Intake, digestibility, microbial protein production, and nitrogen balance of lambs fed with sorghum silage partially replaced with dehydrated fruit by-products

The objective of this study was to evaluate intake, digestibility, microbial protein production, and nitrogen balance of lambs fed with different dehydrated fruit residues replacing sorghum silage. The experiment was conducted using 25 mixed-breed male lambs (20.64 +/- 4.20kg) with an average age of 8months. Treatments consisted of sorghum silage and 75% (DM basis) replacement of sorghum silage for dehydrated pineapple, banana, mango, or passion fruit by-products. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with five treatments and five repetitions. Results were subjected to one-way analysis of variance and means were compared using the Tukey test at 5% of probability. Daily nutrient intake did not differ (P>0.05) between the different treatments evaluated regardless of how it was expressed (kg/day or % body weight [BW]), except for NDFap (% BW) that was higher (P<0.05) in the diet with passion fruit residue than in diets with banana and mango residues. The digestibility of ethereal extract was higher (P<0.05) for diets with sorghum silage, pineapple, and passion fruit compared to the diet with banana residue. The digestibility of neutral detergent fiber corrected for ashes and protein was higher (P<0.05) on animals receiving sorghum silage than diets with mango and passion fruit residues. No difference (P>0.05) was observed for purine derivative excretion, microbial efficiency, nitrogen intake, nitrogen loss (urine and feces), and nitrogen balance between diets. In conclusion, dehydrated fruit by-products (pineapple, banana, mango, and passion fruit) are good options for partial replacement of sorghum silage (75%) and potentially reduce feeding costs.