Studies at the University of Reading (UK) compared silage quality, feed intake and digestibility of maize silage with maize±sun ̄ower (MS), maize±kale (MK) and maize±runner bean (MRB) silage, when sun ̄owers, kale and runner beans represented 26, 7 and 16% of total silage dry matter (DM). All intercrop silages had higher crude protein values (MS, 137 g kgÿ1, MRB, 120 g kgÿ1, MK, 105 g kgÿ1) than ...

Assessing amino acid (AA) availability in dietary ingredients is integral to the optimal formulation of diets both in terms of maximising nutrient utilization and profitability. Although the concept that nutrients in feedstuffs are not fully absorbed and metabolized by the animal is now widely accepted, a distinction needs to be made between the concepts of digestibility and availability. Diges...

Five Yorkshire x Lacombe barrows (45 kg initial wt) fitted with duodenal cannulas approximately 10 cm from the pyloric sphincter were used to determine the influence of the pH of the predigestion solution (pH 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 or 2.5), pepsin activity (189 vs 377 IU/liter) and duration of predigestion (0, 1.5, 2.5 or 4.0 h) on the apparent digestibility of the protein in soybean meal (SBM), meal an...

The nutritional value of feed proteins and their utilization by livestock are related not only to the chemical composition but also to the structure of feed proteins, but few studies thus far have investigated the relationship between the structure of feed proteins and their solubility as well as digestibility in monogastric animals. To address this question we analyzed soybean meal, fish meal,...

Compared with batch systems, flowthrough and countercurrent reactors have important potential advantages for pretreating cellulosic biomass, including higher hemicellulose sugar yields, enhanced cellulose digestibility, and reduced chemical additions. Unfortunately, they suffer from high water and energy use. To better understand these trade-offs, comparative data are reported on xylan and lign...

Male broiler chicks (n=120) were fed diets containing 0, 5, 10 or 15% dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) from the 12th day up to the end of fattening (day 35). During this period feed intake, weight gain and excreta quality (pH, DM) were tested. A digestibility trial was carried out on four birds from each group on the last five days of the experiment to determine the digestibility o...

Feeding grain whole to cattle generally results in a lower digestibility than that obtained with processed grain. If this problem could be overcome, feeding with whole grain would reduce processing costs, and the slower rate of starch digestion in the rumen could improve fibre digestion with potential beneficial effects on intake and animal production. Two strategies are available to increase t...

Six total mixed rations (TMR) containing 0, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12% tannin (TMR I-VI), using Accacia nilotica pods as a source of tannin, were used to study the effect of Acacia tannin on in vitro nutrient digestibility and gas production in goats. This study also investigated the degraded products of Acacia nilotica tannin in goat rumen liquor. Degraded products of tannins were identified using high ...

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to determine the effect of fermented spent coffee ground (FSCG) on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen utilization in sheep. METHODS Fermentation of spent coffee ground (SCG) was conducted using Lactobacillus plantrum. Fermentation was performed at moisture content of 70% and temperature of 39°C with anaerobic air tension for 48 h. Four adult rams (ini...

Published data on the effects of essential oils (EO) on in vivo nutrient digestibility in sheep are contradictory. In 2 experiments, the effect of thymol and carvacrol on nutrient digestibility was studied in sheep fed with high (70%) or low (52%) concentrate diets, using incomplete Latin Square designs. The essential oils were mixed with the concentrate portion of the diet at the rate of 0.0, ...