In vitro digestibility test with different artificial saliva proportions in alpacas

© 2001 Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. All rights reserved. The objective of this study was to determínate the correct relationship between artificial spittle and rumen fluid in alpaca forage using the in vitro digestibility technique. Three fistualted 4 years old, 50 kg. male huacayas were fed high (Rye grass of 3-4 weeks growth), medium (rye grass of 6-8 weeks growth) and low quality (oat straw) forages respectively, with alfalfa hay was used as the standard sample. Each of the 3 forages was treated with artificial saliva:rumen fluid (T) as follows: T1 2:1; T24:1; T3 6:1; T4 8:1 and the in vitro digestibility ofdry matter (IVDMD) was evaluated for each treatrnent. A randomized complete block design (A x B) was used, with A being the various artifical spittle: rumen fluid concentrations and B forage quality, and the results evaluated using analysis of variance and least significant difference (LSD) statistics. No significant difference was found in IVDMD for all four treatments in the high and medium quality forages (P>0.05) with T1, T2, T3 and T4 yielding 87.2, 84.5, 87.1 and 84.4 % for high and 85.7, 86.6, 83.0 and 79.2% for medium respectively. Likewise, for the low quality forage, T1, T2 and T3 yielded statistically insignificant results of 54.3, 52.3 and 53.3%, while T4 produced a significant difference (P<0.01} at 40.4% IVDMD. The results of all 4 treatments on all 3 forage types, yielded only one case of reduced dry matter digestibility produced by the high (8:1) proportion ofartificial spittle to rumen fluid in T4 on low quality forage.