Chemical and estimative energy composition of forage cactus meal and of dehydrated grapes residue

Abstract

Due to importance of the nutritional value of feedstuffs and the impossibility of measuring the available energy by simple and fast assays, this study had as objective the energy estimates and to compare the chemical composition of the forage cactus meal and the dehydrated grapes residue, with other forages and residues regionally available at Brazilian north-eastern. The results were evaluated by descriptive statistics. Estimated values of energy for the forage cactus were 61.84% for total digestible nutrients; 2.65; 2.23; 1.36 and 0.79 Mcal/kg of digestible energy, metabolic energy of production, liquid energy of maintenance and production, respectively. The dehydrated grapes residue presented values of estimates energy of 48.30% of total digestible nutrients; 2.16; 1.73; 0.89 and 0.35 Mcal/kg of digestible energy, metabolic energy of production, liquid energy of maintenance and production, respectively. Forage cactus is an energy source of high potentiality for the ruminant nutrition, especially for the Brazilian north-eastern. Low energy values and high levels of neutral detergent fiber and lignin in the dehydrated grapes residue confer the characteristics of roughage, however, for substituting others roughage sources, others studies should be done.