ABSTRACT Agro-industrial by-products are a great option for ruminant feeding. Alternative feedstuffs in ruminant diets are important to increase diets and reduce production costs. The present study evaluated different levels of palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) kernel cake inclusion in diets for feedlot-finished cull cows and their implications on the intake and digestibility of dry matter (DM) and nutrients, as well as animal performance. The experiment was carried out in Ribeirão do Largo, Bahía, Brazil. Thirty-six Holstein × Zebu crossbred cows were assigned to four treatments at the rate of nine cows per treatment. The animals were fed sugarcane bagasse (roughage 15%) and concentrate (85%). The treatments were no addition of palm kernel cake, 8%, 16%, or 24% palm kernel cake inclusion in the total DM diet. Palm kernel cake inclusion influenced DM and nutrient intakes, which responded quadratically. The digestibility of DM, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein showed a quadratic response and maximum digestibility at 1.67%, 5.24%, and 3.68% cake inclusion levels, respectively; values decreased thereafter. The total digestible nutrients decreased linearly based on cake inclusion levels. Treatments affected final body weight, mean daily gain, and feed conversion, which showed a quadratic response to increasing levels of the by-product in the diet and maximum values were at 11.98%, 13.07%, and 16.32% inclusion, respectively. Palm kernel cake is a viable alternative ingredient for animal biological efficiency. The 16% inclusion level in the total DM diet was the most appropriate for the finishing of cull cows in the feedlot.

ABSTRACT Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) ensilage presents serious limitations due to the conversion of soluble carbohydrates into ethanol, thus, it is necessary to use additives that reduce losses of DM during the ensilage process. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of increasing levels of detoxified castor-bean (Ricinus communis L.) meal (DCBM) on the nutritive value, fermentation pattern, stability and losses of sugarcane silages. Twenty mini-silos with sugarcane and five different concentrations of DCBM (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g kg-1 fresh matter) were prepared in a completely randomized design with five replicates per treatment. After 60 d, silage was sampled to determine chemical-bromatological composition, fractionation of carbohydrates and protein content, ammoniacal N (N-NH3) and losses through gases and effluents. The addition of DCBM increased (P < 0.05) DM content, crude protein, fraction A + B1 of the total carbohydrates. However, it reduced (P < 0.05) the levels of neutral and acid detergent insoluble fiber, fraction B1 + B2 of total N and N-NH3. The addition of DCBM reduced the losses of total DM but decreased silages aerobic stability. The addition of 150 g kg-1 DBCM improved the nutritional value, fermentation pattern and reduced losses of sugarcane silages

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of whole cottonseed on diets of cows under grazing on fatty acid profile and milk cholesterol. Five crossbred Holstein × Zebu cows were distributed in a 5 × 5 Latin square. Inclusion levels were 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24%. There was a linear decrease in all fatty acids quantified, saturated and monounsaturated (p > 0.05), possibly due to the action of polyunsaturated fatty acids ingested in the diet. There was no influence of treatment on conjugated linoleic acids or cholesterol. It is concluded that, regardless of inclusion level, there is a modification in the milk lipid profile, reducing the concentration of saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, and making it rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to health.

O estudo mostra a ação sucessiva dos tratamentos térmicos de pasteurização (75 ºC por 15 s) e esterilização comercial por troca indireta de calor (140 ºC for 6 s) sobre o perfil lipídico de leite bovino. Amostras de leite cru foram submetidas à pasteurização e então, à esterilização comercial (ultra-alta temperatura, UHT). A gordura de amostras de leite cru, de leite pasteurizado e de leite esterilizados comercialmente foi extraída. Após transesterificação, os ésteres metílicos dos ácidos graxos (FAMEs) foram analisados por cromatografia gasosa com detecção por ionização de chama (GC-FID). A quantificação revelou que para a maioria dos ácidos graxos (FA) encontrados não houve diferença significativa (p > 0,05) entre as amostras de leite cru e leite pasteurizado. Entretanto, foram encontradas diferenças significativas para 21 dos 26 ácidos graxos analisados (p > 0,05) para as amostras de leite cru e de leite esterilizado, incluindo o isômero predominante no leite do ácido linoléico conjugado (CLA-c9t11). Este fato evidencia a ação sucessiva dos tratamentos térmicos no perfil lipídico do leite.

The action of successive pasteurization thermal treatments (75 ºC for 15 s) and commercial sterilization by indirect heat exchange (140 ºC for 6 s) was analyzed on the lipid profile of bovine milk. Raw milk samples were submitted to pasteurization and then were submitted to sterilization (ultra-high temperature, UHT). The fat of raw milk, pasteurized milk and commercially sterilized milk samples was extracted. After transesterification, the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The quantification of fatty acids (FA) revealed that for most of the found fatty acids there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between raw milk and pasteurized milk. However, it was found significant differences for 21 of the 26 analyzed fatty acids (p > 0.05) for the raw and sterilized milks, including the predominant isomer of the conjugated linoleic acid (CLAc9t11) of the milk. This fact evidences the successive action of heat treatments on milk lipid profile.