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Digestibility, Ruminal Fermentation, and Nitrogen Balance with Various Feeding Levels of Oil Palm Fronds Treated with Lentinus sajor-caju in Goats

Summary

This research explored an eco-friendly way to improve agricultural waste (oil palm fronds) as animal feed using fungal treatment. The treated feed showed better nutritional value and digestibility in goats compared to untreated material. Impacts on everyday life: – Provides sustainable solution for agricultural waste management – Reduces environmental impact of chemical feed treatments – Improves livestock feed efficiency and potentially reduces costs – Demonstrates practical application of biotechnology in agriculture – Contributes to more sustainable livestock farming practices

Background

Oil palm fronds (OPF) are abundantly available agricultural residues that could serve as roughage for ruminants, but their use is limited due to complex biological structure, low protein content, low metabolizable energy value, and high lignin content of up to 20-20.5%. Traditional physical and chemical treatments to improve OPF quality are costly and not environmentally friendly. Biological treatment using white rot fungi like Lentinus sajor-caju offers a promising alternative approach to enhance OPF nutritional value.

Objective

To investigate the effect of different levels of fungal (Lentinus sajor-caju) treated oil palm fronds (FTOPF) on digestibility, rumen fermentation, and nitrogen balance in goats.

Results

Total dry matter intake and nutrient intake were not influenced by FTOPF inclusion. Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin improved significantly with 33-100% FTOPF compared to control. FTOPF did not affect rumen pH, temperature or NH3-N, but influenced total volatile fatty acids, molar proportions of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and methane production. Nitrogen retention was lowest in control group and improved with FTOPF inclusion.

Conclusion

Fungal treated oil palm fronds can be effectively used as an alternative roughage source in total mixed ration diets for goats, replacing up to 100% of untreated oil palm fronds without negative effects on intake while improving nutrient digestibility and nitrogen retention.
  • Published in:Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences,
  • Study Type:Animal Feeding Trial,
  • Source: 10.5713/ajas.17.0926
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