Effects of Persimmon (Diospros kaki L.) Vinegar as a Dietary Supplement on Feed Intake, Digestibility, and Ruminal Fermentation Indices in Sheep

Abstract

This study estimated the effect of fermented persimmon (Diospros kaki L.) extract (FPE) supplement on feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance, and rumen fermentation characteristics in sheep. Five male sheep (Corriedale×Polwarth) with average body weight of 48.6±1.3 kg were housed in metabolism crates and assigned to a 5×5 Latin square design with five consecutive 20-d periods which consisted of 14-d adaptation and 6-d data collection. The sheep were fed ad libitum a diet containing concentrate and rice straw (3:7). The five treatments were FPE supplemented at 0 (Control), 5, 10, 20, and 30 g/kg of concentrate. Intakes of dry matter (DM, p<0.01), organic matter (OM, p<0.01), neutral detergent fiber (NDF, p<0.05), acid detergent fiber (ADF, p<0.05), and nitrogen-free extract (NFE, p<0.01) increased quadratically with increasing intake of FPE supplement and maximized (p<0.05) at 10 g/kg FPE. The digestibilities of DM (p<0.05), OM (p<0.05), crude protein (p<0.01), and NFE (p<0.01) increased quadratically with increasing amount of FPE supplement, and sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets had greater (p<0.05) DM, OM, and NFE digestibilites than the Control treatment. By increasing FPE supplement concentration, N intake (p<0.01) and fecal N (p<0.05) increased linearly, whereas retained N (p<0.05) and retained N ratio (p<0.05) increased quadratically. The retained N was maximized (p<0.05) in sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets. The mean rumen pH was not affected by FPE supplement, but there was a quadratic increase (p<0.05) of mean rumen ammonia N concentration and a linear increase (p<0.01) in mean rumen total volatile fatty acid (VFA) and acetate concentrations. The mean concentration of rumen propionate in sheep fed all FPE supplemented diets was greater (p<0.05) than the Control, but the mean ratios of rumen acetate to propionate in sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets were lower (p<0.05) than that of Control sheep. In conclusion, FPE supplemented at 5-10 g/kg of concentrate improved feed intake, the digestibilites of OM and NFE, N metabolism, and rumen fermentation indices of sheep.

Effects of fermented persimmon extract supplements on chemical composition and fermentation characteristics of barley silage

“…The FPE used in this study is a rich source of acetate (Shin et al . ). The sudden fall in acetate and rise in lactate occurred at 6 days of ensiling in all treatments, and kept constant to 40 days of ensiling.…”

“…The FPE used in this study was donated by Sachun Agricultural Station, Sachun, South Korea. This contains mainly 4.6, 0.6 and 0.23 g/ 100 mL of acetate, lactate and amino acid, respectively, and had low pH (2.51) (Shin et al 2010). The harvested forage was divided into four groups for FPE applications at 0, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g/kg of barley forage (fresh weight basis).…”

“…2), heterolactic fermentation or conversion of lactate to acetate might be due to FPE supplementation. The FPE used in this study is a rich source of acetate (Shin et al 2010). The sudden fall in acetate and rise in lactate occurred at 6 days of ensiling in all treatments, and kept constant to 40 days of ensiling.…”

“…Shin et al . () indicate that FPE supplementation for sheep improved feed intake and nutrient digestibility. The presence of acetate in silages improved aerobic stability by inhibition of mold and yeast growth (Weinberg et al .…”

“…FPE has been used for food safety and flavor due to the great acetate concentration and low pH which can minimize the effect of off-flavor, lipid oxidation and growth of microbes (Kittelmann et al 1989;Woo et al 2004;Sakanaka & Ishihara 2008). Shin et al (2010) indicate that FPE supplementation for sheep improved feed intake and nutrient digestibility. The presence of acetate in silages improved aerobic stability by inhibition of mold and yeast growth (Weinberg et al 2002;Adesogan et al 2004).…”