Veterinary World (Jul 2018)

The effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation on intake, nutrient digestibility, and rumen fluid pH in Awassi female lambs

  • Belal S. Obeidat,
  • Kamel Z. Mahmoud,
  • Mohammad D. Obeidat,
  • Mysaa Ata,
  • Rami T. Kridli,
  • Serhan G. Haddad,
  • Hosam H. Titi,
  • Khaleel I. Jawasreh,
  • Hosam J. Altamimi,
  • Hadil S. Subih,
  • Safaa M. Hatamleh,
  • Majdi A. Abu Ishmais,
  • Ruba Abu Affan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2018.1015-1020
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 7
pp. 1015 – 1020

Abstract

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Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding low (LO)- or high (HI)-fiber diets supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) on nutrient intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, rumen fluid pH, and serum concentrations of glucose and urea nitrogen in Awassi female lambs in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Materials and Methods: Experimental diets were as follows: (1) LO-fiber diet with no SC supplementation (-LO), (2) LO-fiber diet supplemented with SC (+LO), (3) HI-fiber diet with no SC supplementation (-HI), or (4) HI-fiber diet supplemented with SC (+HI). Eight female lambs were used in a replicated 4×4 Latin square design with 15-day experimental periods (10-day adaptation period and 5-day collection period). Results: A fiber×SC interaction (p≤0.05) was detected for dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) intake among diets showing greater DM and CP intake for +LO diet compared to +HI group supplemented with SC, whereas -LO and -HI were intermediate. A fiber×SC interaction (p=0.05) was also detected for the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intake among diets. Intake of NDF was greater for the -HI diet compared with +LO and -LO diets. Similarly, NDF intake was greater for +HI diet than -LO diet. A tendency (p=0.07) for a fiber×SC interaction was detected for acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake among diets as well. ADF intake tended to be greater for HI-fiber diets. No difference was observed in the rumen fluid pH for lambs fed with the different diets. No fiber×SC interactions were detected for the digestibility of DM, CP, NDF, and ADF among dietary treatments. Digestibility of DM was greater (72.9 g/100 g vs. 67.1 g/100 g; p=0.0002) for LO versus HI fiber. However, NDF and ADF digestibilities were greater (60.8 and 61.9 g/100 g vs. 55.8 and 52.7 g/100 g for NDF and ADF digestibility, respectively; p≤0.01) for the HI-fiber than the LO-fiber diets. Conclusion: Results obtained in the current study indicate that SC supplementation has a minimal effect on the performance of Awassi female lambs fed with varying fiber levels.

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