In Vitro Fermentation and Chemical Characteristics of Mediterranean By-Products for Swine Nutrition

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the nutritional characteristics of some by-products derived from fruit juice and olive oil production to evaluate their use in pig nutrition. Five by-products of citrus fruit (three citrus fruit pulp and two molasses) and three by-products of olive oil (olive cake) obtained by different varieties are analysed for chemical composition. The fermentation characteristics are evaluated in vitro using the gas production technique with swine faecal inoculum. All the citrus by-products are highly fermentable, producing gas and a high amount of short-chain fatty acids. The fermentation kinetics vary when comparing pulps and molasses. Citrus fruit pulps show lower and slower fermentation rates than molasses. The olive oil by-products, compared to citrus fruits ones, are richer in NDF and ADL. These characteristics negatively affect all the fermentation parameters. Therefore, the high concentration of fiber and lipids represents a key aspect in the nutrition of fattening pigs. The preliminary results obtained in this study confirm that the use of by-products in pig nutrition could represent a valid opportunity the reduce the livestock economic cost and environmental impact.

Effect of Supplementation of Herd Diet with Olive Cake on the Composition Profile of Milk and on the Composition, Quality and Sensory Profile of Cheeses Made Therefrom

“…The last dietary guidelines emphasize the health benefit of oleic acid on blood cholesterol and other related outcomes in humans, in fact, although the cholesterol-lowering response to polyunsaturated class is greater than that to the monounsaturated class, there has been some caution in recommending high polyunsaturated diets, because of potentially adverse health effects of their lipoperoxidation products [10]. Therefore, it could be argued that the dietary DOC supplement may influence the nutritional value and the health functionality of animal products [64] and could represent a valid option to reduce the feeding cost and the environmental impact related to the food production [65,66].…”

Effect of Dietary Olive Cake Supplementation on Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Quality of Beef Cattle

“…The increasing request by consumers for food that is safe and healthy has focused the researches on feeding strategies such as the dietary supplementation of unsaturated vegetable oils [ 11 , 12 ]. In this context, the supplementation of agricultural industry co-products in animal feeding can be an interesting strategy both to minimize their eco-footprint [ 13 ] and to influence the quality of products of animal origin, especially in the case of co-products that contain appreciable quantities of vegetable oils, which may contribute to increase the UFA content of ruminant meat. A survey of the literature found papers dealing with the use of olive cake, the main co-product of the olive oil industry, in dairy cow [ 14 ], sheep [ 15 , 16 ], lambs [ 8 ], goat [ 17 ], pig [ 18 ], poultry [ 19 ], and rabbit [ 20 ] feeding, although scarce literature appears to be available on the use of this co-product in beef cattle feeding [ 21 ].…”

In Vivo Performances, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality of Pigs Fed Olive Cake Processing Waste

“…This by-product has been tested positively in pigs [8][9][10], cattle [11], small ruminants [12,13], broilers [14], and rabbits [15,16], thanks to the high quantity of residual oil. Nevertheless, the high lignin content related to the stone presence could limit its use in piglets, except that it is totally pitted [17]. On the other hand, the unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content, especially in oleic acid, could represent an interesting functional ingredient in the diet able to positively change the acidic composition of the fat tissues [9].…”