ABSTRACT. This study examined the influence of the external markers chromium oxide (CO), titanium dioxide (TD), isolated, purified and enriched lignin (LIPE®) and isolated, purified, enriched lignin in nanoparticles (NANOLIPE®) as well as the internal markers indigestible dry matter (iDM), indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF) and indigestible acid detergent fiber (iADF) in diets with inclusion of passion fruit by-product for dairy heifers on the estimation of fecal output and nutrient digestibility. Sixteen Holstein × Zebu crossbred heifers at an average live weight of 363 ± 28 kg were randomly distributed in a completely randomized design where they received diets in which Tifton 85 (Cynodon sp.) hay was replaced with passion fruit by-product (0, 12, 24 and 36%, as-fed basis). The CO, LIPE®, NANOLIPE® and iNDF markers did not differ from the total collection method (p > 0.05) in the estimation of fecal output and nutrient digestibility. The TD and iDM markers overestimated, while iADF underestimated fecal output. Under the presented conditions, we recommend using the CO, LIPE®, NANOLIPE® and iNDF markers to estimate fecal output and nutrient digestibility in diets with inclusion of passion fruit by-product for dairy heifers.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of guava agroindustrial waste (GAW) on ruminal parameters (pH, N-NH3, and microbial protein), volatile fatty acid (VFA), and morphometry of the rumen and intestine of sheep. A total of forty Santa Inês sheep (120 days old and 21.3±2.62 kg) were used. The animals were fed diets with 0, 7.5, 15, 22.5, and 30% inclusion of GAW. The pH, ammonia nitrogen, microbial protein, and VFA were evaluated in the ruminal fluid, alongside the morphometric characteristics of the rumen and intestine. The inclusion of GAW linearly increased fasting and postprandial pH, N-NH3 only showed a quadratic effect for fasting animal, whereas MP presented a quadratic effect for pre- and post-prandial animals. There was a quadratic effect for papilla width, with a maximum value of 393.33 μm at the level of 34.43% GAW in the diet. The papilla absorption area showed a linear effect, in which increasing levels of GAW in the diet had a smaller area of papillae absorption. The inclusion of GAW in the diet of Santa Inês sheep favored pH neutrality, reduced N-NH3 and ruminal MP concentrations, decreased the thickness of the rumen muscular layer, and increased the intestinal mucosa, favoring greater absorption of nutrients.

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of substituting Tifton 85 hay (Cynodon sp. cv. Tifton 85) with levels of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) byproduct (0, 8, 16, and 24%, diet dry matter basis) in the diet of 16 Holstein × Gir heifers with an average body weight of 363.0±27.7 kg on their nutrient intake, digestibility, and protein balance. The experimental period was 17 days, and the sample collection period was five days. There was no effect of cocoa byproduct on nutrient intake. However, the byproduct affected the digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber, all of which decreased as the level of inclusion of the byproduct in the diet was increased. Nitrogen balance was negatively affected by the inclusion of 24% cocoa byproduct. It is recommended to use cocoa byproduct up to the level of 16% to replace Tifton 85 grass hay in diets for dairy heifers.

This study was carried out to evaluate intake, nutrient digestibility and body weight gain of foals on diets of concentrate and legume hay. Treatments were: lucerne hay (Medicago sativa), Campo Grande stylo hay (20% Stylosanthes macrocephala and 80% Stylosanthes capitata) and Mineirão stylo hay (Stylosanthes guianensis cv. Mineirão). Fifteen weaned foals at 160 Kg body weight (BW) were used. The experiment was entirely randomized with three treatments and five replicates. Dry matter intake was estimated at 30 g of dry matter (DM)/kg BW and was comprised of 40% concentrate meal and 60% hay. Fecal production and nutrient digestibility were calculated by the LIPE® marker methodology. There was no difference between Lucerne hay and Campo Grande stylo hay intake, but intake of Mineirão stylo hay was lower than that of Lucerne hay. Body weight gain and nutrient digestibility coefficients were similar for foals fed different diets. Intake was similar for Campo Grande and Lucerne hay, and led to similar body weight gain in diets with concentrate. Mineirão stylo hay, at 137 days of growth, was not palatable for the foals.

Realizou-se um ensaio metabólico para avaliar a lignina purificada de eucalipto (LIPE®), como indicador na determinação da digestibilidade da proteína bruta e matéria seca de alimentos para frangos de corte. Os tratamentos corresponderam a uma dieta basal e outras oito dietas contendo os alimentos-teste. Os alimentos foram: milho, milho expandido, farelo de soja, farelo de soja expandido, glúten de milho 22%, glúten de milho 60%, farinha de carne e ossos e farinha de penas e vísceras. Os alimentos protéicos e os com menor teor de proteína substituíram 25 e 40% da dieta basal, respectivamente. Foram utilizados 270 pintos de corte, linhagem Ross, de ambos os sexos, dos 21 aos 31 dias de idade. Utilizou-se um delineamento experimental inteiramente ao acaso em esquema fatorial 9×3 (rações × métodos), com três repetições. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade (CD) da proteína e da matéria seca e os valores da proteína bruta digestível e da matéria seca digestível de sete das nove dietas, calculados pelos métodos da coleta total de excretas e dos indicadores óxido crômico e LIPE®, foram semelhantes. Com os alimentos-teste, farelo de soja expandido e farinha de penas e vísceras, o uso de óxido crômico resultou em CD e valores de proteína e matéria seca digestível mais altos, quando comparado com o uso da LIPE® e da coleta total de excretas que foram semelhantes entre si. Pode-se considerar que a proteína bruta digestível e matéria seca digestível dos alimentos, calculada pelos três métodos, foram equivalentes. A LIPE® pode ser validada como indicador de digestibilidade da proteína e matéria seca de alimentos para frangos de corte.

A metabolism experiment was carried out to evaluate the use of LIPE® as an external indicator of dry matter and protein digestibility in broilers. The treatments corresponded to a basal diet and eight other different diets. The foods used were: corn grain, expanded corn, soybean meal, expanded soybean meal, gluten meal 22% crude protein; gluten meal 60% crude protein, meat and bone meal and feather meal. The basal diet was replaced with 40% or 25% of the food containing more energy or protein, respectively. Two hundred and seventy broiler chickens were used from 21 to 31 days old. A completely randomized design in a 9x3 factorial arrangement (nine forms of rations x three methods) with three replicates was used. The digestible dry matter and protein and metabolizable energy of the food was calculated by the total fecal collection method and by the indicator methods of chromic oxide and LIPE®; the three methods were further compared. Chromic oxide use resulted in higher values of coefficient of digestibility for expanded soybean meal and feathers and viscera meal when compared to the use of LIPE® and total feces collection which were similar. The results validated the LIPE® as an external protein and dry matter digestibility index of the feed of broiler chicks evaluated.

Avaliaram-se os efeitos dos níveis de nitrogênio de suplementos proteicos sobre as concentrações de nitrogênio amoniacal (N-NH3) e ácidos graxos voláteis (AGV) e o pH em bovinos de corte em pastagem de capim-marandu (Brachiaria brizantha, cv. Marandu). Foram realizadas estimativas da síntese microbiana, do aporte de proteína nãodegradável no rúmen (PNDR) e proteína endógena e das suas contribuições no pool de proteína metabolizável (PM). Quatro bovinos Nelore com 395 ± 9 kg, fistulados no rúmen, foram utilizados nas medidas dos parâmetros ruminais e nas avaliações da degradabilidade, da cinética ruminal e das estimativas de síntese microbiana em um delineamento quadrado latino 4 ×4. Suplementos com 30, 40 ou 50% de proteína bruta (PB) foram fornecidos na quantidade de 400 g/animal.dia para comparação a um grupo controle, sem suplementação proteica. Os animais foram mantidos em pastagens de Brachiaria brizantha, cv. Marandu, distribuídos em quatro piquetes com área de 1,0 ha cada, com oferta do suplemento e retirada das sobras, realizada diariamente. As concentrações de N-NH3 nos animais que receberam o suplemento com 50% PB foram superiores às observadas naqueles sob suplementação com 40% PB e no grupo controle, mas foram semelhantes às observadas no grupo sob suplementação com 30% PB. As concentrações de AGV no grupo sob suplementação com 30% PB foram superiores às observadas no grupo controle e semelhantes às obtidas com suplementação com 40 e 50% PB. O pH não diferiu entre os grupos. A estimativa de oferta de proteína microbiana e de PNDR foi maior para os animais sob suplementação com proteína em relação à observada no grupo controle.

The effects of nitrogen levels of protein supplements were evaluated on the concentrations of ammonical nitrogen (N-NH3), volatile fatty acids (VFA's) concentrations and pH in beef cattle grazing Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu. The microbial protein synthesis, ruminal undegradable protein (RUP) and endogenous crude protein (ECP) and their contributions to the pool of metabolizable protein (MP). Four Nelore steer, 395 ± 9 kg, fitted with ruminal cannulas, were used to evaluate ruminal parameters, degradability, ruminal kinetics and microbial synthesis in a 4 ×4 Latin square design. The animals were supplied with 400g/head/day of supplements containing 30, 40, and 50% crude protein (CP) for comparison with a control group without protein supplementation (C). The animals grazed Brachiaria brizantha cv Marandu, distributed in four one-hectare paddocks where the supplements were offered and the orts removed daily. The N-NH3 levels in the animals that received 50% CP were higher than those observed in animals receiving 40% CP and C, but were similar to the levels observed in the animals supplemented with 30% CP. The VFA concentrations in the group supplemented with 30% PB were higher than the control treatment (C) and similar to those obtained with 40 and 50% CP supplementation. The pH did not differ among the groups. The microbial synthesis and RUP were greater for the animals that received protein supplementation compared to the control treatment.

Objetivou-se avaliar o consumo, a cinética digestiva e a digestibilidade de nutrientes em equinos consumindo rações suplementadas com óleo de soja. Foram utilizados 15 equinos em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado com três dietas e cinco repetições. As dietas experimentais foram formuladas a partir de uma dieta controle (sem inclusão de óleo de soja) acrescida 8,5% ou 19,5% de óleo de soja. O ensaio teve duração de 34 dias: 30 de adaptação dos equinos às dietas e quatro de coleta de fezes. A cinética da fase líquida da digesta no trato digestivo foi estimada pela LIPE® (lignina isolada, purificada e enriquecida) na forma líquida. A LIPE® foi fornecida no 30º dia, em dose única, e as amostras de fezes foram coletadas nos tempos 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72 e 78 horas após o fornecimento. O consumo de matéria seca das dietas reduziu com a inclusão de óleo de soja. O coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente do extrato etéreo aumentou nas dietas hiperlipidêmicas, enquanto o de digestibilidade da celulose reduziu com a inclusão de 19,5% de óleo de soja. O coeficiente de digestibilidade dos demais nutrientes, exceto o de proteína bruta, e a cinética da digesta no trato gastrointestinal não foram alterados. A inclusão de óleo de soja em dietas práticas para equinos possibilita reduzir o consumo de matéria seca e aumentar a concentração energética, desejável em equinos atletas.

The objective of this study was to evaluate intake, digestive kinetics and nutrient digestibility in horses fed diets supplemented with soybean oil inclusion. Fifteen horses were used in a randomized complete design with three diets and five replications. The experimental diets were formulated from a control diet (without soybean oil) with the addition of 8.5% and 19.5% soybean oil. The experiment lasted for 34 days, 30 days for the horses to adapt to the diets and four days for feces collection. The kinetics of the liquid phase of the digesta in the digestive tract was estimated by LIPE® (Purified Enriched Isolated Lignin) in liquid form. LIPE® was given on the 30th day, in a single dose, and the feces samples were collected at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72 and 78 hours after administration. Dry matter intake of the diets decreased with soybean inclusion. The apparent digestibility coefficient of the ether extract increase in the high fat diets, while the cellulose digestibility decreased with the inclusion of 19.5% soybean oil. The coefficient of digestibility of the other nutrients, except crude protein, and the kinetics of the digesta in the gastrointestinal tract were not altered. Including soybean oil in practical diets for horses enables dry matter intake reduction and increase in the energetic concentration, which is desirable in athletic horses.

Avaliou-se a eficiência da lignina purificada e enriquecida (Lipe®) como indicador externo para estimar a digestibilidade dos nutrientes de dietas em eqüinos em comparação aos métodos de coleta total de fezes e do indicador óxido crômico. Foram utilizadas seis potras Mangalarga Marchador, com média de 2 anos de idade e 345 kg de peso vivo, alimentadas com feno de alfafa e concentrado comercial na proporção de 50:50, para ingestão de matéria seca de 3,1%PV, e sal mineral. O experimento teve duração de 29 dias, de modo que os 24 dias iniciais foram destinados à adaptação dos animais à dieta e às instalações e os cinco finais para coleta total das fezes. Utilizou-se delineamento em blocos casualizados, no qual cada animal constituiu um bloco e cada método de determinação da digestibilidade, um tratamento. Os cálculos de produção fecal e digestibilidade de cada nutriente foram feitos utilizando-se os indicadores e a taxa de recuperação fecal de cada nutriente. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade dos nutrientes obtidos utilizando-se o óxido crômico foram superiores aos da coleta total e Lipe®. Os resultados obtidos com Lipe® foram similares aos determinados por coleta total. O método do óxido crômico é inadequado, enquanto o Lipe® é eficiente para estimar a digestibilidade de nutrientes da dieta em eqüinos.

The objective of this work was to test the efficiency of enriched and purified lignin, Lipe®, as external indicator in order to estimate the apparent digestibility of the nutrients in equine diets, compared with the total feces collection and the chromic oxide methods. Six female Mangalarga Marchador with average of two years of age and average weight of 331 kg were used. The diet was alfalfa hay, commercial grain and mineral salt. The experimental period was of 29 days, the first 24 used for the adaptation of animals to the diet and facilities and the last five days for feed estimation and total feces collection. A random blocks design was used in which each animal constituted one block and each digestibility determination method, one treatment. The digestibility of nutrients using chromic oxide were smaller than those from the total collection and Lipe®, and those estimated by the Lipe® were similar to those from the total collection. Chromic oxide revealed to be inadequate and Lipe® was considered efficient to estimate the apparent digestibility in equine.