Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of supplementing goat diets with avocado pulp and oil, with respective ether extract (EE) contents of 14 and 6% (dry matter [DM] basis), on the intakes of DM and nutrients and on the rumen fermentation parameters of pH, ammonia (N-NH3), and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Non-pregnant, non-lactating, rumen-cannulated Saanen goats with an average weight of 66.6±4.6 kg were distributed into two 3 × 3 Latin squares. Concentrate DM intake (g/day) was higher in the animals that consumed the diet with pulp than in the goats fed the control and oil treatments. However, this higher concentrate intake was not sufficient to influence total diet DM intake or the intakes of crude protein, EE, mineral matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and total digestible nutrients (TDN). All evaluated rumen parameters were influenced by collection time, except N-NH3, which was influenced by the diets, with lower concentrations obtained with the pulp diet in relation to the control and oil treatments, yet within the limits considered normal to maximize DM intake and digestion. The pulp diet provided a lower butyric acid content than control at the collection times of two and eight hours after the meal, which was attributed to the proportional reduction of roughage in relation to concentrate. Diets with 6% EE do not influence intake or rumen parameters in non-pregnant, non-lactating goats. However, diets with 14% EE (DM basis) induce a reduction in the proportional intake of roughage in relation to concentrate and in the butyric acid and N-NH3 contents in the goat rumen.
Highlights
In Brazil, the diversity of available nonconventional feedstuffs with high lipid content as well as their by-products has aroused the interest of producers and researchers in using them in animal diets
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of supplementing goat diets with avocado pulp and oil, with respective ether extract (EE) contents of 14 and 6%, on the intakes of dry matter (DM) and nutrients and on the rumen fermentation parameters of pH, ammonia (N-NH3), and volatile fatty acids (VFA)
All evaluated rumen parameters were influenced by collection time, except N-NH3, which was influenced by the diets, with lower concentrations obtained with the pulp diet in relation to the control and oil treatments, yet within the limits considered normal to maximize DM intake and digestion
Summary
In Brazil, the diversity of available nonconventional feedstuffs with high lipid content as well as their by-products has aroused the interest of producers and researchers in using them in animal diets This dietary addition would constitute a way to improve the nutraceutical quality of the generated products, especially the milk of small ruminants such as goats (Silva et al, 2012). In this scenario, one of the prominent foods under research is avocado (Persea americana Mill.), a fruit whose composition includes high lipid contents with high levels of monounsaturated fats—oleic acid, mainly (Massafera et al, 2010; Ariza et al, 2011). There is a reduction in A:P ratio as well as in the supply of acetic acid, a direct precursor of 50% of milk fat (Santos et al, 2001; Lana et al, 2007)
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