CONSUMO E DIGESTIBILIDADE DE NUTRIENTES DE BOVINOS DE CORTE, SUPLEMENTADOS COM BIOPOLIMERO NATURAL, EM DIETAS SEM FORRAGENS

Chitosan (Chi), a natural biopolymer, extracted from crustaceans, shrimp and crabs; characteristic antimicrobial activity. The objective of this work was to evaluate the chitosan addition to cattle receiving diets without forrage, on nutrient intake and digestibility. Five crossbred cannulated steers were used in the rumen, distributed randomly in DQL 5x5. The CHI was included in the diets in the proportions of 0, 375, 750 and 1500 mg / kg of ingested DM, Virginamycin (VG) was used as a positive control. The diets used were composed of 15% protein-mineral-vitamin pellet and 85% whole corn. No effects were observed for dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and crude protein (CP) and starch consumption. The addition of chitosan at the dose of 375 mg / kg gave higher intakes of DM (7.62 kg) and NDF (1.32 kg) between the doses of chitosan. Animals supplemented with virginiamycin had lower CMS. There was no effect (P> 0.05) between the doses of chitosan evaluated for the digestibi