A study of various chemical treatments to remove lignin from coarse roughages and increase their digestibility

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Abstract
Summary Several delignifying agents, used in various paper-making processes, have been compared for their ability to remove lignin and increase the digestibility of several roughages in laboratory experiments using a spray method of treatment recently suggested by Wilson & Pigden (1964). The chemicals were dissolved in small quantities of water which were then used to moisten the roughage. No washing was done after treatment. Sodium hydroxide was the most effective chemical; at a rate of 10 g per 100 g of roughage, the lignin content of ground maize cobs was reduced by 26% and rumen dry-matter digestibility increased by more than 100%. Bleaching powder was as effective as sodium hydroxide in removing lignin, but residual chlorine apparently inhibited rumen microbial digestion. Maize cobs, wheat and paddy straws, sorghum stover and sugar cane tops, though of widely differing initial digestibility, were brought to an equal level of rumen digestibility if treated with 4% or more of sodium hydroxide. Drying the treated roughage at 100 degrees instead of at room temperature increased digestibility only in the case of maize cobs. The alkali spray treatment was as effective in increasing the digestibility of chaffed as of ground wheat straw. Data are presented which show the amounts of residual alkali in treated roughage as a function of time after treatment and of concentration of alkali used in the treatment. Further, data are presented which show the loss of nutrients from treated roughage if washed as in the traditional method.