Effect of a diet based on biotransformed sorghum on rabbit intestinal morphology and feces fiber composition

CARLOS A. HERNÁNDEZ-MARTÍNEZ; LAURA LEVIN; GRISELDA TREVIÑO-CABRERA; CARLOS E. HERNÁNDEZ-LUNA; HUGO BERNAL-BARRAGÁN; UZIEL CASTILLO-VELÁZQUEZ; LUIS EDGAR RODRÍGUEZ-TOVAR; CESAR DÁVILA-MARTÍNEZ; ARMANDO TREJO-CHÁVEZ; GERARDO MÉNDEZ-ZAMORA; GUADALUPE GUTIÉRREZ-SOTO

Microbiology Research

MDPI

Lugar: Basel; Año: 2022

2036-7481

Some of the challenges in meat production systems are to improve feed efficiency, reduce costs, provide proper nutrition, and avoid metabolic disorders. It’s for that the aim of this work was to compare a rabbits diet based on untreated sorghum (T1) with a second one applying the cereal biotransformed by co-cultivation of two basidiomycetes (T2). Their effects on cereal, diets and feces structural fiber, as well as intestinal morphology were evaluated. For the above, a completely randomized design was used where 24 New Zealand rabbits (21 days old) were distributed between the two treatments. The results of fiber chemical composition of the sorghum treated with the co-culture and the diet T2 showed minor content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. Meanwhile, excrements had got a decrease in NDF, ADF and cellulose content was detected in T2 nourished rabbits excrements at day 21 (P≤0.05), while lignin percentages diminished at days 35 and 49 (P≤0.05). These rabbits also showed longer jejunum and caecum villi (P≤0.05). The results obtained suggest a positive effect in the bioavailability of structural fibers after sorghum fungal co-fermentation, as their content decreased in rabbit fecal matter without damaging the intestinal morphology.