S. S. Thakur

Replacing groundnut cake with gluten meals of rice and maize in diets for growing Sahiwal cattle

Objective This experiment investigated the effect of isonitrogenous replacement of groundnut cake (GNC) by rice gluten meal (RGM) and maize gluten meal (MGM) at 75% level on nutrient intake, apparent digestibility, growth performance and related blood constituents in growing Sahiwal cattle. Methods Eighteen Sahiwal calves were divided into three groups, based on average body weight (87.24 kg) and age (6 to 12 mo), and treatments were assigned to the different groups randomly. The first group (GP-I) was kept as control and received GNC-based concentrate mixture. In second (GP-II) and third (GP-III) groups, 750 g/kg nitrogen (N) of GNC was substituted by RGM and MGM respectively, with similar forage:concentrate ratio (56:44). Results The 90 days of experimental feeding revealed that intake of dry matter, crude protein and digestibility coefficients for all nutrients did not differ among groups. Furthermore, although N balance was greater (p≤0.05) for GP-III than GP-I and GP-II, average daily gain was similar between GP-I and GP-II but greater (p≤0.05) for GP-III. In addition, feed efficiency and related haematological variables did not differ due to treatments. Conclusion Nutritional worth of GNC and RGM was highly comparable in terms of intake, digestibility and growth in growing calves. However, MGM was found to be more efficacious in improving growth rate than RGM at 75% replacement level of GNC protein.

Nitrogen fractionation of certain conventional- and lesser-known by-products for ruminants

Dietary proteins for ruminants are fractionated according to solubility, degradability and digestibility. In the present experiment, 11 vegetable protein meals and cakes used in ruminant nutrition were included with a main focus on determining various nitrogen (N) fractions in vitro. Total N (N × 6.25) content varied from 22.98% (mahua cake) to 65.16% (maize gluten meal), respectively. Guar meal korma contained the lowest and rice gluten meal had the highest acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN; N × 6.25). Borate-phosphate insoluble N (BIN, N × 6.25) and Streptomyces griseus protease insoluble N (PIN; N × 6.25) were higher (P < 0.01) in maize gluten meal than in other feeds, whereas groundnut cake and sunflower cake had lower (P < 0.01) BIN, and PIN, respectively. Available N, calculated with the assumption that ADIN is indigestible, was maximum in guar meal korma and minimum in rice gluten meal. Furthermore, rapid and slowly degradable N (N × 6.25) was found to be higher (P < 0.01) in groundnut cake and coconut cake, respectively. Intestinal digestion of rumen undegradable protein, expressed as percent of PIN, was maximum in guar meal korma and minimum in rice gluten meal. It was concluded that vegetable protein meals differed considerably in N fractions, and therefore, a selective inclusion of particular ingredient is needed to achieve desired level of N fractions to aid precision N rationing for an improved production performance of ruminants.

In Vitro Evaluation of Concentrate Mixtures Containing Incremental Level of Rice Dried Distillers Grain with Solubles Replacing Oil Cakes in Concentrate Mixture

Oil cakes of concentrate mixture (% parts: maize 22, barley 16, wheat bran 15, deoiled rice bran 15, groundnut cake 25, mustard oil cake 10, mineral mixture 2 and common salt 1) in control group were replaced by rice dried diets distillers grains with solubles (RDDGS) at the levels of 25, 50, 75 and 100% on nitrogen basis. About 200 mg of each air-equilibrated samples of concentrate mixtures were evaluated by using in vitro gas production technique. Concentration of NH3-N, total volatile fatty acids and proportion of propionate at the expense of acetate and butyrate was decreased (P<0.01) with inclusion of RDDGS in concentrate. A linear decrease (P<0.01) in methanogensis was observed with incremental level of RDDGS in concentrate. In vitro true dry matter digestibility, decreased (P<0.01) at levels greater than 50% substitution of oil cakes, however, in vitro true OM digestibility was not affected up to 75% inclusion of RDDGS. Partitioning factor and microbial biomass production were higher (P<0.01) with inclusion of DDGS at 75% level. Thus, it could be observed that partial replacement of oil cakes with RDDGS in concentrate did not have any detrimental effect on in vitro rumen fermentation profile whereas the methane production was decreased.