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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Forage:Concentrate Ratio Effects on In Vivo Digestibility an...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(16); 2589; doi: 10.3390/ani13162589

Forage:Concentrate Ratio Effects on In Vivo Digestibility and In Vitro Degradability of Horse’s Diet.

Abstract: Determination of digestibility represents the first step for the evaluation of the net energy content of feed for livestock animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo digestibility and in vitro degradability of five diets characterized by different forage/concentrate ratios (F:C) in horses. The in vitro degradability was determined by the Gas Production Technique (GPT), using as an inoculum source the feces of the same subjects used for the in vivo test. Five diets consisting of poliphyte hay, straw and grains of barley and oats with a different F:C ratio [90/10 (Diet 1); 78/22 (Diet 2); 68/32 (Diet 3); 60/40 (Diet 4); 50/50 (Diet 5) were formulated and administered in succession, starting with Diet 1. In the in vivo results, no significant differences emerged, despite the different F:C content. In in vitro fermentation, four diets out of the five (2, 3, 4, 5) presented a similar trend of the curve of gas production, showing good activity of the fecal micro population during the first hours of incubation. An important correlation between gas and Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) were found, suggesting that the processes linked to the micro population deriving from the horse's caecum follow metabolic pathways whose products can be modeled in the same way as for the rumen. The GPT could represent the correct method for studying the nutritional characteristics of feed for horses, using feces as the source of inoculum, even if further investigations must be performed to improve the technique.
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Publication Date: 2023-08-11 PubMed ID: 37627380PubMed Central: PMC10452004DOI: 10.3390/ani13162589Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research explores the effect of varying forage to concentrate ratios in the diet of horses, and how these differences influence digestion and degradability rates in the animals. Both in vivo and in vitro tests were performed, revealing similarities regardless of diet composition, and demonstrating potential in the gas production method for studies of horse nutritional characteristics.

Study Purpose and Methodology

  • Understanding the digestibility of horse feed is crucial as it determines the net energy content. It’s against this backdrop that the researchers conducted this study.
  • The study’s purpose was to assess in vivo digestibility and in vitro degradability of five different horse diets. Each diet had a different ratio of forage (hay, straw) to concentrate (barley, oats).
  • In vivo digestibility was tested on the horses themselves, while in vitro degradability was evaluated using the Gas Production Technique (GPT). The same horses used for in vivo testing provided the fecal samples for the in vitro tests.

This Diet Design

  • Five diets were crafted, starting with a forage to concentrate (F:C) ratio of 90:10 (diet 1) and gradually increasing the proportion of concentrates to a 50:50 ratio (diet 5).
  • Each diet was administered to the horses sequentially, and their effects on digestion were studied in each case.

Findings of the In Vivo and In Vitro Tests

  • No significant differences were observed in the in vivo test results, regardless of the varying F:C ratios.
  • For in vitro fermentation, diets 2 through 5 revealed a similar pattern of gas production. This result suggests effective activity from the fecal microbial population during the earliest hours of incubation.

Correlation Found and Future Prospect

  • A significant correlation was found between gas and Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA), an estimated metabolite from the degradability process. This suggests that metabolic mechanisms in horse’s caecum and rumen perform similarly and can be modeled using the same approach.
  • The study demonstrates the potential of the GPT as an effective method to research horse nutrition. Using feces as an inoculum source is presented as a possible way forward. However, further optimization and tests are necessary to refine this technique.

Cite This Article

APA
Zicarelli F, Tudisco R, Lotito D, Musco N, Iommelli P, Ferrara M, Calabrò S, Infascelli F, Lombardi P. (2023). Forage:Concentrate Ratio Effects on In Vivo Digestibility and In Vitro Degradability of Horse’s Diet. Animals (Basel), 13(16), 2589. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13162589

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 16
PII: 2589

Researcher Affiliations

Zicarelli, Fabio
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
Tudisco, Raffaella
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
Lotito, Daria
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
Musco, Nadia
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
Iommelli, Piera
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
Ferrara, Maria
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
Calabrò, Serena
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
Infascelli, Federico
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
Lombardi, Pietro
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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