EFFECT OF PROBIOTIC ON IN VITRO RABBIT CECUM FERMENTATION, CHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND IN VITRO DIGESTIBILITY

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of probiotic s on the in vitro rabbit cecum fermentation by adding some probiotic preparations as yeasts, ZAD® and ZADO® to the rabbit basal diet. The amount of dry matter (DM), ash (ASH), crude fiber (CF), ether extract (EE), and crude protein (CP) in the meal of the experimental rabbits was measured chemically. Studying the effect of treatment and time on the in vitro dry matter disappearance (DMD), gases, and interactions with the time obtained for the tested diets. Results revealed that all probiotic treatments (yeasts, ZAD® and ZADO®) improved the in vitro digestibility as increase in DMD (44.09, 46.86, and 46.77%) and decrease in gas production (41.50, 38.41, and 37.83 ml3), respectively compared to that of the control evaluated diets. The highest values of DMD recorded after 24h of incubation time. In addition, ZAD® and ZADO® have the maximum improvement at all times. The findings of the current study concluded that probiotics had an impact on the in vitro fermentation of rabbit cecum and introduced it as a potential low-cost, effective, alternative source of protein-rich diet for rabbits.