Original scientific paper
The effect of rabbit’s age on in vitro fermentation of starch, compound feed and its fibre
Ajda Kermauner
Andrej Lavrenčić
Abstract
In vitro gas production movement for three different substrates, starch, standard compound feed (20 % crude protein, 33 % NDF/kg DM) and neutral detergent fibre prepared from the standard compound feed (NDF), were determined using the caecum content of weaned rabbits (36 days of age) and of rabbits of slaughter age (78 days) as inoculum. Gas produced was fitted with the Gompertz model and the differences between parameters were calculated. The differences in fermentation kinetic parameters between older and weaned rabbits were significant within each substrate. In rabbits at slaughter weight the fermentation was more intensive, more rapid and, with the exception of compound feed, the production of gas was higher than in weaned rabbit. In first 10 hours of fermentation that correspond to the normal retention time in the caecum (Gidenne et al., 2000), the highest amount of gas was produced from compound feed. Only in this substrate the time of maximum fermentation rate was short enough (TMFR: 36 days 9.5, 78 days 6.6 hours, P<0.05) that it could be fermented in vivo. In accordance with published results it could be suggested that the majority of gas derived from pectins, which are important ingredients of compound feeds.
Keywords
rabbit nutrition; in vitro gas production; fermentation; starch; compound feed; NDF
Hrčak ID:
3079
URI
Publication date:
10.1.2006.
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