DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF UROMALT-20 AS CONCENTRATE FEED FOR GROWING CATTLE

Four experiments were carried out to determine the loss of weight and chemical changes during the germination of barley and to develop and e valuate Uromalt-20 as an animal feed. The weight loss of barley germin ated at 72 h, 96 h and 120 h was 3.1%, 3.6% and 4.2%, respectively. Th ere was no significant effect of germination time on crude protein (CP ) content. Total sugar contents significantly (P < 0.05) increased up to 96 h and then decreased at 120 h, whereas the starch content decrea sed from 51.3 to 42.3% at 120 h. At various intervals after grinding, the germinated barley was heated (90 +/- 5 degrees C) with urea. The p ercentage of bound urea was 45.4, 57.9, 70.1 and 58.5% for non-germina ted barley and barley germinated at 72 h, 96 h and 120 h, respectively . Four feeds were then prepared and evaluated in vitro: barley + urea, non-heated (T1); barley + urea, heated (T2); malted barley + urea, he ated (T3); conventional concentrate mixture (T4). Free NH3-N productio n (mg per 100 ml strained lumen liquor (SRL)) in T3 and T4 was signifi cantly (P < 0.05) lower than in T1 and T2. However, microbial protein synthesis and the production of total volatile fatty acids were simila r in all treatments. The product was evaluated in 18 growing buffalo c alves divided into three groups of six animals each. The three groups were fed as follows: Group 1, conventional concentrate mixture; Group 2, Uromalt-20; Group 3, conventional concentrate mixture plus Uromalt- 20 in a ratio of 1:1. Dry matter intake was similar among all the trea tments. Dry matter, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre and crude fibre digestibilities significantly (P < 0.05) differed among tr eatments, whereas crude protein and ether extract (EE) digestibilities were almost similar for all three treatments. The digestible crude pr otein (DCP) percentage of concentrate mixtures of the three treatments was similar. However, the percentage of total digestible nutrients (T DN) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher for concentrates fed to Group 2 than those fed to Groups 1 and 3. Average daily gain, serum NH3-N an d urea contents were similar for all the treatments. The feed consumed per kilogram gain was 10.5 +/- 0.3 kg, 10.1 +/- 1.5 kg and 10.0 +/- 1 .0 kg for Groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively.