon (red thing behind the tractor).  The mixer acts like an industrial size kitchen mixer and completely and thoroughly mixes each ingredient.  Why would we want to do it this way?  Cows can be like kids and pick and choose what they want to eat.  To make sure they get a balanced diet, we make a big “casserole” (without having to put it in the oven.)

Now, it’s finally time to feed the cows!  Hearing the tractor and mixer wagon coming is their equivalent to ringing the dinner bell.  Chow time!

Yes, this gets done 2 to 3 times daily, 365 days a year.  The girls never take a day off.

Dr. Kathy Swift has been a cattle veterinarian in Florida since 1997.  When she’s not busy providing veterinary care to animals the North Florida area, she blogs about two of her passions in life, agriculture and art, on her blog, https://cowartandmore.blogspot.com.

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