Carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for ruminants, which are most often divided into structural and non-structural carbohydrates. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) fraction accounts for the majority of the structural carbohydrates that make up the cell walls of plants, which covers very heterogeneous chemical compounds: cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and e.g. the non-soluble part of pectins. The acid detergent fiber (ADF) fraction consists of cellulose and lignin, and the latter is indigestible to ruminants, similarly to monogastric animals (e.g. pigs, poultry). Structural carbohydrates (NDF, ADF) break down more slowly and are less digestible compared to non-structural carbohydrates (e.g. starch, sugar, soluble part of pectins, glucans, as well as fermentation end products in feeds preserved by fermentation – lactic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, etc.). The balanced ratio of the two groups (structural vs. non-structural carbohydrates) in feed rations of ruminants has a fundamental effect on the animals’ production, health, reproductive biological performance, and milk composition.
Nagy cukortartalmú élelmiszeripari melléktermékek beillesztése a kérődző állatok takarmányozásába