Effects of feeding rumen-protected sunflower seed and meal protein on feed intake, diet digestibility, ruminal, cecal fermentation, and growth performance of lambs

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy of a treatment (MAH) of sunflowerseed (SS) and meal (SM) with a malic acid solution (1 M; 400 mL/kg) and heating (150◦C, 2 h) toprotect protein against rumen degradation and to improve the growth of lambs. Two homogeneousgroups of 12 Lacaune lambs each (14.2±0.35 kg body weight) were fed either a concentrate includinguntreated SS and SM or a concentrate with MAH-treated SS and SM. Lambs were fed concentrate andbarley straw ad libitum for 40 days (about 26 kg body weight); feed intake and growth of lambs wererecorded; blood samples were taken on days 0, 20, and the slaughter day for analysis of urea-N andamino acid-N; diet digestibility was determined; and ruminal and cecal samples were collected afterslaughter. Thein vitroincubation of both concentrates with sheep ruminal fluid for 12 h showed thatthe MAH-treatment tended to reduce NH3-N concentrations and increased propionate production.However, there were no differences (p>0.05) between groups in any of the tested variables in thein vivo trial.