Effects of cottonseed hull on intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites and ingestive behaviour of rams.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cottonseed hull (CH) in the diets of rams on intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, ingestive behaviour, and blood metabolites. Twenty males, uncastrated with an average body weight of 29.08 ± 4.18 kg, were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatment diets and five replicates. The diet contained a forage to concentrate ratio of 50 : 50 (ground corn, soybean meal, corn silage, and CH), and the experimental treatments were inclusion of 0, 10, 20, and 30% CH (dry matter basis). Inclusion of CH linearly increased water intake, effective intake of ethereal extract and non-fibrous carbohydrates, and crude protein digestibility. Dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility, nitrogen faecal losses, and nitrogen balance reduced linearly with CH inclusion in the diet. Inclusion of CH in rams' diet reduces intake, nutrient digestibility, and intake and rumination efficiencies. Thus, it is not recommended to add this by-product to the diet of high-performance rams, but for nurture that does not aim at high performance, inclusion of up to 5% of this by-product is recommended.

Changes on the physicochemical and fatty acid profile of meat induced by inclusion of biscuit bran in lamb diet.

The animal feed science is in constant search for new products that bring economic return, without harming the quality of the final product. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of increasing levels of substitution of corn by biscuit bran in lamb diet upon the fatty acid profile of its meat and its physicochemical and sensory characteristics. Twenty-four male lambs divided in four treatments were used. The treatments consisted in increasing levels (0, 15, 30, and 45%) of substitution of corn by biscuit bran in lamb diet. The significance of the treatments was determined by ANOVA and the adjusted means were compared by Tukey test at 5%. The effects were determined by linear and quadratic responses. The use of up to 45% biscuit bran sweet type did not modify the physical and sensory characteristics of meat, just as it did not affect nutrient and dry matter intakes and animal performance. A replacement of 45%, reduces the cholesterol (P = 0.03) and the total content of saturated fatty acid (P = 0.002), not modifying other physicochemical characteristics. The replacement of corn by biscuit bran sweet type in the feeding represents an alternative nutritional strategy for sheep meat production with desirable organoleptic and quality characteristics.