BAGAÇO DE CANA-DE-AÇÚCAR COMO FONTE ALIMENTAR ALTERNATIVA PARA RUMINANTES

Abstract

Sugarcane is one of the most widespread crops in Brazil, with high production, processing technology and, consequently, the generation of a large quantity of products and by-products from the processing plants of this culture. Sugarcane bagasse is one of the main agro-industrial residues generated in our country, expressing about 30% of the raw material processed. This by-product, despite its low nutritional value, can be used as a source of fiber, it can partially or totally replace some foods in the diet of ruminant animals, contributing to the ruminal health of the animals, mainly in confinement. Various technologies have been applied through chemical, physical or microbiological treatments of sugarcane bagasse in order to improve ruminal digestibility and animal performance. Thus, the objective of this work was to emphasize the productive performance of ruminants fed with sugarcane bagasse, as well as their different forms of processing and use in animal feed.