Alkali-treated Straw Research Articles

The incorporation of alkali-treated straw in fattening rations for male cattle

ABSTRACTThe fattening process of male cattle was divided into three weight stages: 150 to 250kg, 250 to 400kg, 400 to 490kg. Seventy animals were fed either a control (C) diet containing 10·3 MJ/kg metabolizable energy and some hay, or an experimental (E) diet containing 8 4 MJ/kg, in which NaOH-treated wheat straw (450g/kg) and long straw (50 g/kg) were incorporated.The diets were given during the three weight stages to five treatment groups as follows: 1. C-C-C. 2. E-E-E. 3. C-E-E, 4. C-E-C, and 5. E-E-C. The average daily gain and metabolizable energy conversion ratios were: 1344, 980, 1127, 1145, 1094g/day and 71·4, 90·6, 77·3, 73·7, 79·8 MJ/kg live weight, respectively. The saving of concentrates plus hay in groups 2 to 5 compared with group 1 was 1·33, 1·65, 0·84 and 0·91 kg/kg live weight respectively, and the concentrates plus hay by straw replacement ratio was 3·80, 2·12, 2·00 and 3·06, respectively. Dressing percentage and percentage of fat in the large depots of the animals in groups 1 to 5 were 57·2, 58·7, 58·3, 57·8, 57·9 and 3·88, 2·28, 2·52, 3·42, 2·81, respectively. The results suggest that it is not economical to feed the E-diet to animals before they reach a weight of 250 kg, and that termination of the feeding process by a highly concentrated diet is not advantageous.

Wheat Straw in Growing Cattle Diets

Summary Three cattle growth trials were conducted to evaluate the use of untreated and alkali-treated wheat straw as energy sources for ruminants. In trial 1, daily gain decreased as level of untreated wheat straw increased in the diet. A 14% decrease in gain occurred when the level of straw was increased from 30 to 40% of the diet. In trial 2, cattle fed 4% NaOH-treated wheat straw at the 30 or 60% level had better daily gains and feed efficieneies (P<.05) than those fed untreated wheat straw. In trial 3, when the effect of balancing for specific mineral ratios on the alkali-treated straw diets was evaluated, steers fed 78% treated wheat straw with added minerals gained faster (P<.05) than those receiving 80% treated wheat straw with no mineral additions (.65 kg/day vs..54 kg/day). In addition, in this trial, cattle fed 50% treated wheat straw gained faster (P<.05) than those fed 50% untreated wheat straw (.74 kg/day vs. .62 kg/day).

Effect of Level of Urea-N on its Utilization in Alkali-treated Wheat Straw in Pelleted Rations by Sheep

Effect of Level of Urea-N on its Utilization in Alkali-treated Wheat Straw in Pelleted Rations by Sheep

Ensiled alkali-treated straw. II. The nutritive value for young beef cattle of mixtures of ensiled or frozen alkali-treated straw and ryegrass silage

Ensiled or frozen barley straw, treated with 7.5 g NaOH and 120 ml solution per 100 g DM prior to storage, was given in mixtures with ryegrass silage to young calves, initially 100 kg live weight. Urea was added to the straw at feeding at 2.5% of the dry matter (DM) and soya bean meal was given at 0.3% live weight per day in all treatments. Voluntary intake, digestibility and live-weight gain were similar for the two types of treated straw. Intake of metabolisable energy and weight gain decreased with increasing level of straw in the diet, averaging 889 g per head per day for a control diet of grass silage (91.7% of total diet DM), and 749, 550 and 150 g per head per day when the proportion of straw DM to grass silage DM was 33: 66, 66 : 33 and 100 : 0, respectively. Whilst alkali-treated straw cannot replace high quality grass silage with the same nutritional efficiency, weight gains in excess of 500 g/day can be reached if the proportion of straw is less than half the total DM.

Alkali treatment of straw for ruminants. I. Utilization of complete diets containing straw by beef cattle

In the first of two experiments, 40 Friesian steers weighing initially 300 kg were fattened on diets containing barley and soya bean meal alone (C) or with inclusions of 40% untreated straw (WS 40) or 40 or 60% alkali-treated straw (AS 40 and AS 60). The straw was coarsely milled into a horizontal mixer, where sodium hydroxide was applied as a 16% solution providing 80 kg NaOH t straw dry matter (DM) . Intakes of DM (kg/d) were: C, 7.88; AS 40, 9.67; AS 60, 9.23; WS 40, 8.60, and empty body weight gains (kg/d, in the same order) were 1.16, 1.03, 0.82 and 0.78. In the second experiment there were four diets, all containing 60% straw and 40% concentrates. The straw was coarsely milled (M) or chopped by forage harvester (C), and treated with alkali (A) or untreated (U). In a trial of latin square design, intake (kg DM/d) was; MU, 7.77; MA, 10.37; CU, 7.44; CA, 10.12. In a longer trial with five steers per diet, liveweight gains (kg/d, in the same order) were 0.70, 1.09, 0.71 and 1.18. The digestibility of DM for the four diets was 60.0, 72.7, 60.3 and 72.0%. The utilization of the energy of the diets, and the economic value of alkali treatment, are discussed.

Ensiled alkali-treated straw. I. Effect of level and type of alkali on the composition and digestibility in vitro of ensiled barley straw

In three experiments barley straw chopped to 5 cm nominal particle length was ensiled in laboratory silos for 90 days after treatment with alkali. In the first two experiments, NaOH was added at 0, 1.05, 2.10, 3.15 or 4.20 g per 100 g straw dry matter (DM) (Experiment 1) or at 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 g per 100 g straw DM (Experiment 2) in solutions at either 60 ml or 120 ml solution per 100 g straw DM. Digestibility in vitro of organic matter (OM) and digestible OM in DM (DOMD) increased with increasing level of NaOH. The effect of volume of solution on digestibility was small. The pH of the straws decreased during storage. The content of neutral detergent fibre decreased as the level of NaOH increased, but there was relatively little change in the contents of acid detergent fibre or acid detergent lignin. Lactate and acetate were detected in all silages, and butyrate was present in silages made from straws treated with less than 5 g NaOH per 100 g straw DM. On opening the silos little moulding was seen and the temperature of the straws remained close to ambient in both experiments throughout 16 days of subsequent exposure to air. In the third experiment, the comparative effects of Ca(OH) 2 and KOH were studied alone and in combination ( 50 50 by weight) with NaOH. KOH mixed with NaOH gave levels of DOMD in vitro similar to those obtained with NaOH alone. Ca(OH) 2, whilst improving DOMD, was slightly less effective than the other alkalis. The optimum level of alkali for the treatment of barley straw prior to ensiling appeared to be 7.5 g/100 g straw DM. At this level of addition, DOMD in vitro would be expected to be about 65%. Ca(OH) 2 is worth further attention as an alternative to NaOH.

Enzyme solubility — A method for evaluating the digestibility of alkali-treated straw

A method of analysis based on hydrolysis with cellulase provides a simple and fast measurement of the improvement in nutritive value achieved by the chemical treatment of cellulosic waste products. The method was adapted for use with alkali-treated straw, and a comparison made with digestibility measured in vitro. The effects of the following were determined: cellulase source, enzyme concentration, pH, incubation time and incubation temperature. There were appreciable differences in the activity of the various cellulase preparations, and activity measurements are necessary if the cellulase source is altered. Variations from 0.5 to 1.5 g enzyme and 24 to 48 h incubation time had no appreciable effects, provided the cellulase was completely soluble. Citrate buffer was preferable to acetate buffer, and with a concentration of 1 molar it was not necessary to adjust the pH of the sample, even with an 8% sodium hydroxide concentration in the straw. The incubation temperature was not critical, though a temperature of 40°C ± 5°C is preferable. The standard deviation of the method was for a single determination ± 0.56 (double determination (s) = ± 0.40). ( n = 46). The correlation between enzyme solubility and digestibility in vitro was good ( r = 0.91).

Determination of Sodium in Alkali-Treated Cereal Straws, Lye-Peel Wastes, and Brine-Frozen Foods with an Ion Selective Electrode Compared with Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Abstract A simple procedure is described for determining sodium in sodium hydroxide-treated rice straw and rye grass, lye-peeled potato wastes, and brine-frozen vegetables. Samples containing ≤4% sodium were extracted with 0.05M ammonium carbonate and the extracts were analyzed directly by using a sodium ion selective electrode over the range 10−4 to 10−2M sodium ion. Comparable analyses of the same extracts by atomic absorption spectrometry agreed to within 10%. Recovery of sodium added to control rice straw was 102%.

The feeding value of mixtures of alkali-treated straw and grass silage

SUMMARYThe digestibility and intake by sheep of a neutral mixture of alkali-treated straw and grass silage was compared with an all-silage diet, mixtures of treated straw and silage adjusted to pH of 4 and 10 and with mixtures of untreated straw and silage. Treatment of the straw with alkali increased the digestibility of the organic matter from 46% to 68%. The daily intake of dry matter and digestible organic matter of the neutral, treated-straw/silage mixture was 24·1 and 15·0 compared with 14·7 and 8·8 g/kg live weight for the untreated straw/silage mixture. The sheep when fed ad libitum ate more of the neutral mixture than they did of the mixtures made acid (pH 4·0) and alkaline (pH 10·0) or of the grass silage although the differences were not significant. Calves were fed similar diets of grass silage, a neutral mixture of treated straw and silage and treated straw and grass silage offered without premixing. The calves offered the neutral mixture ate 16·0% more dry matter and 14·5% more organic matter than did the calves offered either silage alone or the unmixed diet and gained live weight at the rate of 0·42 kg/head/day compared with 0·44 for the silage alone and 0·37 for the unmixed diet.

Digestibility by pigs of the major chemical components of diets high in plant cell-wall constituents

SUMMARYDigestibility of the major chemical components in diets high in plant cell-wall constituents was determined with four pigs. Two were given a commercial pig meal and two were given, in addition, alkali-treated straw (25% of the diet). Dry-matter digestibility of the straw was 32%, and protein excretion in faeces was increased by the addition of straw to the basal diet. Calculations based on microbial protein synthesis per gram of organic matter fermented showed that the additional nitrogen in the faeces may have been almost entirely microbial in origin.In a second experiment, ground lucerne was progressively introduced into the diet in substitution for commercial pig meal. There was no obvious associative effect on the digestibility of the chemical components examined. Apparent digestibility of dry matter of the all-lucerne diet was 53%.

Effect of Cultural Conditions on Cellulase Formation by Trichoderma viride

In order to have increased extracellular production of cellulase by Trichoderma viride ITCC 1433, the organism was grown on various growth factors. Cellulose Powder −123 was found to be the best C-source while amongst raw materials, alkali-treated rice straw gave the best yield. A combination of peptone, urea and ammonium sulphate gave better production of cellulase than when a single nitrogen source was used. Sugars when added into the cellulose medium, generally suppressed the yield. When the organism was grown on sugars as the sole source of carbon, only lactose and maltose induced any cellulase production. Acetate and ascorbate were conspicuous in increasing cellulase production and when given together they had a cummulative effect and the yeild was doubled.

Effects of feeding alkali-treated oat straw supplemented with soybean meal or nonprotein nitrogen on growth of lambs and on certain blood and rumen liquor parameters.

Effects of feeding alkali-treated oat straw supplemented with soybean meal or nonprotein nitrogen on growth of lambs and on certain blood and rumen liquor parameters.

Utilization of alkali-treated straw by sheep

Sheep were fed on a semi-purified diet based on alkali-treated straw, to determine the nutritive value of such forage and to study various aspects of microbial synthesis in the rumen. Finely ground wheaten straw was treated with sodium hydroxide, which was subsequently neutralized with acetic and mineral acids; this forage was supplemented with minerals, branched chain fatty acids, and urea, the latter increasing the crude protein content of the diet from 4 to 13%. The feed was offered to mature Merino wethers at 1000, 700, and 400 g/day. Of the organic matter consumed, 45–55% was apparently removed from the stomach. However, when the synthesis of bacterial organic matter was taken into account, the loss of dietary organic matter in the stomach was actually 64–70% of intake. The digestibility of cell wall constituents in the whole tract was 80–85% of intake, and 83–92% of this digestion occurred in the stomach. By contrast the cell contents fraction derived from the straw component of the diet was less readily digested, and only 34–44% of the amount consumed was digested in the stomach. Nitrogen from dietary urea was substantially incorporated into bacterial cells, the calculated rate of synthesis being equivalent to 2.6 to 3.7 g nitrogen per 100 g straw organic matter fermented in the stomach. Most of thenitrogen that passed into the intestines was present in bacteria, the amino acid and long chain fatty acid composition of which were similar to published figures. True digestibility of protein in the intestines was about 72%. The main parameter affected by level of food intake was the rate of flow of digesta, which ranged from 5 to 10 l/day from the rumen and from 6 to 13 l/day from the abomasum. The residence time of a soluble marker rose from 10 hr at the highest food intake to 15 hr at the lowest. The efficiency of protein synthesis was not consistently affected by changes in flow parameters. The organic matter intakes recorded, and the nutrients released from this diet were similar to those previously observed with forage diets containing 8–11% protein.

Corrigendum - Utilization of alkali-treated straw by sheep

Sheep were fed on a semi-purified diet based on alkali-treated straw, to determine the nutritive value of such forage and to study various aspects of microbial synthesis in the rumen. Finely ground wheaten straw was treated with sodium hydroxide, which was subsequently neutralized with acetic and mineral acids; this forage was supplemented with minerals, branched chain fatty acids, and urea, the latter increasing the crude protein content of the diet from 4 to 13%. The feed was offered to mature Merino wethers at 1000, 700, and 400 g/day. Of the organic matter consumed, 45–55% was apparently removed from the stomach. However, when the synthesis of bacterial organic matter was taken into account, the loss of dietary organic matter in the stomach was actually 64–70% of intake. The digestibility of cell wall constituents in the whole tract was 80–85% of intake, and 83–92% of this digestion occurred in the stomach. By contrast the cell contents fraction derived from the straw component of the diet was less readily digested, and only 34–44% of the amount consumed was digested in the stomach. Nitrogen from dietary urea was substantially incorporated into bacterial cells, the calculated rate of synthesis being equivalent to 2.6 to 3.7 g nitrogen per 100 g straw organic matter fermented in the stomach. Most of thenitrogen that passed into the intestines was present in bacteria, the amino acid and long chain fatty acid composition of which were similar to published figures. True digestibility of protein in the intestines was about 72%. The main parameter affected by level of food intake was the rate of flow of digesta, which ranged from 5 to 10 l/day from the rumen and from 6 to 13 l/day from the abomasum. The residence time of a soluble marker rose from 10 hr at the highest food intake to 15 hr at the lowest. The efficiency of protein synthesis was not consistently affected by changes in flow parameters. The organic matter intakes recorded, and the nutrients released from this diet were similar to those previously observed with forage diets containing 8–11% protein.