Four Santa Gertrudis young bulls fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannula were randomly assigned to a 4 x 4 Latin square to compare ruminal, intestinal, and total tract digestibility of nutrients estimated by the internal marker indigestible acid detergent fiber (IADF) or by the external marker chromic oxide (Cr2O3). Animals were fed palisadegrass hay (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) and concentrates formulated to allow daily body weight gain of 0.5 and 1 kg and potential of microbial fermentation of 9.5 and 11 g of microbial crude protein/MJ of fermentable metabolizable energy. Concentrates contained mineral mixture, ground corn, ground soybean, soybean and cottonseed meals. There was no significant interaction between diets and markers. Except for the apparent intestinal digestibility coefficients of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber, all remaining (OM, CP, and TC) digestibility coefficients differed significantly comparing IADF with Cr2O3. When IADF was used, ruminal and total tract digestibility of nutrients were greater while intestinal digestibility was lower compared to Cr2O3. Indigestible ADF yielded the best estimates of nutrient digestibility coefficients in diets with high proportion of forage (57 to 70% of total DM).
chromic oxide; indigestible acid detergent fiber; intestinal digestibility; ruminal digestibility
