Effect of Ethanol Treatment on Cottonseed Cake Ruminal Degradability

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the effect of treating cotton seed cake (CSC) with three different ethanol concentrations on its ruminal degradation characteristics of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP). Three ethanol water solutions were prepared (v/v) at 50%, %,70% and 90% concentrations, then 500gm of CSC were soaked in excess of each solution for an hour at 78°C. Each mixture was drained through cheese cloth and the treated cakes (ETCSC) were air dried at room temperature. The control was untreated CSC (UCSC). Nylon bags technique was employed using two castrated calves. All ethanol treated CSC showed significantly (P≤ 0.05) lower values of the water soluble DM fraction (a) than UCSC with no variation among the treatments. Degradation of the water insoluble fraction (b) was significantly (P≤ 0.05) reduced by ethanol treatments the highest protection was in 90% ETCSC and no variation was observed between 50% and 70% ETCSC. Treated CSC with 70% and 90% ethanol showed significantly (P≤ 0.05) lower CP washing loss and degradation of the water insoluble fraction (b) than that of 50% ETCSC and UCSC. The rate constant (c) for (b) function was not affected by any of the three treatments for both DM and CP. All the treatments significantly (P≤ 0.05) reduced the effective degradability at three different rumen outflow rates. Within treatments 90% ETCSC showed the strongest effect and no variation was found between the other two treatments.