Anti-Nutritional Factors of Plant Protein Feeds for Ruminants and Methods for Their Elimination

In recent years, the rapid development of the ruminant feeding industry and the limited availability and rising prices of traditional protein feed ingredients have renewed the focus on protein feeds in ruminant diets. Plant protein feeds are a core component of protein feeds for ruminants; however, the utilisation of both conventional and non-conventional plant protein feeds is limited by the presence of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs). In order to maximise the use of plant protein feeds and to promote their application in ruminant production, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the types and nature of their ANFs, their anti-nutritional mechanisms, and current effective methods of eliminating ANFs. Therefore, the types, anti-nutritional mechanisms, and elimination methods of ANFs in major plant protein feeds for ruminants are initially summarised in this review, which provides a reference for anti-nutritional factor elimination and the production of full-price compound feeds for ruminants.