Objective:

To evaluate the chemical composition and organoleptic characteristics of silages of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench Citrus sp. pulp.

Materials and Methods:

The work was done with chopped S. bicolor plant and fresh citrus fruit pulp. A complete randomized factorial design and five treatments were applied: T1) 100 % S. bicolor, T2) 75 % S. bicolor + 25 % citrus fruit pulp, T3) 50 % S. bicolor + 50 % citrus fruit pulp, T4) 25 % S. bicolor + 75 % citrus fruit pulp and T5) 100 % citrus fruit pulp. The silages were evaluated on days 14, 28, 42 and 56 to determine the bromatological and organoleptic characteristics at the moment of final opening (56 days). Variance analysis was carried out to determine the dynamics of chemical composition, for which a linear model was used in which the treatments, times and treatments x times interactions were taken as effects.

Results:

Treatments T1 and T2 showed excellent organoleptic quality; while T3, T4 and T5 were evaluated as of good quality. The dry matter decreased as the percentage of citrus fruit pulp increased, in a range between 37,5 and 14,1 %. The content of neutral detergent fiber showed significant differences among all the treatments (p < 0,0001) and increased when the percentage of inclusion of citrus fruit pulp decreased in the silages, with values between 31,2 and 70,0 %. The content of the minerals calcium and magnesium showed adequate levels for the requirements of grazing ruminants, between 3,3-4,9 and 1,9-2,4 g/kg DM, respectively, in the silages of S. bicolor and citrus fruit pulp.

Conclusions:

The organoleptic characteristics of silages confirmed that they had from good to excellent quality. The inclusion of citrus fruit pulp in the mixtures decreased the content of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber; while the crude protein behaved according to the utilized raw materials.

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