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Effect of Chitosan Inclusion and Dietary Crude Protein Level on Nutrient Intake and Digestibility, Ruminal Fermentation, and N Excretion in Beef Heifers Offered a Grass Silage Based Diet
- Source :
- Animals, Vol 11, Iss 771, p 771 (2021), Animals, Volume 11, Issue 3, Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Nitrogen (N) use efficiency in beef cattle is low (10–20%), resulting in large amounts of N excreted into the environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of chitosan inclusion and dietary crude protein (CP) level on nutrient intake and digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and N excretion in beef heifers. Eight Belgian Blue × Holstein Friesian cross beef heifers (752 ± 52 kg BW) were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square with a 2 × 2 factorial design. Factors were dietary CP concentration—high CP, 16% (HP) or low CP, 12% (LP)—and chitosan inclusion—0 or 10 g kg−1 dry matter (DM) offered at 50:50 forage concentrate ratio on a dry matter (DM) basis. Apparent total tract digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM), and CP were reduced (p &lt<br />0.001) with chitosan inclusion, whereas offering the HP diets increased apparent total tract digestibility of CP (p &lt<br />0.001). Offering the HP diets increased urinary N excretion (p &lt<br />0.001), while chitosan inclusion increased N excretion in faeces (p &lt<br />0.05). Ruminal pH was increased with chitosan inclusion (p &lt<br />0.01). There was a CP × chitosan interaction for rumen ammonia (NH3) concentrations (p &lt<br />0.05). Including chitosan in the HP diets increased ruminal NH3 concentration while having no effect on the LP diets. Urinary N excretion was increased with increased levels of CP, but chitosan inclusion increased the quantity of N excreted in the faeces.
- Subjects :
- Nitrogen balance
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Silage
ruminal fermentation
nitrogen excretion
Beef cattle
nitrogen balance
01 natural sciences
Article
Excretion
Rumen
Animal science
beef cattle
Latin square
crude protein
lcsh:Zoology
Dry matter
lcsh:QL1-991
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
lcsh:Veterinary medicine
General Veterinary
Chemistry
0402 animal and dairy science
food and beverages
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
040201 dairy & animal science
Belgian Blue
lcsh:SF600-1100
Animal Science and Zoology
chitosan
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20762615
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 771
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Animals
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....ab3a59785aa9f8156287146abf8f8616