The objectives of this work were to evaluate effects of replacing corn by cassava by-product meal, in diets of Saanen lactating goats, on potencial, effective and corrected effective degradability of diets with steers, and on ruminal pH and ruminal ammonia, plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) concentrations in lactating goats. Two steers and four multiparous goats fitted with ruminal cannula and 100 days in milking were used. The design was a 4 x 4 Latin square and treatments as following: 0, 33, 67 and 100% replacement of corn by cassava by-product meal. Rations degradability was determined using in situ technique. Potential degradability of experimental diets showed small variation for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and starch (S) but effective and corrected effective degradability increased as corn was replaced by cassava by-product meal. Treatments did not influence ruminal pH and ruminal ammonia, PUN and MUN concentrations. There was a positive correlation (P<0.05; r = 0.9288) between PUN and MUN concentrations, making possible PUN estimation from the equation: PUN (mg/dL) = 0.7672*MUN (mg/dL) + 7.4894. These results permit to conclude that cassava by-product meal can be used in lactating goat diets, as 30% of DM, in total replacing of corn, without problems in ruminal fermentation and protein metabolism.
cassava; dairy goats; degradability; rumen; urea
