The effect of an active live yeast product on the digestibility of finishing diets for lambs
2015
Pienaar, G.H. | Einkamerer, O.B. | Van der Merwe, HJ | Hugo, A. | Fair, M.D.
The influence of a rumen-specific active live yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae; SC CNCM I-1077), alone or in combination with an ionophore (Lasalocid-Na), on the apparent digestibility of nutrients in a standard lamb finishing diet was investigated. The four dietary treatments consisted of the same basal diet (151g CP/kg DM, 226g NDF/kg DM and 11.2MJ ME/kg DM) differing only in respect to the additive included, i.e. (i) the control diet (C; no additive), (ii) live yeast (SC; 220g/ton), (iii) lasalocid-Na (G; 120g/ton) and (iv) both live yeast with ionophore (SCG) added at the same mentioned levels. Thirty-two South African Mutton Merino wethers (44.46±3.84kg) were randomly allocated to the four dietary treatments (n=8 animals/treatment) and each placed in digestibility crates for a period of 16 days (7-day adaptation followed by a 9-day collection period). Dietary treatment had no effect (P>0.05) on the apparent nutrient digestibility of the finisher diets. However, ionophore (G) inclusion significantly increased (P<0.01) the digestible CP content (10.89% digestible CP) of the experimental diet. This effect was significantly enhanced (P<0.05: 11.38% digestible CP) when a live yeast/ionophore combination (SCG) was included within the finishing diet. In contrast, including lasalocid-Na (G) within finishing diets of lambs significantly reduced (P<0.05) its digestible EE content (5.71% digestible EE). The results suggest that this rumen-specific live yeast included alone, or in combination with lasalocid-Na, does not influence apparent digestibility or the ME content of finishing diets fed to lambs. It does however enhance apparent total tract CP availability.
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