Effect of blend Enterococcus faecium plus Saccharomyces cerevisiae in different doses on intake and digestibility of steers in feedlot

Abstract Text: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of different probiotic doses on the intake and partial digestibility of dry matter. Were evaluated six Nellore steers fitted with ruminal cannulas and allocated to a double 3 x 3 Latin square design with three treatments and tree periods on two simultaneous repetitions. The blend of Enterococcus faecium (5 x 10⁹ ufc/g of product) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (5 x 10⁹ ufc/g of product) in different doses (0, 1 or 2 g/day) were provided on the rumen. Steers were fed a diet containing 200 g/kg of corn silage and 800 g/kg concentrate. Within each experimental period, 18 days were to adaptation, DMI and digestibility were recorded from d 19 to 21. The statistical analyzes were conducted using PROC MIXED from SAS and means were compared using Tukey test (P<0.05). Different doses of probiotic did not affect (P> 0.05) DMI, whereas the digestibility of OM (746.4, 697.9, 689.2 g/kg), and carbohydrates (757.4, 715.8, 706.6 g/kg) showed a quadratic response to 0, 1 and 2 g/day, respectively.

Keywords: Concentrate, Digestibility, Probiotic