Bromatological composition of palm kernel meal according to its origin and production periods potential use of palm kernel meal in animal feed

Abstract

Ecuador has a variety of agroindustrial by-products, which can be used in animal feed, although their nutritional values are often unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate bromatological composition of palm kernel cake (PKC) in samples from two palm oil extraction plants in two areas (Quevedo and Santo Domingo) and two production periods (August and September). Random samples were taken weekly with two repetitions for a total of 64 samples. Dry matter (DM), ash, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fibre (CF), nitrogen-free extract (NFE), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), calcium, phosphorus, crude energy (CE) and metabolisable energy (ME) were determined. OM (62.92%) and EE (10.10%) content were higher at the Quevedo plant, while CF (23.84%) and ADL (24.66%) were higher at the Santo Domingo plant. The sampling period affected DM (98.58%), CF (23.98%) and ADL (23.78%) content, which were higher in September, while EE (10.87%) and phosphorus (0.44%) were higher in August. For CP, NFE, NDF, ADF, ash, calcium, CE and ME, interaction was observed between the two factors studied. It was concluded that most of the parameters analysed depend on the place of origin or the extraction season, or interaction between the two factors.