388 Bayou Beef: A random effects model of crustacean waste as a feedstock

摘要

It is important for researchers, as progressive producers, to consider human enterprise wastes as one of the next steps in feedstuff investigation. In an effort to reuse a seemingly useless and disposable component of one of America’s most enjoyed aquatic delicacies, our objective was to determine the nutritive value of crawfish and shrimp shells in relation to ruminant nutrition. These discarded items were collected from local events and sorted into four different groups: crawfish heads, crawfish tails, shrimp shells, and shrimp tails. Crawfish and shrimp wastes were tested independent of each other. These groups were dried at 55°C for 72 h and ground to pass through a 2-mm screen. Samples were subjected to a batch-culture in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) assay. A separate set of samples (1 mm) were assayed for dry matter, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL; inclusive of residual ash). Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Crawfish heads were assayed to contain 26.2% NDF, 13.4% ADF, and 1.0% ADL, while crawfish tails contained 23.7% NDF, 16.3% ADF, and 1.1% ADL. Crawfish heads and tails did not differ in IVTD (P = 0.48) or in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD; P = 0.13; 76.7 vs. 77.2% and 86.8 vs. 91.0%, respectively). Shrimp shells contained 36.1% NDF, 26.9% ADF, and 4.1% ADL, whereas shrimp tails contained 29.1% NDF, 17.9% ADF, and 0.7% ADL. Shrimp tails had greater (P < 0.01) IVTD (74.2 vs. 66.4%) but lesser (P = 0.01) IVNDFD than shrimp shells (80.6 vs. 85.0%). Results are interpreted to mean that crustacean waste may represent a suitable prospective feedstuff for further evaluation.