Applications of Woody Substance of Flax to Animal Feeding

Abstract

Applications of woody substance of flax to animal feeding were discussed as a first trial in a series related to utilization of cellulosic waste materials. The simulation test for in vitro reaction, i. e., enzymatic digestion of cellulosic materials, was carried out with powdered cellulase for estimating the digestibility of the materials. Though this sort of woody materials have already been used in small amount as a roughage component in prepared feeds, the woody substance of flax was found to be made into the nutrient for ruminant after a mechanical grinding in a high extent. If the substance were prepared by pretreatment with cellulase before grinding, its digestibility was found to rise to a higher level. The application of this method seems to be very promising on the following aspects : (1) Utilization of waste materials. (2) Solution for pollution problems. (3) Domestic production of prepared feeds. (4) Production of protein-foods, and so on.