Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:08:29.609Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A study of various chemical treatments to remove lignin from coarse roughages and increase their digestibility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Suresh Chandra  and
M. G. Jackson
Suresh Chandra
Affiliation:
College of Agriculture, U.P. Agricultural University, Pantnagar, District Nainital, U.P., India
M. G. Jackson
Affiliation:
College of Agriculture, U.P. Agricultural University, Pantnagar, District Nainital, U.P., India
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Several delignifying agents, used in various paper-making processes, have been compared for their ability to remove lignin and increase the digestibility of several roughages in laboratory experiments using a spray method of treatment recently suggested by Wilson & Pigden (1964). The chemicals were dissolved in small quantities of water which were then used to moisten the roughage. No washing was done after treatment. Sodium hydroxide was the most effective chemical; at a rate of 10 g per 100 g of roughage, the lignin content of ground maize cobs was reduced by 26% and rumen dry-matter digestibility increased by more than 100%. Bleaching powder was as effective as sodium hydroxide in removing lignin, but residual chlorine apparently inhibited rumen microbial digestion.

Maize cobs, wheat and paddy straws, sorghum stover and sugar cane tops, though of widely differing initial digestibility, were brought to an equal level of rumen digestibility if treated with 4% or more of sodium hydroxide. Drying the treated roughage at 100 degrees instead of at room temperature increased digestibility only in the case of maize cobs. The alkali spray treatment was as effective in increasing the digestibility of chaffed as of ground wheat straw. Data are presented which show the amounts of residual alkali in treated roughage as a function of time after treatment and of concentration of alkali used in the treatment. Further, data are presented which show the loss of nutrients from treated roughage if washed as in the traditional method.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 77 , Issue 1 , August 1971 , pp. 11 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beckmann, E. (1921). Conversion of grain straw and lupins into feeds of high nutrient value. Festchr. Kaiser Wilhelm Oes. Forderung Wiss. zehnjährigen Jubiläum, pp. 18–26 (Chem. Abstr. 16, 765).Google Scholar
Crampton, E. W. & Maynard, L. A. (1938). The relation of cellulose and lignin content to the nutritive value of animal feeds. J. Nutr. 15, 383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donefer, R., Adeleye, I. O. A. & Jones, T. A. O. C. (1969). Effect of urea supplementation on the nutritive value of NaOH-treated oat straw. Advances in Chemistry Series, no. 95, Celluloses and their Applications. New York: American Chemical Society.Google Scholar
Ferguson, W. S. (1942). The digestibility of wheat straw and wheat straw pulp. Biochem. J. 36, 786.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keuren, R. W. V. & Heineman, W. W. (1962). Study of a nylon bag technique for in vitro estimation of forage digestibility. J. Anim. Sci. 21, 340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peabl, I. A. (1967). The Chemistry of Lignin. New York: Marcel Dekkar, Inc.Google Scholar
Sėn, K. C., Ray, S. C. & Talapatra, S. K. (1942). The nutritive value of alkali-treated cereal straws. Indian J. vet. Sci. 12, 263.Google Scholar
Singh, M. & Jackson, M. G. (1971). The effect of different levels of sodium hydroxide spray treatment of wheat straw on consumption and digestibility by cattle. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 77, 5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sullivan, J. T. & Hershberger, T. V. (1959). Effect of chlorine dioxide on lignin content and cellulose digestibility of forages. Science 130, 1252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thacker, E. J. (1954). A modified procedure for lignin. J. Anim. Sci. 13, 501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, R. K. & Pigden, W. J. (1964). Effect of a Sodium hydroxide treatment on the utilization of wheat straw and poplar wood by rumen microorganisms. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 44, 122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar