The Effect of Waste Watermelon Dry Matter Level on Silage Parameters and In Vitro Digestibility

Durusoy Ö. F., Çerçi İ. H.

JOURNAL OF THE HELLENIC VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY, cilt.76, sa.3, ss.9481-9490, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 76 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.12681/jhvms.37329
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF THE HELLENIC VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), EMBASE
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.9481-9490
  • Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study was conducted to determine the effect on aerobic microbial changes, aflatoxin content, nutrient level of watermelon silages, in vitro dry matter digestibility, and physical examination quality of sliced leftover watermelons containing different levels of dry matter after dehydration in the open sun. During the experiment, the dry matter (DM) level of leftover watermelon slices with 21-23% was named Group I, 27-29% Group II, and 33-35% Group III. Increasing the dry matter of watermelon slices from 21% to 35% before ensiling caused a non-significant (p>0.05) increase in the total aerobic mesophilic bacteria count (TMABc). Yeast and mold counts increased in the low dry matter group and decreased in the high dry matter group. TMABc decreased in silages compared to the pre-ensilage level, but TMABc increased significantly depending on the dry matter level in silages (p<0.05). Yeast and mold were not detected in all groups. Almost no aflatoxin was detected in all three groups before and after the silages were opened. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in crude ash, ether extract, and nitrogen-free extract (p>0.05). Crude protein percentage was found to be statistically insignificant between the Group I and the Group II, but significantly higher in the Group III than in both groups (p<0.05). Crude fibre level decreased when the silage dry matter increased (p<0.001). The pH value of the silages increased significantly when the dry matter level increased (p<0.05). In vitro dry matter digestibility increased significantly with the increase in silage dry matter (p<0.001). As a result, this study showed that silage can be made from leftover watermelon slices at all three dry matter levels. However, it was determined that the group with the best nutrient composition and dry matter digestibility was Group III, followed by the groups with Group II and Group I.