Document Type : Complete scientific research article
Authors
1
Department of animal science, Golpayegan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Golpayegan, Iran
2
PhD., Dept. of Animal Sciences Research, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Gorgan, Gorgan, Iran
3
Biotechnology Research Department , Animal Science Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Agricultural wastes can provide an important part of ruminant feed, but are currently less used due to their nutrient deficiency, low digestibility, bulkiness, and high transportation costs. Bagasse is the residue of sugarcane that remains as a dry fiber mass after the sugarcane stalk is extracted. Sugarcane bagasse is a low-quality forage source that is often used in large quantities during times of forage shortage. The nutritional value and digestibility of bagasse are very low, even for ruminants. Due to the low digestibility and nutritional value of bagasse, animals that use it alone experience a negative balance in terms of protein and energy. Therefore, to increase the productivity of these items, processing and enrichment methods should be used. Adding whey is one of the methods of enriching lignocellulose woody materials, which can increase the nutritional value and digestibility of woody materials, including bagasse. The shortage of animal feed on the one hand and the mass production of bagasse on the other hand, justify the need to research and study its use in animal feed.
Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of sugarcane bagasse enriched with whey on performance, digestibility, blood parameters and liver enzymes of fattening lambs using 20 male Ghezel Afshar lambs with an average age of 70±10 days and an average weight of 37±2.7 kg in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 5 replications. The experimental treatments included: 1) control group (wheat straw as a forage source), 2) treatment receiving bagasse as a forage source, 3) treatment receiving 50% wheat straw and 50% bagasse enriched with whey as a forage source, and 4) treatment receiving bagasse enriched with whey as a forage source. The length of the fattening period was 60 days.
Results: The results of this study showed that there were no significant differences in final weight, total weight gain, daily weight gain, dry matter intake, and feed conversion ratio between the different experimental treatments. The highest digestibility of dry matter and organic matter was for the treatments receiving wheat straw and bagasse and bagasse enriched with whey (P<0.05). The digestibility of crude protein in the treatment receiving bagasse was higher than other treatments, and the treatments of wheat straw and bagasse mixture and bagasse enriched with whey had higher digestibility than the wheat straw treatment (P<0.05). The wheat straw treatment had higher digestibility of crude fiber and neutral detergent insoluble fiber than the other treatments (P<0.05), and the different treatments had no effect on the digestibility of acid detergent insoluble fiber. Lambs consuming wheat straw, bagasse, wheat straw and bagasse, and bagasse enriched with whey did not differ in the levels of urea, cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin, globulin, and albumin to globulin ratio and with each other. There was no difference in the activities of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase enzymes among the different treatments. The highest total protein level was observed in the treatment receiving the diet containing bagasse, and the lowest total protein level was observed in lambs consuming the diet with wheat straw (P<0.05); however, glucose concentration was higher in lambs consuming wheat straw than in other treatments, and the lowest glucose level was observed in the group consuming the diet containing bagasse enriched with whey (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there was no significant difference in performance traits between treatments and enriched bagasse can be used to completely replace wheat straw up to 12% of the diet without any restrictions.
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