BASE LINE INFORMATION ON NUTRITIONAL PROFILING OF NON-CONVENTIONAL LIVESTOCK FEED RESOURCES

Abstract

Non-conventional feed resources (NCFR) generally refer to all those feeds that have not been traditionally used for feeding livestock and are not commercially used in the production of livestock feeds. The shortage of feed resources for livestock and poultry feeding diverted majority of research in the field of animal nutrition to look into all possibilities to overcome this nutritional crisis. The most viable proposition could be the inclusion new NCFR in ration with suitable complete feed technology, so as to utilize the feed resources with maximum efficiency. A major gap exists between the demand and supply of concentrates and green and dry fodders for feeding livestock in the world. To overcome this shortage, it is essential to increase the availability of feed and fodder for the different productions and functions of the animals. One of the solutions is also to exploit the use NCFR in the animal feeding system. Some of the potentially available NCFR are rubber seed cake, Sal seed meal, tapioca waste, tea waste, babul seeds, slaughter house by-products, mango seed kernels, nizger seed cake, karanj cake, guar meal, Prosopis juliflora pods and cassava leaf meal, Sea buckthorn leaves, cake and pomace, and animal organic wastes (bovine and poultry excreta) etc. Many of these feed materials are low in energy, protein, minerals and contain high amounts of lignin, silica and other nutritionally incriminating substances. The main constraints to the use of non-conventional feed resources are collection, dehydration for high moisture content and detoxification processes. Processing technologies that are economic and practical are urgently required. The utilization of non-conventional feedstuffs of plant origin had been limited as a result of the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, oxalic acids, phytates, protease inhibitors, haematoglutinin, saponegin, momosine, cyanoglycosides, linamarin to mention a few despite their nutrient values and low cost implications. These anti-nutritional factors negate growth and other physiological activities at higher inclusion levels. These anti-nutritional factors need to be removed or inactivated by various procedures before the use of the ingredients in the diet.