Ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) treatment of eleven different forages: Improvements to fiber digestibility in vitro |
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Authors: | Bryan Bals Hannah Murnen Michael Allen Bruce Dale |
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Institution: | 1. Biomass Conversion Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, Michigan State University, 3900 Collins Rd, Lansing, MI 48910-8596, United States;2. Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, 2265G Anthony Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1225, United States |
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Abstract: | With the increased attention to bioenergy and especially cellulosic ethanol, there are concerns regarding potential competition for available land between biofuels and feeds/foods. Ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX), a pretreatment process for cellulosic ethanol, may also be used to improve ruminant digestibility of feedstuffs not traditionally used as forages. Eleven forages – including traditional forages, agricultural residues, and dedicated energy crops – were AFEX treated and digested in vitro with rumen inoculum. AFEX treatment improved 48-h neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom) digestion for several moderately indigestible forages compared to untreated samples, but showed no improvement for highly digestible samples. Of particular interest are corn stover and late-harvest switchgrass, as AFEX treatment improved digestibility by 52% and 128% over untreated material, whereas the improvement was 74% and 70% over conventional ammonia treatment, respectively. The crude protein content of all treated samples increased to more than 100 g/kg dry forage. This research strongly suggests that AFEX-treated feedstuffs can be competitive with traditional forages, and thus offer expanded options for ruminant feeding. |
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