Use of Awamori-pressed Lees and Tofu Lees as Feed Ingredients for Growing Female Goats

Abstract

Okinawan Awamori is produced by fermenting steamed indica rice with black mold, yeast, and water. Awamori-pressed lees is a by-product of the Awamori production process. Tofu lees is a by-product of the Tofu production process. This research consisted of two experiments conducted to elucidate whether or not dried Awamori-pressed lees and Tofu lees can be used as a mixed feed ingredient for raising female goats. In experiment 1, digestion trials were conducted to ascertain the nutritive values of dried Awamori-pressed lees and dried Tofu lees for goats. The digestible crude protein (DCP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) contents of dried Awamori-pressed lees and Tofu lees were 22.5%, 22.5% (DCP), and 87.2%, 94.4% (TDN) respectively. In experiment 2, 18 female goats (Japanese Saanen×Nubian, three months old, body weight 15.4±0.53 kg) were divided into three groups of six animals (control feed group (CFG), Awamori-pressed lees mixed feed group (AMFG), Tofu lees mixed feed group (TMFG)). The CFG control used feed containing 20% soybean meal as the main protein source, while the AMFG and TMFG treatments used feed mixed with 20% dried Awamori-pressed lees or dried Tofu lees. The groups were fed mixed feed (volume to provide 100 g/d increase in body weight) twice a day (10:00, 16:00). The klein grass hay and water was given ad libitum. The hay intake was measured at 08:00 and 16:00. Body weight and size measurements were taken once a month. At the end of the experiment, a blood sample was drawn from the jugular vein of each animal. The DCP and TDN intakes in AMFG and TMFG showed no significant difference to the CFG. Cumulative measurements of growth in body weight, withers height, chest depth, chest girth, and hip width over the 10 mo period in the AMFG and TMFG were similar to the CFG. By contrast, cumulative growth in body length and hip height in the AMFG and TMFG tended to be larger than the CFG. Cumulative growth in chest width in the AMFG was significantly larger (p<0.05) than the CFG. Blood parameter values were similar to those in normal goats reported by other scientists. The coats of the AMFG and TMFG animals looked shinier than the animals in the CFG. The results demonstrate that dried Awamori-pressed lees and Tofu lees can be used as a feed ingredient for the raising female goats.

Use of Awamori-pressed Lees and Tofu Lees as Feed Ingredients for Growing Male Goats

“…The three types of feed (control feed (CF), 20% Awamori-pressed lees mixed feed (AMF), 20% Tofu lees mixed feed (TMF), Table 2 ) made for use in this experiment were produced using the TDN and DCP values of Awamori-pressed lees and Tofu lees that were elucidated previously ( Nagamine et al, 2012 ). The mixed feeds were produced to ensure that the DCP and TDN for all three feed types were virtually equal ( Table 3 ).…”

Effects of Castration Age on the Growth Performance of Nubian Crossbred Male Goats

“…In male goats, the peculiar odor is produced in sebaceous glands by testosterone [ 2 ], where branched-chain fatty acids in the serum are identified as the odor components and then transferred from the blood to the meat. Castrating male goats in the late growth stage was believed to result in better muscular growth based on the fact that mature body weight and size in the castrated male goat became smaller than that of the intact male goat due to the increased secretion of female hormones such as the follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone comparing to intact male goats [ 3 , 4 ]. Therefore, it is possible to improve meat quality by castration; for example, the marbling score of the meat is improved and the peculiar odor is reduced [ 5 ].…”