Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Yerba Mate (YM) supplementation on nutrients’ degradation, in vitro dry matter disappearance, gas production and rumen ammonia concentration. Three rumen-fistulated Holstein Friesian cows were used for the in situ incubations and provided rumen liquor for in vitro incubations. The inclusion of YM in a control diet (pasture+pellets) affected some in sacco degradation parameters. YM supplementation decreased the effective degradability and degradation rate of pasture crude protein (CP), and it seems to slow down the degradation of pasture neutral detergent fiber. A significant increase of degradation of pasture acid detergent fiber (ADF) was detected after YM inclusion in the control diet. YM supplementation reduced in vitro gas production of pasture and ammonia concentration of pellets. The addition of YM in ruminant diet could decrease ammonia production and increase protein availability for productive purposes. The moderate presence of tannins in YM could have affected the degradation kinetics of pasture CP and ADF and the ammonia production of pellets.
Highlights
The non-conventional vegetables resources represent all those foods that have not been traditionally used in animal feeding or refer to food for human consumption and or are not normally used in commercially produced rations for livestock (Devendra et al, 1992)
While the use of plants containing secondary compounds in ruminant nutrition has been extensively investigated in ruminant production (Wanapat et al, 2012), several studies have focused on green tea byproducts because of their
Yerba Mate (YM; Ilex paraguariensis), from the Aquifoliaceae plant family, is a native South American tree used for tea production (Heck and de Mejia, 2007)
Summary
The non-conventional vegetables resources represent all those foods that have not been traditionally used in animal feeding or refer to food for human consumption and or are not normally used in commercially produced rations for livestock (Devendra et al, 1992). The use of herbs as natural additives in livestock nutrition, as an alternative to other chemical compounds, is becoming a new goal in livestock production (Makkar et al, 2007). While the use of plants containing secondary compounds in ruminant nutrition has been extensively investigated in ruminant production (Wanapat et al, 2012), several studies have focused on green tea byproducts because of their. Yerba Mate (YM; Ilex paraguariensis), from the Aquifoliaceae plant family, is a native South American tree used for tea production (Heck and de Mejia, 2007). Mate shows central nervous system stimulant properties attributed to its content of methylxanthine alkaloids such as caffeine and is known to contain compounds with antioxidant properties, such as phenolic acids and tannins that are the most abundant compounds in the leaves (Bastos et al, 2007; Heck and de Mejia, 2007). In ruminant health and production, the study of redox homeostasis is contributing
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