Armando Gómez-Vázquez

Comparison of in vitro degradation of elephant grass and sugarcane by exogenous fibrolytic enzymes

The objective of this study was to compare, under in vitro conditions, the kinetics of organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) degradation of elephant grass and sugarcane. Sugarcane had higher degradation than elephant grass. Enzymes increased soluble fraction, potential and total degradation of OM and NDF of sugarcane and elephant grass. The NDF degradation rate of elephant grass and sugarcane was also improved by enzymes. Enzymes increased OM degradation rate only of sugarcane. Kinetic of ADF degradation only of sugarcane was increased by enzymes. It is concluded that exogenous fibrolytic enzymes improved degradation of sugarcane, and OM and NDF degradation of elephant grass.

Growth performance and meat characteristics of hair lambs grazing stargrass pasture without supplementation or supplemented with concentrate containing different levels of crude protein

Abstract Forty crossbreed hair lambs (19.1 kg body weight; 8 months of age) grazing on a Cynodon plestoctachyus pasture without supplementation or supplemented with 300 g of concentrate containing different levels of crude protein (CP) were randomly assigned to treatments defined as follows: control (without supplementation); CP130 (concentrate 130 g CP/kg), CP150 (concentrate 150 g/kg), CP170 (concentrate 170 g/kg), and CP190 (concentrate 190 g CP/kg). Lambs fed supplements had higher final body weight (BW), total gain, average daily gain (ADG), total dry matter intake (DMI), total tract digestion, and carcass dressing than lambs in control treatment. Final BW, total gain, ADG, total DMI, feed conversion, and total tract digestion were improved linearly as protein level in concentrate increased. Meat of lambs fed supplements was lighter, redder, and less yellow than meat of lambs in control treatment. It is concluded that supplementation improved ADG, feed conversion, carcass dressing, and meat color.