Cashew Nut Meal Research Articles

In vitro Evaluation of Different Levels of Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) Nut Meal Supplementation on Rumen Fermentation Kinetics and Digestibility

Background: Globally, safeguarding food and nutritional security of ever increasing population demands sustainable crop and livestock production. While urbanization, decrease in cultivable land and stiff feed-fuel-food competition accompanied with skyrocketing price of conventional feedstuffs hinders the sustainable livestock production. Hence, it necessitates search and exploration of alternative feed resources along with judicious utilization of existing feed resources. In this context, Cashew nut meal (CNM) is one such alternative feed resource but the studies pertaining to its optimum level of inclusion in animal diet is scanty. Therefore, the study was conducted to assess the effect of incorporating varying levels of cashew nut meal (CNM) as a supplement on in vitro rumen fermentation kinetics and digestibility. Methods: Seven distinct compounded feed mixtures (CFM) were formulated, with CNM progressively replacing 0 (C0), 10 (C1), 20 (C2), 30 (C3), 40 (C4), 50 (C5), and 60 (C6) per cent of the soybean meal (SBM) protein present in the control CFM. Additionally, seven experimental complete diets (T0 to T6) were prepared by blending these CFM with Super Napier (Pennisetum purpureum x Pennisetum glaucum) hay in a 40:60 ratio. These diets were subjected to rumen in vitro gas production (RIVGP) study with cumulative gas production measured at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 96 h post-incubation. Subsequently, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVTDMD) and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) of the diets were determined using a modified in vitro two-stage technique. Later, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) were estimated using gas chromatography. Result: Analysis of chemical composition revealed that CNM contains good protein of 256.5 g/kg. The potential gas production (D) and the rate and extent of gas production (c) for diets containing CNM ranged from 54.63 to 60.24 mL and 0.036 to 0.043 h-1, respectively. IVTDMD and NDFD analysis of the seven diets fell within the range of 79.12% to 80.80% and 64.72% to 66.47%, respectively. The estimated TVFA for seven diets ranged from 17.87 to 23.65 mM. Further, the metabolisable energy (ME) of diets ranged from 7.89 to 8.08 MJ/kg DM. Importantly, no significant differences were observed in rumen fermentation kinetics parameters, IVTDMD, NDFD and TVFA among treatments (T0 to T6). In conclusion, cashew nut meal could be used as an alternative to soybean meal in compounded feed mixtures of ruminants up to 30% (w/w) without any adverse effect on rumen fermentation pattern and digestibility.

Solvent-extracted cashew nut meal as a dietary protein source for layer chicks

This study aimed to produce a low-fat cashew nut meal (CNM) containing less than 6% fat and assess its effect on layer chick growing performance and health status. The experiment used 225 one-day-old layer ISA Brown chicks with an average live weight of 27.38 ± 1.85 g, divided into 15 batches of 15 animals each. Five diets containing 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% CNM as a replacement for soybean meal were tested. The test included three replicates of 15 chicks for each diet. The CNM was obtained after oil extraction using an automatic press followed by solvent extraction. The CNM contained 40.6% crude protein and 5.38% fat. Except for the chicks fed on the 100% CNM diet that had the worst growth performance parameters, those on the other diets had an average final live weight of 662.13 g and an average feed conversion ratio of 2.76. The highest average daily gain (15,07g/d) was observed in chicks on the 75% CNM diet. Hematological analyses showed no marked difference between the animal groups. Regarding the blood biochemical profile, the total cholesterol levels were similar in the chicks for all diets. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were 1.4 times higher in the chicks fed on CNM-based diets compared to those fed a soybean meal-based diet. It was concluded that low-fat CNM could replace soybean meal by up to 75% in layer chick feed without negative effects on growth performance and health status.

Chemical composition of copra, palm kernel, and cashew co-products from South-East Asia and almond hulls from Australia.

Oilseeds and nut co-products can be used as alternative feed ingredients in animal diets because they may have a lower cost than traditional ingredients. A study was, therefore, conducted to determine the chemical composition of copra, palm kernel, and nut coproducts from South-East Asia or Australia. The hypothesis that country of production influences nutritional composition was tested. Oilseed meals included 2 copra expellers, 3 copra meals, and 12 palm kernel expellers. One source of almond hulls and cashew nut meal were also used. Samples were obtained from suppliers located in South-East Asia or Australia. All samples were analyzed for dry matter, gross energy, nitrogen, amino acids (AA), acid-hydrolyzed ether extract (AEE), ash, minerals, insoluble dietary fiber, and soluble dietary fiber. Copra and nut coproducts were also analyzed for total starch and sugars. Copra expellers had greater (p<0.05) concentrations of dry matter and AEE compared with copra meal. However, copra meal had greater (p<0.05) concentrations of total dietary fiber (soluble and insoluble) and copper than copra expellers. Palm kernel expellers from Indonesia had greater (p<0.05) concentration of histidine and tyrosine compared with palm kernel expellers from Vietnam. Almond hulls was high in dietary fiber, but also contained free glucose and fructose, whereas cashew nut meal was high in AEE, but low in all free sugars. Copra expellers have greater concentration of AEE, but less concentration of total dietary fiber when compared with copra meal, and except for a few AA, no differences in nutrient composition of palm kernel expellers produced in Indonesia or Vietnam were detected. According to the chemical composition of nut co-products, cashew nut meal may be more suitable for non-ruminant diets than almond hulls.

Sensory characteristics and consumer preference for meat from guinea fowl fed hevea seed meal or cashew nut meal supplemented diets

This study is part of a series of studies on the possibility of substituting alternative protein source supplements to the diet of guinea fowl in order to improve food security in the fight against poverty on the African Continent. This study assesses the identified sensory characteristics of guinea fowl meat and consumer preferences to determine if the possible alternative supplements identified result in a product acceptable to consumers and if consumer preference was evident. Indigenous guinea fowl or selected breed (Galor animals) were fed a control diet C, a commercial diet I (diet used for guinea fowl in Côte d'Ivoire), or one of 2 experimental diets N (diet C supplemented with 15% cashew nut meal) or diet H (diet C supplemented with 15% detoxified hevea seed meal). Meat samples were assessed by 120-trained people using 18 sensory attributes. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that meats from guinea fowl fed diet C or diet I were clearly distinguished from guinea fowl fed N or H diets and that meat of indigenous guinea fowl or Galor animals were also clearly distinguished. The results of the hierarchical group analysis showed that meat from guinea fowl fed diet H was the preferred guinea fowl meat. A first partial least squares regression PLSR1 identified the relationships between guinea fowl meat samples, their sensory attributes and consumer preference and showed that 82.6% of the sensory data of the first 2 principal components accounted for 95.5% of the preference. The PLSR2 identified the relationships between guinea fowl samples, their sensory attributes, and their biochemical characteristics and showed that the fat content of the meat determined the intensity of flavor, odor, juiciness, and tenderness of the meat. Our results showed that meat from birds fed diet H was preferred, and thus emphasized the existence of a place for the use of hevea seed meal in guinea fowl diet in Côte d'Ivoire.

Cashew nut meal as feed supplement for lambs

Cashew nut meal (CNM) is widely used in tropical countries due to the high protein and energy levels; therefore, it has potential to be an alternative feed supplementation for livestock. Our objective was to evaluate the use of CNM as feed supplement for lambs. Twenty-four lambs were divided into a randomized block design with four treatments, starting with a diet control of Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.) hay and CNM as a supplement at three different levels representing 6, 12, and 18% of the total mixed ration (TMR) provided. There were evaluated intake (g/day and g/kgBW0.75); the digestibility of DM and nutrients; nitrogen balance; and ingestive behavior. The CP and ether extract (EE) intake (g/day) as well as DM, and organic matter (OM) intake (g/kgBW0.75) were influenced by supplementation with CNM in a positive linear increase (P < 0.05). The digestibility of DM, OM and NDF increased according to the levels of CNM up to 12% and markedly decreased at the higher level (P < 0.05). The EE and CP digestibility raised according to the CNM levels (P < 0.05) and consequently increased the nitrogen retention resulting in a positive nitrogen balance. The protein and energetic characteristics of CNM show that it can be used as an alternative supplementation to low-quality forages for lambs. However, its use as a single supplement ingredient above 7% on total mixed ration may reduce fiber digestibility.

Replacement of soya bean meal with cashew nut meal as an alternative protein source in the diet of tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus

An experiment was conducted to replace soya bean meal (SBM) with cashew nut meal (CNM) in the diet of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). Five isonitrogenous (30% CP) and isolipidic (6% CL) diets, CNM0 to CNM4, were prepared replacing SBM at 0%, 12.5%, 25%, 37.5% and 50% with CNM. The feeding trial was conducted in FRP digestibility tanks of 150 L capacity for 60 days. Twenty tilapia fry (20.56 ± 0.05 g) were stocked in each tank. The final weight, weight gain and weight gain% of tilapia that received the CNM4 diet were significantly higher (p .05) among the treatments. It can be concluded from the study that 50% replacement of SBM with CNM in the diet is suitable for the enhancement of growth, nutrient utilization and health status of tilapia.

Performance of guinea fowl fed hevea seed meal or cashew nut meal as a partial substitute for soya bean meal

Guinea fowl production is increasing in developing countries and has a crucial role in the fight against poverty. However, the feed cost is very high, especially the soya bean meal cost, and farmers cannot afford to buy commercial feed. Consequently, animals do not receive feed adapted to their nutritional needs and they exhibit poor performance. The aim of this paper is to partially substitute soya bean meal by local by-products, discarded, in abundant supply and not used in human nutrition. French Galor guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) and local African guinea fowl (150 birds per breed) were reared for 16 weeks and fed the same starter diet for the initial 4 weeks. From 4 weeks of age, experimental birds from each breed were randomly assigned to three grower isoproteic and isolipidic dietary treatments, each containing five replications (floor pens); each replication included 10 birds of the same breed. The guinea fowl of each breed were fed either control grower diet using soya bean meal as the protein supplement GS, or trial grower diet GN (soya bean meal supplement partially substituted by 15% cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale) meal) or trial grower diet GH (soya bean meal supplement partially substituted by 15% hevea seed (Hevea brasiliensis) meal). The results indicated that hevea seed meal contained a high content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (21.2% of total fatty acids (FAs)). The use of hevea seed meal in guinea fowl grower diet was found to exert no adverse effect on growth performance and carcass yield. However, the use of cashew nut meal led to negative effects on performance like daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Therefore, cashew nut meal cannot be considered as a suitable partial substitute for soya bean meal in diets. The use of hevea seed meal led to a very low abdominal fat proportion and low blood triglyceride and cholesterol content. Additionally, inclusion of dietary hevea seed meal resulted in guinea fowl meat enriched in PUFAs, especially n-3 FAs, thereby significantly improving the nutritional value.

Cashew nut meal (Anacardium occidentale L.) in the feeding of growing rabbits

Abstract Two trials were conducted: (1) to determine the chemical composition, digestibility of nutrients and energy of cashew nut meal (CNM); and (2) to evaluate the effects of increasing its levels (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%) in diets for growing rabbits on performance, carcass characteristics and economic evaluation. The digestibility assay utilized 24 rabbits (55 days of age), distributed in a completely randomized design with two treatments and 12 repetitions, with one reference and another test feed composed of 70% basal diet and 30% CNM. The digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and gross energy from CNM were, respectively, 76.61, 61.71 and 56.53%. The digestible dry matter, digestible protein and digestible energy were, respectively, 74.28, 16.97 and 3,549 kcal/kg. The performance assay utilized 120 rabbits, with an average of 45 days of age and weight 1090 ± 151g, distributed in a completely randomized design with six treatments and 10 repetitions with two rabbits of the same sex per cage. The inclusion of CNM above 5% promoted a linear reduction in feed intake and improved feed conversion, without affecting weight gain and carcass characteristics to the 20% level of inclusion. There was also a linear reduction in feed cost per kilogram of weight gain and linear improvement in rates of economic efficiency and cost index up to 25% CNM inclusion. Based on these findings - and to not hurt performance - it is recommended to include up to 20% CNM in rabbits' diet.

Alimentos alternativos utilizados para codornas de corte: revisão

Na coturnicultura a nutrição é o fator que mais onera os custos de produção, deste modo, estudos com a utilização alimentos alternativos ao milho e farelo de soja, tem crescido consideravelmente em todo o Brasil, devido ao grande potencial de produção agroindustrial do pais que gera inúmeros coprodutos ou subprodutos que possuem qualidade nutricional suficiente para serem colocados nas rações sem interferir no desempenho ou na qualidade do produto final, possibilitando reduzir o potencial poluidor destes coprodutos quando descartados de forma inadequada. Neste contexto, objetiva-se com está revisão abordar alguns alimentos alternativos que são utilizados na alimentação de codornas de corte, assim como seus efeitos sobre o desempenho nas diferentes fases de criação destas aves e também seus efeitos sobre a qualidade do produto final. Para a realizar esta revisão foi feita análise de trabalhos científicos que utilizaram alimentos alternativos em rações de codornas de corte, evidenciando os seus efeitos. Podendo concluir que diversos alimentos alternativos como resíduo de acerola, bagaço de licuri, farelo de goiaba, farelo de crambe, resíduo do maracujá, farelo da castanha do caju, casca de soja e o farelo da palma forrageira podem ser utilizados na alimentação de codornas de corte, auxiliando na redução dos custos da dieta sem influência sobre as características zootécnicas.

Effect of partial and complete replacement of soybean with discarded cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L) on liver and stomach histology of Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

The need for replacement of highly priced soybean meal (SM) in fish diets with unconventional plant materials has become imperative for the sustainability of aquaculture production. This study addressed the effect of replacing SM with discarded cashew nut meal (DCNM) on the liver and stomach histology in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Total 90 juveniles (24.83 ± 1.52 g) were fed DCNM based diets, inclusion level of 0, 50% and 100%. Fish were fed twice daily (8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.) at 5% body weight for 56 days. The histology of liver and the stomach were assessed. Histo-morphological changes of the liver tissue were moderate at 100% DCNM fed fish compared to 50% DCNM and control (0 DCNM). Photomicrograph of stomach of 50% DCNM fed fish showed normal histo-morphological features, while moderate to severe histological distortions were observed in the stomach of 100% DCNM fed fish. The findings of the present study showed that partial (50%) replacement of SM with DCNM had no adverse nutritional consequence while total (100%) replacement of SM with DCNM in the diet of C. gariepinus resulted to moderate histological distortions of the liver and stomach.

Suitability of discarded cashewnut (Anacardium occidentale) meal as replacement of soybean meal (Glycine max) in the diet of juvenile African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

The search for alternative protein sources in aquaculture nutrition is still trending as the use of costly traditional feed stuffs in aquaculture diet formulation is no longer sustainable. The present study investigated the effects of partial and total dietary inclusion of cashewnut meal on growth, haematology, carcass composition, serum biochemistry and intestinal histology of juvenile African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822). Soybean meal (SBM) was substituted with cashewnut meal (CM) at 0, 50 and 100% in formulated fish diets. A total of 135 juveniles of C. gariepinus (30.25± 1.02 g; 16.08±0.34 cm) were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments (0, 50 and 100% CM based diets) at a stocking density of 45 fish per treatment and further randomised into triplicates of 15 fish per replicate. The feeding trial lasted for 56 days and fish were fed twice daily at 5% body weight. Statistical analysis was carried out for all the parameters evaluated in this study. Fish group fed 50% CM based diet had the best growth performance and haematological profile when compared to 100% CM fish group and the control group. Insignificant changes in serum biochemical parameters were observed in CM fed fish groups when compared to the control. Histological examination of fish intestinal morphology revealed no adverse changes in the cellular structure of mucosal layer and villi in 50% CM fed fish, while mild histo-morphological changes were observed in 100% CM fed fish group. Significant increases in villi length and weight were observed in fish group fed CM based diets when compared to the control. The findings of the present study revealed that partial replacement (50%) of soybean with cashewnut meal improved growth performance and haematological profile of C. gariepinus.

Cashew nut meal subjected to prolonged storage for quail feeding

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the oxidative stability of cashew nut meal (CNM) at 180 days of storage and the effects of its use in the feed of meat quails. A total of 280 animals at seven days of age, of both sexes, were distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments, in a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement, and seven replicates of eight birds each. The treatments were a control diet without [...]

Nutritional evaluation of almond cashew nut by-products in diets for slow-growing broiler chickens

The aim of this study was to determine the apparent digestibility and energy value of almond cashew nut by-products for slow-growing broiler chickens. Seventy-six chickens (males and females) were allocated in a completely randomized design to four treatments: a control diet and the same diet in which the conventional ingredients were replaced with 30% (kg/kg) almond cashew nut film, almond cashew nut meal or almond cashew nut mass. The animals were housed in individual cages adapted for excreta collection. The apparent digestibility coefficients of film, full meal and almond mass were, respectively, 81.3, 87.3 and 86.2% for dry matter; 32.1, 71.2 and 56.7% for crude protein (CP); 82.7, 92.6 and 92.8% for ether extract; 10.9, 29.9 and 34.7% for neutral detergent fiber; 7.7, 17.9 and 19.6% for acid detergent fiber; 41.9, 57.2 and 66.7% for coefficient of gross energy metabolism (CGEM); 1,189, 2,648 and 3,719 kcal/kg for apparent metabolizable energy (AME); 8.1, 19.9 and 12.9% for digestible protein, and 3.9, 15.2 and 6.3% for mineral matter (MM). The CP and MM apparent digestibility coefficients of full meal were higher than those of film and almond cashew nut mass, while the latter exhibited higher apparent digestibility of fiber, CGEM and AME compared to the other by-products. The inclusion of almond cashew nut by-products in diets for slow-growing broiler chickens results in lower nutrient digestibility, except for ether extract, neutral detergent fiber and AME, in diets containing 30% almond cashew nut mass.

Supplementation with Cashew Nut and Cottonseed Meal to Modify Fatty Acid Content in Lamb Meat.

This study evaluates the effect of cashew nut meal (CNM), whole cottonseed (WCS), and calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids (Ca-LCFA) on the fatty acid profiles of meat from hair lambs. Thirty-five 60-d-old, male, noncastrated Santa Ines lambs with an initial average body weight of 13.00 ± 1.80 kg were used in a randomized complete-block design with 7 blocks and 5 treatments. The experimental treatments consisted of a control diet (CON) without supplemental lipids and 4 test diets with different lipid supplements that were selected according to the degree of protection from ruminal hydrogenation and their polyunsaturated fatty acid richness. The tests diets included the following modifications: supplementation with WCS, supplementation with CNM, supplementation with both cottonseed and CNM (CSCNM), and supplementation with Ca-LCFA. The C18:1n9c content was highest in the meat of the animals fed the CNM diet (42.00%). The meat from lambs fed the WCS and Ca-LCFA diets had higher C18:0 contents (25.23 and 22.80%, respectively). The C16:1 content was higher in the meat from the animals fed the CNM and CON diets (1.54 and 1.49%, respectively). C18:2c9t11 concentration was higher in the meat from the animals fed the Ca-LCFA and CNM diets. The estimated enzyme activity of Δ9-desaturase C18 was highest in the muscles of the lambs fed the CON, CNM, and CSCNM diets. The use of cashew nuts in the diet resulted in an increase in the C18:2c9t11 content of the lamb meat, which improved the nutritional characteristics of the fat.

Cashew nut meal in the feeding of meat quails.

A study was aimed to evaluate the effects of cashew nut meal inclusion (CNM) on nutrient digestibility, performance and carcass characteristics of meat quails. A total of 432 meat quails with 7 days of age, were distributed in a completely randomized design with six treatments and nine replicates of eight birds each. Treatments were obtained with inclusion of CNM at levels of 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 g/kg. According to regression analysis, the inclusion of CNM, at levels above 50 g/kg, provided a linear reduction in digestibility of dry matter and metabolizable energy of diets, linear increase in feed intake and an increase in feed conversion ratio, not influencing weight gain and carcass characteristics. Comparing the results obtained with the different inclusion levels compared to those obtained with the diet without CNM (control group), it was noted that diets with 200 g/kg of CNM inclusion, the dry matter digestibility and metabolizable energy of diet were lower and the level of 250 g/kg provided higher feed intake. Considering the results, it can be inferred that cashew nut meal can be used as a feedstuff in meat quail's diets at levels up to 250 g/kg.

Effects of different lipid sources on intake, digestibility and purine derivatives in hair lambs.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different lipid sources on the nutrient intake, digestibility and purine derivative excretion of lambs. Thirty-five 60-day-old, male, non-castrated Santa Ines lambs with an initial average body weight (BW) of 13.00±1.80kg were used in a randomized complete block design with seven blocks and five treatments. The experimental treatments consisted of a control diet without supplemental lipids and four test diets with different lipid supplements, selected according to the degree of ruminal protection from hydrogenation: supplementation, being supplementation with whole cottonseed (WC), supplementation with cashew nut meal (CNM), supplementation with both cottonseed and cashew nut meal (WC-CNM) and supplementation with calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids (Ca-LCFA). The lambs were slaughtered after reaching 28kg average BW for each treatment. The ether extract intake (EEI) was higher (p<0.01) for the lipid supplemented compared to control diet lambs. Supplementation with WC decreased the digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and total carbohydrate (TC) (p<0.01), whereas supplementation with CNM, WC-CNM and Ca-LCFA reduced non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) digestibility (p<0.01). The ether extract (EE) digestibility coefficient was higher with CNM, followed by Ca-LCFA and WC, when compared to WC-CNM and control diets. Nitrogen balance (NB) was not influenced (p>0.05) by the different lipid sources. A lower purine derivative (PD) excretion and thus lower microbial protein supply (MPS) was observed for animals supplemented with Ca-LCFA (p<0.01) compared to the WC-CNM and control diets. In conclusion, WC, CNM and WC-CNM supplementation did not have negative effects on MPS, although negative effects have been observed on nutrient digestibility.

Relato de caso: Caracterização físico-química e aceitabilidade de paçoca produzida com amêndoa de castanha-de-caju e sua comparação com produtos comerciais

Resumo Este trabalho teve como objetivo comparar as características físico-químicas e a aceitabilidade de um doce tipo paçoca, elaborado a partir de torta de amêndoa de castanha-de-caju com dois produtos similares comerciais de amendoim. A paçoca foi preparada com 59,5% de torta, 25,0% de açúcar, 0,5% de sal, 5,0% de farinha de mandioca e 10,0% de óleo de milho, sendo moídos juntos e moldados em forma de paralelepípedo. Os produtos foram analisados para determinação de características físico-químicas (umidade, cinzas, lipídeos, proteínas, carboidratos, atividade de água), cor instrumental (L*a*b*) e aceitação sensorial (escala hedônica de 9 pontos). Os resultados foram comparados por ANOVA e Teste de Tukey (α=0,05). Pequenas diferenças físico-químicas foram observadas: a umidade variou de 1,01 a 2,79%; cinzas, de 1,23 a 2,75%; lipídeos, de 30,28 a 31,27%; proteínas, de 14,19 a 16,90%; carboidratos, de 50,21 a 54,07%, e atividade de água, de 0,295 a 0,429. Apesar de a paçoca de amêndoa de castanha-de-caju ser mais clara e menos vermelha (L*=74,48, a*=1,38) que as comerciais de amendoim (valores médios L*=54,33, a*=8,08), apresentou aceitação semelhante à desses produtos, que variaram entre 7,0 e 7,8 (“gostei” a “gostei muito” da escala hedônica). Considerando-se a atividade de água inferior a 0,6, a paçoca de torta de amêndoa de castanha-de-caju pode ser considerada microbiologicamente estável à temperatura ambiente, sendo uma boa alternativa para a utilização do subproduto da extração do óleo de amêndoas quebradas.

CASHEW NUT MEAL IN THE FEEDING OF BROWN LAYING HENS

The use of alternative foods to replace conventional foods is becoming a source of research for many researchers. The cashew nut meal (CNM) has high energy and protein value, may be a partial substitute for corn and soybean meal for poultry feed. In this context, this research was conducted to evaluate the effect of inclusion of CNM on the utilization of nutrients in the ration for laying hens, as well as the performance and characteristics of the eggs. The study used 180 Dekalb Brown laying hens 27 weeks of age, distributed in a completely randomized design with six treatments and five replicates of six birds. Treatments consisted of a control diet without CNM and others with the inclusion of this food at levels of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%. Upon regression analysis, a linear increase in nitrogen metabolism, crude energy and apparently metabolizable energy was seen. The dry matter digestibility and metabolizable energy corrected for rations were not affected by the inclusion of the CNM. Feed intake and egg weight were not affected by the inclusion of the CNM; however, egg production, egg mass, feed conversion, and yolk color worsened linearly with inclusion of CNM. Compared to control diet, the inclusion of CNM worsened the egg mass and feed conversion from 15%, and yolk color from 20%. As a result, it is recommended the inclusion of the CNM in the diet of laying hens at a maximum level of 10%.

Consumo e digestibilidade dos nutrientes dietéticos em cordeiros de diferentes grupos genéticos alimentados com farelo de castanha de caju

Objetivou-se avaliar a inclusão do farelo de castanha de caju (FCC) fornecido a cordeiros de três grupos genéticos sobre os consumos e digestibilidades dos nutrientes dietéticos. Foram utilizados dezoito ovinos, machos e inteiros, ½ sangue Dorper, ½ sangue Somalis e ½ sangue Santa Inês, com 22,66kg de peso vivo. A dieta controle composta por feno de Aruana, milho, farelo de soja. A dieta teste, composta pelos mesmos alimentos mais o FCC. O delineamento foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 3 x 2, três grupos genéticos versus duas dietas (contendo ou não FCC) com três repetições por tratamento. Maiores consumos de nutrientes foram obtidos pelos animais ½ sangue Dorper x SRD em relação aos animais ½ sangue Santa Inês x SRD, tendo sido ambos semelhantes aos animais ½ sangue Somalis x SRD. Houve interação significativa somente para os coeficientes de digestibilidade da MS. Menores coeficientes de digestibilidade foram observados para os animais ½ sangue Santa Inês x SRD nas dietas contendo FCC. Menores digestibilidades da FDA e da HCEL foram observadas nas dietas com FCC. Considerando-se os grupos genéticos, maiores digestibilidades da FDN, da FDA e da HCEL foram verificadas para os animais ½ sangue Dorper x SRD em comparação aos animais ½ sangue Santa Inês x SRD, sendo ambos genótipos, semelhantes aos animais ½ sangue Somalis x SRD. A inclusão de FCC exerce efeito negativo sobre a digestibilidade das frações fibrosas, notadamente sobre a hemicelulose, implicando em redução da digestibilidade da MS dietética nos cordeiros ½ sangue Santa Inês.

Substituição do farelo de soja por levedura de cana-de-açúcar em rações para frangos de corte¹

This research aimed to evaluate the effects of substituting the protein from soybean meal (SM) by yeast sugar cane (YSC) in broiler-chicken diets containing cashew nut meal (CNM). A total of 325 male chicks at one day old, were distributed completely randomly among five feeds with five replications of thirteen birds each. We tested five diets containing 20% CNM each and the levels of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% protein replacement of SM by YSC. According to regression analysis, there was a quadratic effect on feed intake and feed conversion by the protein replacement of SM by the YSC, and a linear effect on weight gain in the initial phase (1-21 days). However, substitution at levels up to 20% did not significantly impair performance at any of the different stages, and did not affect the carcass characteristics when compared to the control group. According to the economic study, the protein replacement of SM by YSC proved feasible up to 20%. It can be concluded that, for broiler-chicken diets containing 20% CNM, the SM protein can be replaced up to 20% YSC.