Year: 2026 | Month: February | Volume 16 | Issue 1

Potential of Cassia tora Seed Meal as an Alternative Protein Source in Total Mixed Rations of Ruminants: An In vitro Study

Shinde P.S.1 Jasmine Kaur1* and Apoorva Shekhar2
DOI:10.30954/2277-940X.01.2026.7

Abstract:

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro nutritional worth of total mixed rations (TMRs) containing graded levels of Cassia tora seed meal. Six TMRs (designated as TMR 1, TMR 2, TMR 3, TMR 4, TMR 5 and TMR 6) were formulated with graded inclusion levels of C. tora seed meal in the concentrate mixture (0, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12%, w/w) The concentrates were mixed with maize silagein R:C ratio of 50:50 to formulate TMRs. In vitro evaluation revealed that nutrient digestibility (OM, NDF, DM) of TMRs did not differ significantly (P>0.05) across the treatments. The NGP production, SCFA concentration and ME availability remained comparable among TMRs containing C. tora seed meal up to 8% inclusion level, while significantly lower (P<0.05) values were recorded in TMR 5 and TMR 6 containing 10% and 12% inclusion level of C. tora seed meal, respectively, i.e. a significant decline (P<0.05) in these parameters was observed beyond 8% inclusion level. NH3-N concentration decreased progressively with increasing levels of C. tora seed meal, with significantly lower (P<0.05) values observed in TMR 5 and TMR 6. In vitro results indicated that C. tora seed meal could be incorporated safely up to 8% in the concentrate mixture of TMRs without adverse effects on nutrient digestibility, while higher inclusion levels (beyond 8%) reduced (P<0.05) SCFA production and ME availability.

• PDF Download

© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited