Formulation and preparation method of pine sawdust-based food for rumiants

Abstract

The waste products of the wood industries, particularly pine sawdust, represent a great potential source of dietary energy for ruminants. Even though the use of pine sawdust as part of a ruminant’s diet represents an important environmental impact, studies on this subject are scarce. It is worth mentioning that pine sawdust is currently being used as a source of fibre in ovine diet. However, its digestion is limited due to its high lignin content. The objective of the present investigation consists in the design of a new treatment process for lignin degradation into pine sawdust through the use of the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. From the results obtained, a new and sustainable food for the ruminants based on degraded pine sawdust is proposed. The experiments carried out showed significant elevation in the exploitation of the nutritious components of pine sawdust contained in the developed product due to the improvements in the digestive parameters of the ruminants. With the results obtained, besides the nutritional and environmental impact, a better control of the costs generated by the feeding of the ruminants is intended. This is due to the fact that pine sawdust does not suffer from production variation in comparison with other consumables.