Abstract

Pineapple waste (PW) is a by-product from pineapple processing, mostly dumped to pollute the environment. This study was conducted to recycle PW by ensiling with maize cobs and brewer dried grains at different levels. Twelve (12) West African dwarf rams weighing between 15.00 to16.10 kg were randomly distributed into four diets. Diets included: 0, 20, 40 and 60% PW as diets 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Parameters studied were feed intake, nutrient digestibility and fermentation patterns: total volatile fatty acids, lactic acid concentrations, rumen pH, ammonia nitrogen and nitrogen metabolism. Silage pH ranged from 3.60 to 6.40 in all treatments. Temperature of silages varied from 31.10 to 31.50°C. CP, NDF and ADF ranges were: 12.15 to 13.74, 40.61 to 47.20 and 20.62 to 28.58%, respectively. Body weight intake, faecal output, crude protein intake, crude fibre intake, ether extract intake and ash-intake at 20% inclusion level were: 525.69, 73.27, 72.76, 26.63 and 31.17g/day, respectively. Highest total volatile fatty acid of 56.18 mg/dl was observed in 20% inclusion level. CP digestibility decreased linearly as the protein contents of the diets increased. Therefore, PW can be preserved for a longer period and utilized by ruminants at 20% PW inclusion rate.

Key words: Pineapple waste, silage, intake, digestibility, sheep.

Abbreviation

Abbreviations: PW, Pineapple waste; ADF, acid detergent fibre; NDF, neutral detergent fibre; ADL, acid detergent lignin; CP, cassava peels.