ABSTRACT. The physical-chemical characteristics and sensory attributes of milk are variable. This study aimed to evaluate how spineless cactus varieties resistant to carmine cochineal (Dactylopius sp.) influences the composition and sensory characteristics of goat milk. Twelve lactating goats with body weights of 51.35 ± 3.75 kg were distributed in a 4 × 4 Latin square, with three simultaneous squares composed of four animals, four periods, and four experimental diets: Control - goats fed tifton grass hay and concentrate; SCOE - goats fed the Orelha-de-elefante spineless cactus, tifton hay, and concentrate; SCB - goats fed the Baiana spineless cactus, tifton hay, and concentrate; SCM - goats fed the Miúda spineless cactus, tifton hay, and concentrate. The levels of protein and non-greasy solids and the sensory attributes of the milk (odor, butter flavor, and global acceptance) did not differ between the treatments (p > 0.05). The lipid content of the milk was reduced in the SCOE treatment compared to the control (p = 0.0014). The milk obtained from animals fed the SCOE and SCM treatments had a stronger flavor (p < 0.05). These results suggest that varieties of spineless cactus resistant to carmine cochineal can be used as goat feed without affecting milk production or global acceptance.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of the cactus Opuntia stricta (Haw.) in sheep diets on the feed intake, digestibility, fermentation, and physicochemical characteristics of the ruminal digesta. Five sheep cannulated in the rumen (61.5±9.5 kg body weight) were assigned in a Latin square design (5×5), with five diets and five experimental periods of 21 days each. The first 14 days were the adaptation period, and data were collected over the following seven days, making the total duration of the experiment 105 days. The diets included a control diet and four diets containing cactus at 121, 245, 371, and 500 g/kg of dry matter (DM). The diets had a forage:concentrate ratio of 65:35. The inclusion of cactus increased the DM intake and non-fiber carbohydrates, but reduced the neutral detergent fiber intake. It also increased the apparent digestibility of the DM, reduced the digesta density 4 h after feeding, and increased the production of ruminal fluid foam. The inclusion of cactus quadratically affected the DM rumen turnover, with the lowest value observed in the 336.5 g/kg cactus diet. The DM ruminal disappearance rate increased with the inclusion of cactus to the diets and quadratically affected the ruminal pH, with the highest value found in the 150 g/kg cactus diet. The concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) increased, but the acetate:propionate ratio decreased with the inclusion of cactus at 500 g/kg DM. Taken together, our findings indicate that the evaluated spineless cactus can be added to sheep diets up to the level of 500 g/kg DM. The inclusion of O. stricta (Haw.) improves feed intake, DM digestibility, and SCFA and modifies the physicochemical characteristics of the ruminal digesta.

RESUMO A falta de água na produção pecuária pode ser um fator limitante para o bom desempenho dos animais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da restrição total de água na dieta de ovinos, alimentados com palma forrageira sobre o desempenho produtivo. Foram utilizados 42 ovinos, machos, com idade e peso médio de ±100 dias e 18,75± (2,05)kg, respectivamente; alimentados com dietas de 0, 30 50 e 70% de inclusão de palma forrageira. Os animais foram abatidos quando atingiam o peso de 32kg (± 1 kg) ou 90 dias em confinamento. O desenho experimental foi arranjo fatorial 3x2, inclusão de palma (30, 50 70%) x água (com água ou sem água). As variáveis foram analisadas utilizando o teste Tukey a 5% de probabilidade, pelo programa PROC GLM do SAS. Os consumos voluntários de água e de matéria seca diminuíram (P<0,05) com a inclusão de palma forrageira nas dietas, porém o consumo de água através dos alimentos e consumo total água aumentaram com a inclusão de palma forrageira (P<0,05). A restrição de água e a interação com os níveis de palma não teve influencia no desempenho dos animais (P>0,05). O ganho de peso diário foi maior para os tratamentos com 30 e 50% de inclusão de palma, com ganhos de 174 e 155 g, respectivamente, comparado com a dieta controle que obteve ganho médio de 90 g. A palma forrageira pode ser utilizada eficientemente como suplemento alimentar e fonte única de água na dieta.

SUMMARY A lack of water in livestock production can limit the performance of the animals; therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of water restriction on the growth performance of sheep that were fed forage cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera). Forty-two male sheep were used, with an average age and weight of ±100 days and 18.75 ± (2,05) kg , respectively, and they were fed diets containing concentrate, mineral mixture and three levels of substitution (30, 50 and 70%) of Tifton hay with forage cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera). The animals were slaughtered when they reached 32 kg (± 1 kg) of body weight or 90 days. The experimental design was a 3x2 factorial arrangement, forage cactus (30, 50, 70%) x water (with or without water) plus a control group (n=6). Variables were analyzed using Tukey and Dunnett's test at 5% with PROC GLM in SAS software. Voluntary water intake and dry matter intake (DMI) decreased with the inclusion of forage cactus; however, preformed water intake and total water intake increased with the inclusion of forage cactus. Water restriction and its interaction with the treatments had no effect on animal performance. Daily weight gain was higher for the diets with 30 and 50%forage cactus inclusion, at 174 and 155 g, respectively, compared with 90 g for the control diet. Cactus, therefore, can be used as a food supplement and water resource.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of wheat bran as an additive in elephant-grass silage on intake and digestibility of the nutrients, ingestive behavior, and yield and chemical composition of milk. Eight goats with 45 days of lactation were distributed in a (4 × 4) Latin square design.The treatments consisted of corn silage (CS), elephant-grass silage without wheat bran (EGS), elephant-grass silage with 10% wheat bran (EGS+10%WB), and elephant-grass silage with 20% wheat bran (EGS+20% WB). There was no difference in dry matter (DM) intake between diets EGS and CS in g d−1. However, the animals fed EGS+10%WB had lower DM and organic matter (OM) intakes than the animals fed CS in g kg−1 d−1 of body weight. There were lower non-fiber carbohydrate and metabolize energy intakes by animals fed diets based on elephant-grass silages than those fed CS. The EGS+20%WB diet provided lower digestibility coefficients of DM, OM, crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and digestible nutrients of the diet than the diet with CS. The NDF digestibility coefficient with diet EGS was greater than that obtained with diet CS. The diets with corn and elephant-grass silages provided similar milk yield levels. However, the animals fed diets based on EGS+20% WB produced less total-solids-corrected milk than the animals fed CS. No difference was found in the milk physicochemical properties and ingestive behavior of goats in this study. Corn silage can be replaced by elephant-grass silage harvested at 50 days of regrowth and elephant-grass silage with 10% wheat bran without influencing goat performance, behavioral variables, physiological variables, milk yield or the milk physicochemical properties.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar dietas a base de palma forrageira (aproximadamente 54 %) associada a diferentes fontes de fibra sobre o consumo, digestibilidade, comportamento alimentar e balanço de nitrogênio de cinco ovinos machos, com peso inicial entre 34kg. As fontes de fibra avaliadas foram: feno de tifton, casca de soja, caroço de algodão, feno de tifton + casca de soja e feno de tifton + caroço de algodão. Utilizou-se o delineamento quadrado latino 5x5. Não houve diferença para o consumo de matéria seca, matéria orgânica, proteína bruta, fibra em detergente neutro e nutrientes digestíveis totais. A palma associada ao caroço de algodão apresentou maior coeficiente de digestibilidade de extrato etéreo. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade da matéria seca e fibra em detergente neutro do tratamento com casca de soja foram superiores ao feno de tifton + caroço de algodão.O tratamentofeno de tiftonefeno de tifton+casca de sojaapresentaram maiordigestibilidade da proteína brutaem relação aocaroço dealgodão.O tratamento com palma associada à casca de soja apresentou média de excreção de nitrogênio nas fezes superior aos demais. O maior valor de excreção de nitrogênio na urina correspondeu ao tratamento feno de tifton + o caroço de algodão. A palma associada à casca de soja proporcionou menor tempo em ruminação e mastigação total. É recomendado o uso da palma forrageira associada com feno de capim tifton e casca de soja como fontes de fibra na alimentação de ovinos.

The objective of this work was to evaluate diets of spinelles cactus (54 % about) associated with different fiber sources on intake, digestibility, feeding behavior, and nitrogen balance of five male sheep, with average initialweightof 34kg. The fiber sources evaluated were: Tifton hay,soybean hulls, cottonseedandmixturestifton haywith soybean hullsandtifton haywith cottonseed.The experimental design used was a5x5Latin Square. There was no differencesfordry matter intake,organic matter, crude protein,neutral detergent fiberand total digestible nutrients. The spineless cactus associated with cottonseed promotedone greater digestibility to ether extract. The soybean hulls afforded coefficients of digestibility of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber higher than to Tifton + cottonseed. The treatment tifton hay and tifton hay + soybean hulls showedgreaterdigestibility ofcrude protein compared to cottonseed. The treatment with spineless cactuswith soybean hulls showed higher mean of nitrogen excretion of feces than the others. Higher value of nitrogen excretion in the urine was from tifton hay + cottonseed.The spineless cactuswithsoybean hullsresultedinlessrumination timeandtotalchewing. It is recommended the use spinelles cactus associated with tifton hay and soybean hulls as fiber sources in the sheep diets.

Cinco vacas da raça Holandesa foram distribuídas em um quadrado latino 5 × 5 com o objetivo de estimar a produção de proteína microbiana utilizando-se a excreção total de derivados de purinas (DP), por meio de coletas spot de urina, e as concentrações de nitrogênio (N)-uréia no plasma, no leite e na urina. As cinco dietas foram formuladas com diversos volumosos (bagaço de cana-de-açúcar; feno de capim-tifton; feno de capim-elefante; silagem de sorgo; e uma mistura de silagem de sorgo + bagaço de cana) associados à palma forrageira. As concentrações de uréia (10,98 mg/dL) e N-uréia (5,11 mg/dL) no leite não foram afetadas pelos volumosos, assim como as concentrações plasmáticas de uréia (28,10 mg/dL) e N-uréia (13,09 mg/dL). As excreções urinárias de uréia, N-uréia, alantoína e derivados de purina, purinas absorvidas, a síntese de N-microbiano e as concentrações de alantoína no leite não foram alteradas. Os volumosos utilizados podem ser associados a palma forrageira na alimentação de vacas Holandesas, pois não alteram a produção de proteína microbiana.

Five Holstein cows were allotted to a 5 × 5 Latin square design with the objective of evaluating the microbial protein production, using the total excretion of purine derivatives (PD), obtained from spot urine collection, plasma and milk urea and nitrogen (N)-urea. The five treatments contained different forage sources: sugar cane bagasse (CB), tifton hay (TH), elephant grass hay (EH), sorghum silage (SS) and a mixture of sugar cane bagasse + sorghum silage (CBSS). The milk urea (10.98 mg/dL) and N-urea (5.11 mg/dL) concentrations were not influenced by the forage sources, such as plasma urea (28.10 mg/dL) and N-urea (13.09 mg/dL) concentrations. The urinary urea, N-urea, allantoin and PD excretions, the absorbed purine, N-microbial synthesis and milk allantoin concentration remained unchanged. The different forage sources in association with forage cactus did not change the microbial protein production.