Effect of Tannic Acid Treatment of Groundnut Cake on Nutrient Utilisation and Rumen Metabolites in Bullocks

Four x Four Latin Square design, using four fistulated cross-bred (HF x K and J x K F F1) bullocks with four periods af 28 d, was followed for studying the effect of tannic acid (commercial grade) treatment of groundnut eake (GNC) on nutrient utilization. Two kg GNC was fed as concentrate duly treated with tannic acid at Og (T1), 100g (T2) and 200 g (T3) levels. The animals in T4 were fed 1.7 kg GNC + 50 g urea treated with 100 g tannic acid. Two kg green ‘NB-21’ (Hybrid napier) and ad lib mature pasture grass formed the basal roughage for all animals. DM intake was 2.38, 2.36, 2.30 and 2.31 kg/100 kg body weight and 103.9, 102.8, 100.1 and 100.9 g/kgW0.75 under T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. The digestibilities of various proximate nutrients were also not affected by tannic acid treatment. The balances of N, Ca and P were positive and the differences amongst various treatment groups were non-significant (p > 0.05). Average ruminal pH was very similar in all treatments. The rumen metabolites like total-N, NH3-N, NPN and Protein-N did not show differences (P > 0.05) due to treatment effect.