FEED EVALUATION OF HEAT, CHEMICALLY OR BIOLOGICALLY TREATED Jatropha curcas MEAL AS NON TRADITIONAL FEED.

A study was conducted to determine the effect of treating Jatropha curcas meal with heat (JMH), biologically with lactobacillus bacteria (JMB), or chemically with isopropanol (JMI) on its anti-nutritive compounds in order to induce Jatropha curcas meal in ruminants feeds to replace part of the costly imported soybean meal. In situ trial was also conducted to evaluate degradability of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) in the rumen of two canulated male buffaloes fed rice straw and concentrate feed mixture. The experimental concentrate feed mixture (CFM), contained soybean meal to be replaced with untreated Jatropha meal (JMU) by 0%, JMU (CFM0), 25% JMU (CFM1), 50% JMU (CFM2) and 75% JMU (CFM3), or heated Jatropha meal (JMH) 25% (CFM4), 50% JMH (CFM5) and 75% (CFM6) or chemical Jatropha meal (JMI) 25% (CFM7), 50% JMB (CFM8) and 75% (CFM9), or biological Jatropha meal (JMB) 25% (CFM10), 50% JMI (CFM11) and 75% JMB (CFM12) of Soybean meal. Treatment JM with bacteria increased both CP and ash content, while CF content was decreased. Meantime, treatment Jatropha meal with heat (JMH) decreased CP. Other treatments had almost similar CF content. All treatments, showed a positive effect in decreasing concentration of anti-nutritive compounds. The biological treatment with bacteria resulted in the highest decrease of anti-nutritive compounds. Meanwhile heat treatment had the least effect in decreasing anti-nutritive compounds. Rations with bacteria treated JCM had highest DM and OM degradability values, as compared with other treatments. On the other hand, rations with isopropanol treated JMI, had highest CP degradability. Effective degradability ED (%) of DM and OM were highest for ration contained bacteria treated JMB. While, no significant differences were detected among rations for EDCP.  Under the conditions of the present experiment, it could be concluded that the bacterial treated JCMB could replace up to 75% of the soybean meal in the CFM. However, including Jatropha meal (JM) in ruminant rations still needs more investigation to study its effect on animal performance and its residual effect in milk and meat.