Influence of Copra Meal in the Lambs Diet on In Vitro Ruminal Kinetics and Greenhouse Gases Production

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of copra meal (the waste coconut of the oil industry) on in vitro ruminal kinetic and greenhouse gases production and on in vivo lamb performance. Twenty-eight male Rambouillet sheep (initial body weight 24.5 ± 3.9 kg) were randomly assigned to one of the four treatments: 0, 50, 100, and 150 g of copra meal/kg in their diet (dry matter basis). Final weight, weight gain, and feed intake were not affected (p > 0.05) by the copra meal addition. The gas production volume (V) decreased, and the gas production rate increased, in a linear trend (p < 0.05) as copra meal was added to the diet. In contrast, methane and CO2 production showed an opposite quadratic trend (p < 0.05), with the highest and lowest values reported at 100 g/kg DM of copra meal, respectively. The addition of copra meal in the lambs’ diet decreases the volume of gas production and is a strategy to decrease methane and carbon dioxide production in feeding without affecting animal performance.