Article
Nutrición animal en sistemas tropicales: uso de residuos agrícolas en la producción animal
Fecha
2015Autor
García, Mariana
Darren, Henry
Schulmeister, Tessa
Benítez, Jefferson
Ruiz Moreno, Martin
Cuenca, Jennifer
Ponce, Christian
Universidad de Cuenca
Dirección de Investigación de la Universidad de Cuenca
DIUC
Institución
Resumen
The global increase in demand for food, especially protein, raises the need for more efficient and sustainable animal feeding strategies. The ability of ruminants to efficiently use fiber makes it possible to exploit agricultural byproducts and wastes from tropical crops like oil palm, banana and mango, which may also provide energy and protein. In this regard, Cuenca et al. (2015) mention that palm kernel flour has a value of approximately 14.8% crude protein and 8.9% fat. Silva et al. (2014) report that the use of mango meal reduces gas emissions and increases the fat content in the milk of Saanen goats; although increasing concentrations linearly decrease the volume of milk production. As digestibility of these products, DiLorenzo et al. (data not published) mention that ripe banana fruit and peel has great in vitro digestibility of organic matter (90.45%), greater than that of other products of bananas, kikuyu and palm kernel. A less traditional food, devil fish silage (EPD) was included in different levels in growing lambs diets by Tejeda-Arroyo et al. (2015), who reported weight gains of 211.5 g/day (18% EPD) and feed conversion of 6.6 and 6.4 kg of feed per kilogram of weight gain (27% and EPD 9% EPD). Further research is needed to assess the nutritional potential of these and other non-traditional foods, as well as their optimal use, storage and transport. The use of agricultural byproducts could decrease the production costs and help reduce the environmental impact of animal protein production and farming.