Avaliação do resíduo seco da destilaria com solúveis (DDGS) em dieta para felinos domésticos

Abstract

It was aimed to evaluate the inclusion of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), with a 0 and 15% inclusion level, regarding the dry matter apparent digestibility, organic matter, crude protein, ethereal extract, mineral matter, acceptability, fatty acid production of short (AGCC) and branched (AGCR) chains, urinary pH, phenol and indole production, fecal microbiome and redox parameters for domestic felines. The experiment was carried out at the Center for Studies in the Nutrition of Companion Animals of the Department of Zootechnics at UFLA, for a period of 2 months (JanuaryFebruary 2022). Sixteen mixed breed adult cats, male and female, weighing 4.16 ± 0.26 were used. The control food was offered to 8 animals while the test food was offered to the other 8 ones in a fully randomized design. The animals underwent a 20- day adaptation period, during which the acceptability test was performed. After this period, total collection of feces was carried out for 7 days for a digestibility analysis of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), mineral matter (MM) and ethereal extract in acid hydrolysis (EEHA). The digestibility collection was used to achieve the equations proposed by Matterson et al., (1965) and calculate the ingredient digestibility coefficients. After this period, it began the collection of 3 days of feces for analysis of short-chain (SCFA), branched chain (AGCR) fatty acids, phenol, indole and fecal microbiome. At the end of the 60 days, blood was collected to evaluate enzymes related to oxidative status (catalase, glutathione, lipid peroxidation rate and superoxide dismutase). The variable of digestibility coefficients, acceptability and fermentation products were analyzed by the Shapiro Wilk Test and ANOVA, and the redox parameters were undergone to the T test, in an unpaired way, and those which did not have a normal distribution to the Mann-Whitney Test, considering probability of 5%. No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed for the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of DM, CP and EEHA, but there was a difference (p<0.05) for the ADC of MM and MO. For the redox parameters, there was no significant difference for most of the evaluated enzymes, except for catalase, which showed a trend. For fermentation products, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) for SCFA, because the propionate presents difference among treatments. There was a difference (p<0.05) for 4-Ethylphenol, in which the test food had the highest amount of this compound. Regarding the fecal microbiome, there was a statistical trend (p<0.10) for the Actinobacteriota phylum, which was greater in the control treatment. As the outcome of this study, data on the fecal microbiome, fermentation products, ADC, acceptability and redox parameters of cats fed with DDGS provide evidence that this protein source and the inclusion level tested are adequate and can be safely included up to the level of 15 % in food for healthy adult cats.