Abstract
This study was conducted in order to assess the influence of four doses (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg (g dry matter) of commercial fibrolytic enzymes (MAXFIBER-I, SHAUMANN GmbH, Wahlstedt, Germany) on in vitro fermentation of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) by-products: date kernels, wasted dates, floral stems, and palm fronds. Rumen contents were obtained from two non-lactating Holstein cows. Enzyme supplementation to by-products was carried out 12 h prior to incubation.Compared to the control, the enzymatic supplementation quadratically increased the extent but not the gas production rate of date kernel fermentation. Indeed, the potential gas production increased notably by 14.8 % with the lowest enzymes dose following recorded gas production after 48, 72, and 96 h of incubation. The estimated organic-matter digestibility, metabolisable energy, and total volatile fatty acids in the incubation fluid tended to be increased with the lowest dose by 7.8 %, 8.4 %, and 13.9 % respectively. For the wasted dates, this feed additive tended to linearly increase the gas production rate of fermentation with the highest dose. On the other hand, this supplementation had no effect on the ruminal fermentation of the floral stems and palm fronds. The exogenous fibrolytic enzymes were more effective on fibrous but not on lignified date palm by-products.
Highlights
The date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera) is the principal source of food for the human population of oases
FS and PF are characterised by high levels of lignocellulose (NDF > 65 % dry matter (DM)) and lignin (ADL = 15 % DM) contents
DK are characterised by high levels of lignocellulose (NDF = 67.7 % DM) and a low level of lignin (ADL = 4.2 % DM) contents
Summary
The date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera) is the principal source of food for the human population of oases. Byproducts of this tree are used in ruminants’ nutrition by local breeders (Genin et al, 2004). Many studies evaluated the effect of the addition of fibrolytic enzymes to ruminants’ nutrition (Beauchemin and Holtshausen, 2010). This treatment increased fibre digestibility (Elghandour et al, 2013; Gandra et al, 2017).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
