Silagens de alimentos alternativos para ruminantes

Abstract

Due to the high cost that feeding represents within production systems, researchers connected to animal production have been looking for alternative feeds to include in diets in order to reduce production costs. Among these feed, we highlight the co-products of food processing, which can be generated in industries, such as olive pomace, or in the farm itself, such as the cassava stem, as well as roots, which are classified as an alternative feed. Olive bagasse is a byproduct of agroindustrial processing, produced from the extraction of oil from the fruit of the olive trees, while cassava is cultivated in practically all rural properties and its stem is obtained after a harvest of the roots, for industrial use or in human food. The co-products are discarded after being obtained, and are treated with olive pomace, and has potential of environmental contamination when not discarded correctly. However, despite the possibility of using these co-products in animal feed, there's still scarce information on their nutritional and microbiological characteristics, as well as the possibilities of conservation on the production period, for continuous use over the year. Three trials were conducted, one for each material studied. The objective of this study was the conservation of olive pomace, stem and cassava root, in silage form, and its microbiological, nutritional and fermentative quality characterization. The root and the cassava stem can be stored and preserved in farms, under silage form, with or without the use of brans. The use of these feeding additives improved the nutritional value of the silages, especially in the case of cassava stalk, whose nutritional value is lower. The decision for its use and the choice of additive must agree with the availability at the property or acquisition costs. Olive bagasse in natura or added of bran can be conserved in the form of silage for use in ruminant diets, for its interesting bromatological aspects. Whereas the silage added to the soybean meal provided greater resistance to stability break when compared as others.