Gossypol

Gossypol is a naturally occurring compound in the cotton plant ( Gossypium spp.). Because gossypol has been recognized since the turn of the century to be toxic to livestock, a limiting factor of whole cottonseed and cottonseed meal as feed sources is their gossypol content. Nonruminant species such as swine and poultry do exhibit susceptibility to gossypol toxicity under certain feeding regimens. Also, despite years of practical experience in feeding cottonseed meal to preruminant livestock in limited amounts, gossypol toxicity has been demonstrated in young calves as well as lambs. The major source of gossypol in whole cottonseed is found in the seed glands, which appear as small black dots on the cut surface of the seed. Gossypol exists in two forms, free and bound. The free form is toxic, whereas the bound form is considered nontoxic because it is not released in the rumen.