Composition and in Vitro Digestibility of Monosaccharide Constituents of Selected Byproduct Feeds

Abstract

Nonforage byproduct feeds, including distillers dried grains (DDG), corn gluten feed (CGF), wheat bran (WB), beet pulp (BP), soybean hulls (SH), and dried citrus pulp (DCP), were examined for monosaccharide composition and in vitro digestibility by ruminal liquor. The dicotyledonous feeds (BP, SH, and DCP) contained more galactose, pectin, and NDF glucans and less NDF-xylan and NDF-arabinose than the monocotyledonous ones (DDG, CGF, and WB). The lowest values of lignin were found in CGF, SH, and DCP. Digestibility of total carbohydrate was around 90% in CGF, DCP, BP, and SH and around 80% in DDG and WB. Digestibility of total NDF polysaccharides was 86% in CGF and SH, 78--84% in DDG, DCP, and BP, and 56% in WB. In all byproducts, digestibility of NDF glucose and arabinose was higher than that of NDF xylose and uronic acids.