Study on fermented total mixed rations containing passion fruit peel for beef cattle production
The study was conducted to evaluate the potential use of passion fruit peel (Passiflora edulis) in fermented total mixed rations (FTMR) for beef cattle. A laboratory experiment was arranged using four roughage bases (elephant grass, maize stover, elephant grass + maize stover, and elephant grass + rice straw) and four inclusion levels of passion fruit peel (20, 40, 60, and 80% of the roughage dry matter). The parameters analyzed included dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), metabolizable energy (ME), pH, and sensory characteristics during storage. The results identified four optimal FTMR formulations using passion fruit peel with different roughage bases: For the roughage bases of elephant grass or maize stover alone, the inclusion rate of passion fruit peel was 60% (on a DM basis) of the total roughage; for the combined roughage bases, the inclusion rate was 40%. These formulations ensured a nutritional composition meeting the requirements of beef cattle (CP 11.5 - 12.1% DM; ME 2.32 - 2.44 Mcal/kg DM) and maintained good fermentation quality, with stable pH (<5.0) and above-average sensory scores after 60 days of ensiling. Feeding trials on beef cattle showed that these FTMR formulations achieved average daily gains of 680 - 720 g/head/day and feed conversion ratios of 8.5 - 8.7 kg DM/kg gain, comparable to the control total mixed ration (TMR).
