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The intake, digestion, and ruminal fermentation properties; the antioxidative activity; and the physical effectiveness of pineapple residue (PR) from the cut‐fruit industry as a feed for cattle were investigated. Four nonlactating Holstein cows were fed a basal diet and diets with 1.4‐ and 3.6‐kg dry matter (DM)/day of PR (low‐PR and high‐PR diets, respectively). The DM digestibility and total digestible nutrients were 71% and 70%, respectively. Ruminal pH, volatile fatty acids, and ammonia‐N did not differ among the diets. The numbers of total viable, amylolytic, cellulolytic, and methanogenic bacteria and protozoa, and microbial protein synthesis in the rumen also did not differ significantly. Blood triglyceride, nonesterified fatty acids, urea nitrogen, and aspartate transaminase were lower in the high‐PR diet. Feeding PR did not affect blood malondialdehyde, although PR has a higher antioxidative value than other commonly used feeds. The particle distribution of PR satisfied the recommended range for haylage. The chewing time for ingestion and rumination did not change with PR content, and the roughage value index of PR was 57‐min/kg DM. These results suggest that PR has good intake and digestion properties and satisfactory physical effectiveness. Even a high‐PR‐content feed unlikely induces the risk of ruminal acidosis.

The ruminal degradation parameters of sunflower cake (SFC), a by-product left after the mechanical extraction of oil from sunflower seeds, were estimated in an in situ experiment using a cow. And also the effect of feeding SFC on nutrient digestibilities, digestible energy, nitrogen balance, and ruminal and blood properties were investigated in a feeding trial using four Shiba goats compared isonitrogenously with soybean meal (SBM). The in situ results demonstrated that the SFC had high soluble protein (>70%) with 97% total degradable protein. The feeding trial revealed that the SFC had 85% crude protein digestibility and 65% total digestible nutrients on a dry matter basis in which the low carbohydrate digestibilities offset the advantage of high digestible fat (9.9%). The nitrogen efficiency (retained N/intake N) was lower for SFC than SBM, probably because of an inferior biological value of amino acids in SFC. Among the ruminal and blood properties, only the total ruminal acid concentration and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) differed significantly between the diets: The SFC diet showed lower values than the SBM diet. These findings indicate that SFC can safely replace SBM.

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