Effect of energy sources on the apparent total tract digestibility and excretion of nutrients by bovine cattle

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate the effect of three energy sources on the intake, total apparent digestibility and excretion of nutrients in cattle diet. Materials and methods. Six ruminally cannulated cows (730 ± 70 kg) were distributed into three treatments in a replicated 3x3 Latin square experimental design, where: (I) Control: Low ether extract diet (3.50% EE); (II) Soybean: High ether extract diet (5.30% EE) with inclusion of 15% soybean and (III) Citrus pulp: Low ether extract diet (3.00% EE) and high pectin involvement with inclusion of 15% citrus pulp. To determine the digestibility of DM and its fractions, chromic oxide was used as a marker. Nutrient excretion was calculated from the digestibility coefficient of each fraction. Results. The soybean treatment reduced (p<0.05) dry matter, crude protein, nitrogen-free extract and organic matter intake and increased ether extract intake. There was no effect (p>0.05) of the energy source on the digestibility coefficients of DM, CP, NDF, EE, NFE or OM. The TDN value was higher for the soybean treatment. The excretion of DM, NFE and OM was lower (p<0.05) for the soybean treatment. All energy sources influenced the excretion of crude protein. Conclusions. The energy sources used did not affect the digestibility of the diets and are indicated as high potential sources to be used in cattle.

Nutrient Profile and In Vitro Digestibility of Thirty Indonesian Soybean Genotypes Grown at Two Different Soil pH for Selection as Ruminant Feed

“…In fact, EE has a positive relationship to digestible energy and metabolizable energy (Li et al, 2015). The negative correlation may be caused by an indirect path of decreasing NFC content due to an increase in EE value (Romero et al, 2014). Another possibility is due to the limited capacity of microorganisms to digest EE (McDonald et al, 2010).…”