Chemical composition and in vitro rumen fermentation of ensiled sugar industry coproducts

Zohreh Zarnegar,Abbas Ali Naserian,Reza Valizadeh,Seyed Hadi Ebrahimi

doi:10.3906/vet-1708-21

Abstract

he current study aims to compare sugar beet leaves (SBLs) ensiled with sugar beet pulp (SBP), sugarcane molasses (SM), or rock candy juice (RCJ) using an in vitro gas production technique. Treatments in the first group included 10% SBP (control 1) and control 1 plus 5% SM or RCJ. In the second group, there were 3 treatments, including 20% SBP (control 2) and control 2 plus 10% SM or RCJ. The silages with no added soluble carbohydrate (SC) sources had significantly higher (P < 0.001) pH, buffer value index, and ammonia nitrogen values than the other treatments. However, there was no significant difference between RCJ and SM in their effect on these variables. Adding both levels of SC sources caused an increase in dry matter digestibility compared to those that only included SBL and SBP (P < 0.001). Maximal and rate of gas production from slowly fermentable fraction (a$_{2}$) were significantly greater when the substrate contained 85%, 10%, and 5% SBL, SBP, and SC sources, respectively. Using dried SBP and SC sources for the preservation of fresh SBL is recommended; however, with higher levels of SC, the silage may be at risk of spoilage, and it must be less exposed to air.

Highlights

Twenty percent of the world’s sugar production comes from sugar beets that are cultivated in many countries around the world, especially in temperate zones where sugarcane is not grown
The presence of sugarcane molasses (SM) and rock candy juice (RCJ) led to a decrease in the NDF content of silages compared to the situation with no added water-soluble carbohydrates in both levels of sugar beet pulp (SBP) (P < 0.001)
Trends were found indicating an increase in the crude protein (CP) content of the silages by adding SM or RCJ in two levels of SBP

Summary

Introduction

Twenty percent of the world’s sugar production comes from sugar beets that are cultivated in many countries around the world, especially in temperate zones where sugarcane is not grown. A normal crop of sugar beets produces 40% to 50% of its weight as sugar beet tops, [1] which contain leaves and crown at a 60:40 ratio, respectively. The oxalic acid level in fresh sugar beet leaves (SBLs) can reach up to 9% of DM and the poisonous properties of the free acid and its soluble salts for sheep are widely recognized [2]. Malavanh et al [4] reported that ensiling the leaves of taro for 28 days with 4% molasses reduced oxalate concentration from 2.2% to 0.37% of DM. Ensiling SBL may improve the nutritive value of this byproduct

Methods

Results

Conclusion