Effect of Palm Kernel Cake Supplementation on Voluntary Feed Intake, In Situ Rumen Degradability and Performance in Buffaloes in the Eastern Amazon

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the effects of palm kernel cake (PKC) supplementation on voluntary feed intake, in situ rumen degradability and performance in the wettest (WS—January to June) and less rainy seasons (LR—July to December) in the eastern Amazon. A total of 52 crossbred buffaloes that were neither lactating nor gestating were used, with 24 for the LR, aged 34 ± 04 months and an initial average weight of 503 ± 48 kg, and 24 for the WS aged 40 ± 04 months with an average weight of 605 ± 56 kg. The four treatments (levels of PKC in relation to body weight) were distributed in a completely randomized design, with 0% (PKC0), 0.25% (PKC0.2), 0.5% (PKC0.5) and 1% (PKC1) with six repetitions. The animals were housed in Marandu grass paddocks, intermittently, with access to water and mineral mixture ad libitum. Degradability was evaluated by the in situ bag technique in four other crossbred buffaloes with rumen cannulae, in a 4 × 4 Latin square (four periods and four treatments). The inclusion of PKC increased supplement consumption and production of ether extracts and reduced the intake of forage and non-fibrous carbohydrates. The dry matter degradability of Marandu grass was not affected; however, the fermentation kinetics in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) differed between the treatments. The co-product dry matter colonization time was greater in PKC1 and the highest effective degradability rates were from PKC0, but the productive performance of the animals was not influenced. Supplementation of buffaloes with PKC is recommended for up to 1% of body weight.

The Characterization of Pastures by Grazing Cycle and Evaluation of Supplementation with Agro-Industry Co-Products on the Performance of Buffaloes in the Humid Tropics

“…Animals supplemented with palm oil maintained consumption levels from the third cycle, while in the second and fourth cycles, they were similar to the control treatment group. Ferreira et al [ 57 ] and de Melo Lisboa et al [ 46 ] observed a reduction; Rodrigues et al [ 5 ] and Amaral-Júnior et al [ 10 ] observed an increase in consumption; and Galvão et al [ 58 ] and Salt et al [ 59 ] found no difference. These variations in consumption may be related to the level of inclusion of fat and fiber content in the material used; as they are co-products, there is no homogeneity in the composition.…”

“…Another hypothesis is that the energy density of supplements containing co-products was higher due to the increase in fat. The ether extract in palm kernel cake ranges from 5.7 to 13.55% and in coconut cake between 17.08 and 26.43 [ 5 , 10 , 57 , 60 , 61 , 62 ].…”

“…In this sense, the search for unconventional feedstuffs with a low commercial value, such as agro-industry co-products, can make the strategy viable [ 7 ]. Its use as an ingredient in diets allows for adjustments in the feed supply throughout the year, increases the support capacity of pastures, gives an adequate destination to this biomass, and decreases the need for deforestation to obtain new livestock areas [ 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

“…The diet supplementation of water buffalo cows with palm kernel cake did not influence fiber degradability and was recommended up to 1% of body weight [ 10 , 15 , 18 ]. The average composition of palm kernel cake produced in the Metropolitan Mesoregion of Belém and the northeastern region of Pará, where variations occurring among processing units are 92.96%, 11.96%, 27.17%, 12.09%, and 72.28%, respectively, for dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract, and total digestible nutrients [ 10 ].…”