Effect of Replacing Corn Meal with Winged Bean Tuber (<i>Psophocarpus tetragonolobus</i>) Pellet on Gas Production, Ruminal Fermentation, and Degradability Using In Vitro Gas Technique

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of replacing corn meal in ruminant diets with winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) tubers (WBT) on ruminal fermentation, gas production parameters, and in vitro degradability. The study employed a completely random design (CRD) in its execution. The experimental design employed was a completely randomized design (CRD), featuring eleven levels of corn meal substitution with winged bean tubers pellet (WBTP) at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%. The levels were grouped into four categories of replacement: control (0% in the diet), low levels (10%, 20%, and 30% in the diet), medium levels (40%, 50%, 60%, and 70% in the diet), and high levels (80%, 90%, and 100% in the diet). The experimental results indicated that substituting corn meal with WBTP at moderate and high levels in the diet could improve the performance of the fermentation process by increasing the gas production rate constant from the insoluble fraction (p p p p p p p p < 0.05). In conclusion, WBTP exhibits a nutritional composition that is advantageous and may be an energetic substitute for corn meal.

Keywords

• energy feed source
• alternative feedstuffs
• pelleting process
• ruminal fermentation