Quantitative and nutritional characterization of fruit and vegetable waste from marketplace: a potential use as bovine feedstuff?

There are different sources for the generation of solid waste, and marketplaces are considered one of them. Fruit and vegetable waste (FV) from a marketplace in Colombia was quantitatively and nutritionally characterized to contribute to its use in bovine feeding and to contribute minimizing its environmental impact. The evaluation was carried out 7 days per week during 4 periods of the year. FV was grouped by cluster analysis using SAS(®) 2006. FV was composed of 43% fruit, 30% vegetables and 27% stems, leaves, leaf wrappers, corncobs, roots, refuse and others. FV was defined in four main groups. On average, FV contained 10% crude protein (CP), 36.6% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 29.6% acid detergent fiber (ADF), 87.8% ruminal degradability at 24 h, 3657 kcal/kg, 0.59% calcium (Ca(+2)), and 0.21% phosphorous (P). There were no statistical differences between days or between periods of evaluation (p > 0.05) for CP or for Ca(+2). As for NDF and ADF, there were statistically significant differences between periods but not between days. The microbiological parameters only increased when the humidity was up to 12%. FV represents a potential feedstuff for bovine feeding, and its recycling could avoid the discharge of a large amount of waste to landfills, which would minimize its environmental impact.

Nutritional evaluation of fruit and vegetable waste as feedstuff for diets of lactating Holstein cows.

Organic waste from markets represents about 10-20% of the total waste of a city. A large proportion comes from the overproduction of fruit and vegetables, turning them into potential pollutant. The nutritional value found for fruit and vegetable waste (FV) from a marketplace, in a previous work, showed that this product might be considered as a potential alternative for animal feeding. This study evaluated the use of FV as feedstuff for diets of lactating Holstein cows with an emphasis on milk yield and quality. FV was included in 0, 6, 8, 12, and 18% of the concentrate. A 4 x 4 Latin squares model was used to analyze data (4 animal groups, 4 periods of evaluation, and 4 treatments). No statistical differences in milk yield per kilogram of eaten concentrate or concentrate intake were recorded between groups fed FV and the control group. There was a significant effect of the treatment on cis-9,trans-11 CLA and α-linolenic acid content in milk. These results showed that FV can be used as a dietary ingredient for high-yield lactating cows without detriment in the milk yield and with improvement in the milk quality. FV could be included at proportions of between 6% and 18% in the concentrate, as long as the animal's dietary requirements are covered. The main impact of these results is the alternative generated for the improvement of the environment.