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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Cotton Production and Processing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #128459
Title: THE COBY PROCESS: EFFECTS ON DIGESTIBILITY OF COTTON GIN BYPRODUCTS BY LAMBS

Author
item Holt, Gregory
item JOHNSON, M - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item RICHARDSON, C - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item Laird, Joseph - Weldon

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/9/2002
Publication Date: 1/9/2002
Citation: HOLT, G.A., JOHNSON, M.A., RICHARDSON, C.R., LAIRD, J.W. THE COBY PROCESS: EFFECTS ON DIGESTIBILITY OF COTTON GIN BYPRODUCTS BY LAMBS. PROCEEDINGS OF THE BELTWIDE COTTON CONFERENCES. COTTON ENGINEERING-SYSTEMS CONFERENCE. CD-ROM. MEMPHIS, TN: NATIONAL COTTON COUNCIL OF AMERICA. 2002.

Interpretive Summary: A value-added process known as the COBY (Cotton Byproducts) process, developed at the USDA-ARS Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit in Lubbock, Texas, was developed to enhance the current value of byproducts currently produced from the ginning operation. The process involves adding gelatinized starch to the byproducts and cooking them in an extruder. One area of potential benefit is in the realm of improving the nutritional characteristics of the byproducts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the COBY process on in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), apparent dry matter digestibility (ADD), feed intake (FI), nitrogen balance (NB), and nitrogen retention as a percentage of intake (NRi) and absorption (NRa). Concentrate diets containing a 30% roughage portion of cottonseed hulls (CSH), ground gin byproducts (GGB), and COBY with either 4% (COBY 4) or 13% (COBY 13) added starch were analyzed via an in vitro analyses and used in a metabolism study. Twenty- four crossbred wether lambs were utilized to determine the effects of the experimental diets. In vitro results indicated that CGB were more digestible than cottonseed hulls. Results of the metabolism study exhibited 6 to 10% higher digestibility values than those obtained during the in vitro studies. The GGB and COBY 4 showed more acceptable NB, NRi, and NRa. Of all variables measured, CSH treatment diets were superior only for FI. However, when all variables were accounted for, the best overall feeding value was the GGB and COBY 4 treatments. Data obtained from all experiments conducted during this study indicate CGB processed via COBY to be a viable roughage alternative for ruminant animals.

Technical Abstract: The Cotton Byproduct (COBY) process, developed at the USDA-ARS Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit in Lubbock, Texas, is a procedure used to add value to cotton gin byproducts (CGB) whereby a gelatinized starch solution is applied prior to extrusion. A metabolism study and two in vitro experiments were performed to determine the effects of the COBY process on in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), apparent dry matter digestibility (ADD), feed intake (FI), nitrogen balance (NB), and nitrogen retention as a percentage of intake (NRi) and absorption (NRa). Concentrate diets containing a 30% roughage portion of cottonseed hulls (CSH), ground gin byproducts (GGB), and COBY with either 4% (COBY 4) or 13% (COBY 13) added starch were analyzed via two separate in vitro analyses and used in a metabolism study. Twenty-four crossbred wether lambs were utilized to determine the effects of the experimental diets. In vitro results indicated dthat CGB were more digestible (P<0.01) than cottonseed hulls. Results of the metabolism study exhibited 6 to 10% higher digestibility values than those obtained during the in vitro studies. The GGB and COBY 4 showed more acceptable NB, NRi, and NRa. Of all variables measured, CSH treatment diets were superior only for feed intake. However, when all variables were simultaneously accounted for, the best overall feeding values were the GGB and COBY 4 treatments. Data obtained from all experiments conducted during this study indicate CGB processed via COBY to be a viable roughage alternative for ruminant animals.