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Tropentag, October 5 - 7, 2004 in Berlin

"Rural Poverty Reduction
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Saponin-containing Methanol Extract of Sapindus rarak Improved Sheep Performance Without Affecting Digestibility

Elizabeth Wina, Stefan Muetzel, Ellen Hoffmann, Klaus Becker

University of Hohenheim, Insitute for Animal Production in the Tropics and Subtropics, Germany


Abstract


An in vivo feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of saponins-containing methanol extract to sheep performance. The experiment used 28 sheep, all fed with a mixture of dried sugar cane top and wheat pollard (75:25) at the level of 4% body weight. Methanol extract of S. rarak (MS) was mixed with wheat pollard and was offered twice a day at the level 0, 4, 8 and 12 g/day to groups of 7 sheep each for 105 days. Faeces and urine collections were carried out twice at 4 weeks and 10 weeks of feeding for digestibility measurement. Urine was analysed for allantoin, uric acid and xanthine, hypoxanthine. Body weight was measured every two weeks. There was no negative effect of MS to intake as the intake over treatments was similar (average 61.7 g/W^0.75). There was also no significant difference on OM, NDF or nitrogen digestibilities. However, there was an increase in average daily gain (P<0.05); those were 37, 35, 50 and 53 g/day for the level of 0, 4, 8 and 12g MS/day, respectively. The increase of body weight gain was not due to intake or digestibility. There was no increase in nitrogen retention but the efficiency microbial protein synthesis (EMPS) was slightly increased; i.e 4.19, 5.55, 6.02 and 6.81 for the level of 0, 4, 8 and 12 g MS/ day (P>0,05). Other factors in MS or other effect of saponins in MS to the animal body that could contribute to the improvement of body weight cannot be overlooked . In conclusion, saponins-containing methanol extract of Sapindus rarak improved average daily gain.


Keywords: Body weight, digestibility, Sapindus rarak, saponin, sheep


Contact Address: Elizabeth Wina, University of Hohenheim, Insitute for Animal Production in the Tropics and Subtropics, Fruwirth Strasse 12, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany, e-mail: wina@uni-hohenheim.de


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