The Effect of Microbial Treated Rice Husk Diets on Milk Physicochemical Properties of West African Dwarf Does During Lactation.

Özet

Abstract

Rice husk is an abundant agro-industrial by-product in tropical regions, but its utilization in ruminant feeding is limited due to high fibre and low digestibility. Microbial treatment has been proposed as an effective strategy to enhance its nutritive value and improve livestock productivity. This study evaluated the effects of microbial-treated rice husk–based diets on milk physicochemical properties of West African Dwarf (WAD) does during lactation. Forty lactating WAD does (12–14 kg body weight) were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design: T1 (maize-based control), T2 (bacterial-treated rice husk), T3 (fungal-treated rice husk), and T4 (combined bacterial and fungal-treated rice husk). Milk samples were collected weekly and analyzed for moisture, total solids, density, pH, titratable acidity, fat, protein, lactose, solid-not-fat, ash, salt content, and freezing point using standard analytical procedures. Results showed that moisture content and protein were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by dietary treatments, with the highest protein value recorded in T1. Density also differed significantly among treatments, whereas total solids, fat, lactose, ash, and freezing point were not significantly affected (P > 0.05). Across lactation weeks, moisture increased progressively, while total solids, fat, and protein declined, reflecting physiological changes associated with advancing lactation. The findings demonstrate that microbial-treated rice husk diets can be incorporated into WAD goat feeding systems without detrimental effects on milk physicochemical quality. However, lactation stage remained the dominant factor influencing milk composition. These results highlight the potential of microbial processing techniques to improve the utilization of crop residues in sustainable dairy goat production systems in the tropics.

Keywords: West African Dwarf goats; Microbial treatment; Rice husk; Milk composition; Lactation; Agro-industrial by-products.