Chemical composition and fermentative parameters of heart of palm waste produced from Alexander Palm ensiled with chemical additives

Abstract

-The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and the fermentative parameters of heart of palm waste produced from Alexander Palm, ensiled with chemical additives. Treatments consisted of silage of the sheath with or without calcium oxide. In the silage without calcium oxide, we evaluated the control silage (without additive) and the silage enriched with 5.0 g kg −1 urea (urea). In the silage with calcium oxide, we evaluated the silage enriched with 5.0 g kg −1 calcium oxide (control) and the silage enriched with 5.0 g kg −1 urea and 5.0 g kg −1 calcium oxide (urea). Experimental silos were distributed in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement (inclusion or lack of lime × inclusion or lack of urea), with four replicates. Crude protein concentration was greater in the silages that received urea, whereas in the case of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber, the lowest levels were found in the control silage. Control silage had the lowest pH (3.75) and the silages that received lime displayed the lowest lactic acid content. Effluent losses were greater in the control silage and in the silage with lime (56.1 kg t −1 and 58.4 kg t −1 , respectively). Silages prepared with waste from heart of palm production and enriched only with urea showed a better chemical composition and improved fermentation parameter estimates. We recommend the use of this waste only with additives that can improve the chemical characteristics of the forage. Without additives, unwanted fermentation processes may occur and compromise the quality of the silage.

Heart-of-palm byproduct for lactating cows

“…Of the cultivated species, production of heart of palm from Alexander palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) has increased due to the high value and production characteristics of this species (Bayão et al 2017). The processing of one plant yields approximately 400 g of commercial heart of palm and generates approximately 13 kg of waste, including leaves, stipe and sheaths (Fermino et al 2014), which correspond to 96.9% of waste per plant.…”

“…Research results in the literature are mainly related to the peach palm species (Bactris gasipaes) in sheep feeding (Rombola et al 2010) and in silage production (Rodrigues Neto et al 2001;Oliveira et al 2010;Schmidt et al 2010). Whereas for the waste from the Alexander palm, there is only one study involving sheep feeding (Bayão et al 2014) and silage production (Bayão et al 2017). Thus, research related to the use of this waste as feed for dairy cattle should be encouraged, as this is a low-cost alternative that can help in reducing costs in the production system in addition to avoiding environmental contamination.…”