Effects of Feeding Multinutrient Blocks Including Avocado Pulp and Peels to Dairy Goats on Feed Intake and Milk Yield and Composition

Abstract

Twelve Murciano-Granadina dairy goats were divided into two homogeneous groups, which were fed either a control diet composed of 40% alfalfa hay and 60% concentrate or a diet based on 40% alfalfa hay, 40% concentrate and 20% multinutrient blocks, including 14.8% avocado pulp and peels (APP). Total dry matter (DM) intake was similar (p = 0.709) for both diets, but APP-fed goats had lower (p = 0.024) concentrate intake and tended (p = 0.063) to have lower fat intake compared with those fed the control diet. The average intake of blocks was low (66.4 g DM/d), which was attributed to avocado lipids oxidation and rancidity. Neither milk yield (p = 0,921) nor the efficiency of energy and nitrogen use were affected (p = 0.909 and 0. 840, respectively) by the diet, but milk fat tended to be greater (p = 0.057) in the APP-fed goats compared with the animals fed the control diet. Other milk components were similar (p ≥ 0.110) for both diets, and only subtle changes in the milk fatty acid profile were observed. In summary, the intake of blocks containing avocado wastes by dairy goats was low probably due to avocado lipids oxidation causing off-flavors and reduced palatability.

Corn Silage Supplemented with Pomegranate (Punica granatum) and Avocado (Persea americana) Pulp and Seed Wastes for Improvement of Meat Characteristics in Poultry Production

“…More specifically, it has been found that pomegranate peel contains saponins that can improve nitrogen efficiency by reducing the activity of protozoa [ 27 ], enhancing the microbial composition of stomach proteins and increasing the protein content of the produced milk. Similar results have been commented by [ 30 , 31 , 32 ] who studied the effect of a combination of pomegranate, flaxseed seed oil, avocado, and mango fruit wastes, respectively, on the effect of daily milk production of goats, as well as blood, containing metabolites and their antioxidant status. Recent studies also investigated the effect of incorporating pomegranate by-products in the diet of lambs [ 33 ] and cows [ 34 ], while [ 35 ] commented avocado use as potential feedstuff for animals as an energy source.…”

Utilization of Avocado and Mango Fruit Wastes in Multi-Nutrient Blocks for Goats Feeding: In Vitro Evaluation

“…The lack of differences (p = 0.513) between fruits in the CH 4 /VFA ratio suggests that the lower CH 4 production observed for avocado compared to mango was due to the reduced fermentation of avocado, possibly caused by its high EE content. Unsaturated free fatty acids are toxic to fibrolytic bacteria [40] and avocado fat is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, usually accounting for more than 85% of total fatty acids [10,41].…”

“…An interesting cost-effective preservation method, but still not widely used, is the inclusion of fruit wastes in multi-nutrient blocks (MB) [8], which are a solid mixture of feeds, urea, binder, salt and mineral and vitamin supplements [9]. The effects of feeding MB including avocado wastes to goats on milk yield and composition have been recently studied [10], but to our best knowledge, there is no information on the possibility of including mango wastes in MB. However, several studies have investigated the direct feeding of mango wastes to ruminants [11][12][13] and non-ruminants [14,15], indicating that they can be used as alternative feeds [16].…”

Ruminant Lick Blocks, Particularly in China: A Review

“…Subsequently, de Evan et al [12,13] replaced 50% of concentrate fed to dairy goats with NB 10 and NB 11 from mango and avocado waste by-products. This dietary modification had little impact on nutrient intake and digestibility and the milk yield and composition of goats (Table 3).…”

“…The supplement can improve livestock production, reproduction and carcass quality [2,3,[7][8][9][10][11] and increase the income of farmers. The inclusion of agro-industrial by-products in LB reduces the use of concentrates and feeding costs and alleviates the problem of competing with humans for grain [12,13]. LB can also be used as carriers of Sustainability 2022, 14, 7620 2 of 19 additives such as enzymes and drugs to improve the digestibility of low-quality roughage and treat and/or prevent animal diseases [14][15][16].…”