Nutritional Evaluation of Apple Pomace as a Sustainable Alternative in Ruminant Feed Using the Gas Production Technique

This is study is focused on determining the nutrition value of apple pomace as well as assessing the chemical composition and the fermentation characteristics thereof as a pomace from apple and a sustainable alternative feedstuff for ruminants. This study also aims at finding the fermentation characteristics and nutritional value of apple pomace as well. Chemical analysis revealed that apple pomace contains moderate levels of crude fiber at %۸.۹۵ and crude protein at %۳.۵۶, while dry matter content was measured at %۲۰.۹۸, ash at %۳.۲۱, and crude fat at %۲.۰۸, all values expressed as percentages of dry matter. The gas production test also indicates that fermentation potentials are as high as ۸۵ mL and that the gas production rate is ۰.۰۴۵ to ۰.۰۵ per hour showing very high digestibility and high fermentability. Nutritional evaluations confirmed substantial values including metabolizable energy of ۱۲.۰۳ MJ per kg dry matter, fermentable organic matter of ۷۵.۹۰ g per ۱۰۰ g dry matter, net energy for lactation of ۷.۳۷ MJ per kg dry matter, and short-chain fatty acids of ۱.۴۷۶ mmol per gram. These findings clearly establish that apple pomace, with its high energy potential and advantageous fermentation properties, can serve as an economically viable and environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional grains in animal feed formulations, representing a significant advancement in valorizing food processing waste and reducing feed production costs.

کلیدواژه ها:

Apple Pomace ، In Vitro Gas Production ، Ruminant Nutrition ، Fermentation Characteristics ، Net energy lactation