Assessment of feeding value of vegetable-carried pineapple fruit wastes to Red Sokoto goats in Ogbomoso, Oyo State of Nigeria

This study compared the sun-drying characteristics of five blends each (w/w; 1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2, 1:2.5, 1:3) of wheat offal-carried pineapple waste (WO:PW) and brewers’ dried grains-carried pineapple waste (BDG:PW), assessed the blends for their nutrient contents and the feeding value of the optimum blends with Red Sokoto (RS) goats. Moisture contents of all the blends were reduced to between 10.95 - 14.38% and 11.73 - 14.72%, respectively for WO:PW and BDG:PW blends within 7 h. Drying was observed to be optimum at 1WO:2PW and 1BDG:2PW and their respective proximate compositions suggest their potentials as an energy source and a protein source respectively in ruminant nutrition. Free choice intake, coefficient of preference and percentage preference of the optimum blends (1WO:2PW and 1BDG:2PW) and their respective equal mixtures (w/w) with a formulated conventional concentrate (CCON) by RS goats, were subsequently evaluated alongside the CCON in a cafeteria system. Results indicated that RS goats would opt for CCON in preference to other test feeds, but would readily accept WO-carried pineapple waste as an alternative to CCON.   Key words: Acceptability, feed processing, fruit-processing by-products, seasonal nutritional stress, small ruminants.