Sugarbeet sugar/starch levels

[MuffettMischief]

Wondering if anyone has ever managed to find out the sugar and starch levels (even if only rough guide) in normal sugarbeet? I can only find info on the levels in unmolassed.
Thanks!

 

[Lady Jane]

The bag should tell you and if not ask the feed company

 

[criso]

Try on the various manufacturers' websites. Trident has an info sheet for each product, their Supabeet which is the molassed version is 20% sugar, 1% starch.

https://www.tridentfeeds.co.uk/products/supabeet/

 

[Squeak]

Just in case you're looking at this in relation to a horse with ulcers, it's well worth being aware of the additional buffering benefits of sugarbeet, I've heard that it coats the lining of the stomach too but that's not specifically mentioned in this article:

https://dengie.com/news-articles/fe...a, contains,and protein that alfalfa contains.

 

[Sossigpoker]

If it's pure SB and nothing added , it will be very low. From memory less than 5% combined.

 

[MuffettMischief]

Thanks all. Have trawled the internet and can never seem to find it but couldn’t remember the brand that made it. Will pop to trident site!

 

[Sossigpoker]

Speedibeet is 5% sugar and starch is listed as trace

 

[Goldenstar]

If you buy the standard old fashioned sugar beet that has to soak overnight it will usually be coated with molasses it’s going to be just under 20% sugars so high .
So it not a good choice for horses with metabolic problems or for those with ulcers .
The quick soak types of feed are I think usually have no added molasses.
They are good feed in lots of circumstances hi fibre good for ulcers care ( high calcium ) .
Its a good feed for horses living out in cold weather as its good for hydration which is vital for preventing colic in cold weather teamed with soaked grass cubes you can get a lot of water into a horse like that .
I don’t however feed beet because the years I come to think it’s not a great pairing with haylege and horses get loose dropping I think this probably because it Can send to much water through the system .

 

[criso]

I think there are the sugar content in sugar beet can vary depending on several factors, such as variety, growing conditions, and harvest time. On average, sugar beet contains about 15-20% sucrose, 1-3% glucose and fructose, and around 70% starch. These figures are only rough estimates and can vary significantly depending on the source and the conditions in which the sugar beet is grown

Would that only apply to the raw material though. The sugarbeet pulp we buy for horses is what's left after sugar has been removed so by the time it gets to the horse market, so it would vary too much from the 5% they all quote for unmolassed.

 

[Birker2020]

Speedibeet is 5% sugar and starch is listed as trace

Apparently there is more sugar in a medium sized single carrot than a whole stubbs scoop of made up speedibeet.

 

[Birker2020]

Just in case you're looking at this in relation to a horse with ulcers, it's well worth being aware of the additional buffering benefits of sugarbeet, I've heard that it coats the lining of the stomach too but that's not specifically mentioned in this article:

https://dengie.com/news-articles/feed-advice/can-sugar-beet-be-fed-to-horse-with-gastric-ulcers/#:~:text=Sugar beet, like alfalfa, contains,and protein that alfalfa contains.

Yes I heard that.

I used to feed slippery elm as that does that but at a fraction of the cost.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Apparently there is more sugar in a medium sized single carrot than a whole stubbs scoop of made up speedibeet.

Doubt it as carrots are mostly water and very low in sugar.

 

[paddy555]

Doubt it as carrots are mostly water and very low in sugar.

this is from Claire MacLeod's site, I don't think we need to worry too much after a couple of carrots.

Carrots are around 80% water, so any sugar in them is diluted i.e. they are mostly water. Grass hay is around 8% sugar as fed, so one medium carrot gives your horse about 3g of sugar, whereas one slice of hay gives your horse about 80g of sugar.14 May 2021

 

[Gloi]

It wouldn't be in the sugar beet producers interests to leave any extractable sugar in the beet pulp when it's being processed.

 

[Bob notacob]

It wouldn't be in the sugar beet producers interests to leave any extractable sugar in the beet pulp when it's being processed.

Absolutely true. They extract all the Sucrose they possibly can. The problem for the sugar companies is what to do with the by-product from cane sugar ,which is molasses. Traditionally they blot as much molasses as possible into the dried beet pulp and produce sugar beet cubes at 25% sugar content .These are primarily intended for cattle. There is also available the traditional dried beet pulp (un-cubed) which does not have molasses added but takes at least 12 hours to soak.

 

[Birker2020]

Doubt it as carrots are mostly water and very low in sugar.

That was in their marketing campaign a few years ago. Presumably the same reason you stop feeding carrots if your horse is laminitic or its had a steroid injection.

 

[Sossigpoker]

That was in their marketing campaign a few years ago. Presumably the same reason you stop feeding carrots if your horse is laminitic or its had a steroid injection.

Well that was misleading advertising then. Sadly that's very common amongst equine products.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Can't you just get the unmolassed pellets I buy Eurobeet it lasts ages it is big pellets like the molasses stuff and has to soak for 12 hours, a little bit goes a long way it's much cheaper than speedy beet as well.

 

[Horseysheepy]

Speedibeet is unmolassed and a source of pectins which helps line the stomach. I team it up with a sprinkle of marshmallow root powder to create a nice mucilage for ulcer prone horses.
Never had any issues feeding it over the past 20 years (yet!!)

 

[Birker2020]

Well that was misleading advertising then. Sadly that's very common amongst equine products.

Its another of those useless facts that you gather in life and can remember like the date of the Battle of Hastings or 'Never Eat Shredded Wheat' for the points on the compass

Maybe the sugar in carrots were what they believed in those days, like at one time it wasn't advised to let your horse roll with colic as it could cause a twisted gut, or being told that it was best to cold hose its feet if it had laminitis. Advice changes as research and thus knowledge expands.

 

[criso]

Doubt it as carrots are mostly water and very low in sugar.

So is soaked sugarbeet which I assume they were referring to

If there is only 5% sugar unsoaked sugarbeet and soaked is approx 85% water, then you are looking at 0.75 % sugar.

Wouldn't want to compare it to 1 carrot but it is very very low.

 

[Sossigpoker]

So is soaked sugarbeet which I assume they were referring to

If there is only 5% sugar unsoaked sugarbeet and soaked is approx 85% water, then you are looking at 0.75 % sugar.

Wouldn't want to compare it to 1 carrot but it is very very low.

Which is what I said earlier ....but the comment was claiming that there's more sugar in a carrot than in SB, which just isn't true.