Distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS), such as DDGS from an ethanol process, can undergo a denaturing process resulting in higher measurable protein content. The denatured DDGS byproduct, which may include higher measurable rumen undegradable protein products or bypass proteins, can be used to produce distillers meal, which may be used as an animal feed and are able to survive the digestive process through the rumen of ruminant animals that results in more protein bioavaible to the ruminant animal in the later stages of digestion and absorption. The DDGS co-product can undergo a denaturing process to produce distillers meal having an increased rumen undegradable protein level that is about 5% to about 25% more than a rumen undegradable protein level of the distillers meal prior to the denatuting process of the DDGS co-product. Such high protein content compositions can also be used in methods for increasing nitrogen content in soil, promoting crop production, and fertilizing horticultural and/or agricultural crops.
