IN VITRO FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS OF RICE BRAN, MAIZE, AND CASSAVA POWDER INCUBATED WITH RUMEN FLUID

An in vitro gas technique trial was conducted to determine in vitro fermentation characteristics of some concentrate feeds including rice bran, maize and cassava powder. Rumen fluid collected from three fistulated dry cows as inoculum. In vitro fermented attributes were measured after 4, 24, and 48 h of incubation respectively. Results showed that, gas production have been ranked in order rate cassava powder>maize>rice bran. Digestibility of DM and OM, and concentration of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), microbial crude protein (CP) and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) had no significantly differed between rice bran and maize. However, these attributes were higher in cassava powder compared to rice bran or maize (P<0.05). In conclusion, rice bran, maize and cassava powder may be recommended for improving fermentation characteristic without any negative impact on rumen environment, however, if using only these feeds as the sole feed for cattle may be inadequate NH3-N for optimal nutrients digestibility and feed intake