USO DE ÓLEOS ESSENCIAIS DE CRAVO, LARANJA E MISTURA COMO ADITIVO EM SILAGEM DE MILHO

Abstract

One of the main components of ruminant diets is silage, which is easy to store and is available during the all year, even with seasonal variation. Ensiling is carried out to preserve the energy and nutrients of the crop after harvest until it is fed to the animal. Essential oils have been a promising proposal as additives in livestock farming, as they improve feed efficiency and animal productivity, this is due to their antimicrobial, anti inflammatory, antioxidant and digestive modulating effects on ruminal metabolism. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of clove essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum), sweet orange (Citrus X sinensis) and an essential oil mixture consisting of 50% sweet orange oil (Citrus % of clove oil (Syzygium aromaticum), in dosages (250, 500, 750 mg/kg), also the treatment 100% silage and commercial inoculant, in fermentative, bromatological and in vitro digestibility parameters. The design used was completely randomized, with eleven treatments and five replications. The 500 and 750mg/kg doses of clove essential oil, 500 and 750mg/kg of orange essentialoil and the 750mg/kg dose of the mix increased the MM content in relation to silage without additives. MO had its values reduced with the addition of orange EO. Clove EOincreased EE values. Regarding pH values, it was noted that orange EO and MIX reducedthis parameter in relation to control silage. The essential oils used in the present study caused changes in the nutritional quality of corn silage.