Use of wood ash in the treatment of high tannin sorghum for poultry feeding

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of wood ash treatment on the nutritional value of high tannin sorghum. High tannin sorghum was either soaked in wood ash slurry and then germinated for four days or soaked in wood ash extract and germinated for 28 hours or germinated after soaking in water. Chemical composition of the grain thus treated was determined. The feeding value of the wood ash extract treated grain was evaluated in a three-week experiment where sorghum replaced maize in broiler starter diets. Treatment of high tannin sorghum with wood ash extract was effective in reducing the tannin level and did not lower the nutrient content of the grain, unlike the treatment that involved the use of wood ash slurry. There was no significant difference in feed intake between the maize based diet and the diet that contained wood ash extract treated sorghum. There was a significant improvement in growth rate of chicks that were fed on diets that contained treated sorghum. This was also reflected in the improvement of the ileal digestibility of the diets that contained treated grain. Treatment of high tannin sorghum with wood ash extract improves its nutritive value.

Effects of Replacing Maize with Sorghum on Growth and Feed Efficiency of Commercial Broiler Chicken

“…This is may be due to the slight difference in chemical composition between sorghum and maize. This result is agree with the result reported by Kyarisiima et al [21] no significant difference in feed intake between the maize based diet and the two diets that contained wood ash extract treated sorghum. Okeye et al [22] Discussed average feed intake was statistically similar between the treatments in checks fed graded level of sorghum replacing for maize.…”

Value Addition of Feed and Fodder by Alleviating the Antinutritional Effects of Tannins

“…The inactivation of tannins is caused by high pHmediated oxidation of tannins [97]. Wood ash at various levels (1-24 %) has been evaluated by different workers [22,23,87,97,199]. A 10 % solution of oak wood ash and pine wood ash decreased the content of total phenols, CTs and protein precipitation capacity in oak leaves by 66, 80, 75 % and 69, 85, 80 %, respectively [97].…”

“…The higher effectiveness of pine wood ash was attributed to a higher level of alkalis in the pine wood ash (pH value of 10 % ash solution of pine wood and oak wood was 11.3 and 10.5, respectively). Kyarisiima et al [87] reported that treatment of high-tannin sorghum with 5 % wood ash extract was effective in reducing the tannin level and improved its nutritive value. Ben Salem et al [22] observed that wood ash treatment was a cost-effective way to deactivate tannins in the foliage of Acacia cyanophylla, which improved digestion of this foliage in sheep.…”

Tannin Supplementation in Animal Feeding; Mitigation Strategies to Overcome the Toxic Effects of Tannins on Animal Health: A Review

“…Wood ash is a good source of alkali which has practiced at an industrial scale (Brown et al, 2016). Specifically, it has been described that soaking feed with alkaline or water solutions separate tannins toxic compounds from the most nutritive parts and thus enhance the palatability of feed (Kyarisiima & Svihus, 2004). A study has investigated that magadi soda containing alkalies (sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and sodium sesquicarbonate) has minimized 40 to 50% tannins toxic effect in sorghum (Ben Salem et al, 2005).…”