Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the nutritive value of lucerne hay assessed with the in vitro gas production technique

Abstract

Yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) has been widely used as a dietary supplement in ruminants. Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation in ruminant diets can increase dry matter intake, production performance, cellulose degradation, and nutrient digestibility (Callaway and Martin, 1997). In vitro techniques are routinely used to evaluate the nutritional quality of feeds because of their convenience, adaptability and efficiency. The in vitro gas production technique is an accurate and fast method to evaluate the nutritive value of feeds and it can be a good alternative method instead of in vivo trials to evaluate commercial feed additives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of inclusion of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the nutritive value of lucerne hay using the in vitro gas production technique.