Valor nutritivo da torta de castanha-do-pará (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.) para alimentação de ruminantes

Abstract

Nutrition is one of the most important links of the production process, either by the costs involved or by establishing the efficiency and productivity of the animal. At the same time the brazilian agricultural industry lies in the expansion with the use of oil, especially in the cosmetic and biodiesel sector, which generates waste due to obtain oil process. Thus, the use of these by-products in animal feed is an alternative for both activities, since for livestock food option means good availability and low cost, and for agribusiness means reducing accumulation and inadequate destinations of their waste. Before using a new food in feed formulations, experimental measurements are necessary to determine the chemical composition and evaluate the responses of animals that received the new the ingredient in its diets, as the voluntary intake, nutrient digestibility and animal’s behavior, which is important to complement and strengthen the nutritional data, especially because they represent the effects of the quality of food in the digestive activities. Thus, the byproduct of the processing of the almond brazilian nut and its effects on voluntary intake, digestibility and feeding behavior displayed by sheep fed with increasing levels of inclusion, 0, 15, 30 and 60% in the diet based on corn silage were assessed. Sixteen males lambs, uncastrated at 33 kg average were used, kept in individual metabolic cages, which received the diet in two meals, at 8a.m and 6p.m, with the offer set to allow 15% on the remains. Samples of the remains and feaces were collected and analyzed to determine the consumption and digestibility of nutrients. For four days the animals intake behavior were evaluated in relation to their activities of feeding, ruminating and idling, occurrences and duration of ruminated bolus and rumination chewing, and the efficiency of feeding and ruminating. The Brazil’s nut (BN) is a by-product with potential for ruminant nutrition, with considerable amounts of proteins and lipids, but due to its high content of ether extract in inclusion levels higher than 16.3% of the maize diet, affect rumen fermentation, especially fiber digestibility, the dry matter intake and the ruminating time in the animals.