Grinding sorghum to 600 microns is considered an optimal compromise between animal performance, feed handling characteristics and grinding efficiency. Fine grinding of sorghum is recommended to improve nutrient digestibility and consequently the efficiency of feed utilization. ProcessingĮxtruding sorghum does not always yield superior performance as it does not destroy tannins, although starch digestibility due to gelatinization may be improved in young chicks, pigs, and calves. When sorghum of unknown tannin concentration is used, it is best to be conservative, as always. Sorghum with 0.5% to 1% tannins may make up 50% of the total cereal concentration in a formula, whereas sorghum with more than 1% tannins should be used in gradually increasing amounts, or even better reserved only for feeds destined to older and more tolerant animals. Low-tannin sorghum, containing less than 0.5% tannins, may be used freely in all feeds. These measures, however, are rather impractical as they increase the final cost of feeding sorghum. Also, micronization and addition of polyethylene glycol can improve the feeding value of high-tannin sorghum. Chemical treatment with 0.8N HCl or 0.8N NaOH (25% by weight) for two days decreases considerably the concentration of tannins and improves digestibility. The only practical solution to the problem of tannins is to use varieties low in tannins. Tannins not only reduce palatability and subsequently feed intake and growth, but as indicated above, they reduce amino acid digestibility. Although seed color is a good initial indicator of tannin concentration, the concentration of tannins in many modern brown-seed varieties (bird resistant) may be as low as that in yellow-seed varieties. The concentration of tannins in yellow seed varieties ranges from 0.2% to 0.5%, whereas that of most brown-seed varieties can reach more than 3%. The palatability of sorghum can be affected by the presence of tannins (condensed) and other bitter substances which, in nature, serve as a deterrent against birds on the field. Sorghum contains virtually no pigments that can be absorbed by the animal, and thus fat from sorghum-fed pigs will be whiter than fat from corn-fed pigs. This difference is mainly due to the presence of tannins in sorghum.Ĭarcass firmness from sorghum-fed pigs is similar to that from corn-fed pigs, which in turn is rather soft compared to carcass from wheat/barley-fed pigs. Total nitrogen digestibility is 75% and 81% in sorghum and corn, respectively. In addition, the protein (amino acid) digestibility in sorghum is lower than that in corn. For this reason, it is important to know the protein content of a batch of sorghum before committing to it. However, the greatest problem in sorghum is the wider variation in protein concentration as it ranges from below 7% to above 13%. 8%), but its protein profile is equally deficient in lysine and threonine. Sorghum contains slightly more protein than corn (9.5% vs. The nutritive value of sorghum is usually taken at 90% to 100% compared with corn, with a value of 96% being most common. Brown-seed varieties generally have lower nutritive value, mainly because they contain higher levels of anti-nutritional factors (tannins), but this is mostly determined by variety anymore. The waxy-starch (100% amylopectin) varieties appear to support better animal performance, compared with non-waxy or normal varieties (27% amylose and 73% amylopectin). Sorghum is composed mostly of starch and, like corn, waxy and non-waxy varieties exist. The chemical composition and nutritive value of sorghum is quite similar to that of corn. Of course, everything depends on the price of corn and those of locally grown cereals. Sorghum is an alternative cereal for corn in many countries worldwide as it is a commodity exported mainly from the U.S. Sorghum grain is a small, round seed with a color that ranges from almost yellow to dark red to dark brown.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |