Effects of Yucca Shidigera extract on feed utilization by equine weanlings

Effects of added chelated trace minerals, organic selenium, yeast culture, direct-fed microbials, and Yucca schidigera extract in horses: II. Nutrient excretion and potential environmental impact

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that an equine diet formulated with chelated trace minerals, organic selenium, yeast culture, direct-fed microbials (DFM) and Yucca schidigera extract would decrease excretion of nutrients that have potential for environmental impact. Horses were acclimated to 100% pelleted diets formulated with (ADD) and without (CTRL) the aforementioned additives. Chelated sources of Cu, Zn, Mn, and Co were included in the ADD diet at a 100% replacement rate of sulfate forms used in the CTRL diet. Additionally, the ADD diet included organic selenium yeast, DFM, and Yucca schidigera extract. Ten horses were fed the 2 experimental diets during two 42-d periods in a crossover design. Total fecal and urine collection occurred during the last 14 d of each period. Results indicate no significant differences between Cu, Zn, Mn, and Co concentrations excreted via urine (P > 0.05) due to dietary treatment. There was no difference between fecal Cu and Mn concentrations (P > 0.05) based on diet consumed. Mean fecal Zn and Co concentrations excreted by horses consuming ADD were greater than CTRL (P < 0.003). Differences due to diet were found for selenium fecal (P < 0.0001) and urine (P < 0.0001) excretions, with decreased concentrations found for horses consuming organic selenium yeast (ADD). In contrast, fecal K (%) was greater (P = 0.0421) for horses consuming ADD, whereas concentrations of fecal solids, total N, ammonia N, P, total ammonia, and fecal output did not differ between dietary treatments (P > 0.05). In feces stockpiled to simulate a crude composting method, no differences (P > 0.05) due to diet were detected for particle size, temperature, moisture, OM, total N, P, phosphate, K, moisture, potash, or ammonia N (P > 0.05). Although no difference (P = 0.2737) in feces stockpile temperature due to diet was found, temperature differences over time were documented (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, the addition of certain chelated mineral sources, organic Se yeast, DFM, and Yucca schidigera extract did not decrease most nutrient concentrations excreted. Horses consuming organic selenium as part of the additive diet had lower fecal and urine Se concentrations, as well as greater fecal K concentrations.

Effect of live yeast culture supplementation on apparent digestibility and rate of passage in horses fed a high-fiber or high-starch diet1

Eight crossbred male horses aged 12 +/- 5 yr and with BW of 305 +/- 18 kg were used in pairs in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with 4 ground and pelleted diets. Each pair included a cecum and right ventral colon-fistulated animal and a cecal-fistulated animal. The 4 horse diets were a high-fiber diet (HF+0) based on dehydrated alfalfa, a high-starch diet based on barley and wheat bran (HS+0), and the HF or HS diets supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) CBS 493.94 (HF+SC and HS+SC). The probiotic preparation contained 4.5 x 10(9) cfu/g of live yeast mixed with the culture medium, and was top-dressed onto the feed pellets at a rate of 10 g/d, equally distributed between the 2 daily meals. All 4 diets were offered in the same quantities (18.0 g of pelleted feed DM + 3.5 g of long wheat straw/kg of BW per d). Each of the 4 experimental treatments was divided into a 21-d period of diet adaptation followed by a 10-d period of total fecal collection for digesta flow rate and apparent digestibility measurements. Three markers were used to measure mean retention time (MRT) of the feed particles: Yb bound to the pelleted feeds for MRT in the whole digestive tract (MRT(Yb)), Eu bound to the pelleted feeds, and Dy bound to the fecal particles for MRT in the hindgut (MRT(Eu) and MRT(Dy)). Apparent digestibilities of DM, OM, and CP were greater (P < 0.001) in the HS than HF diet, independently of SC supplementation, whereas ADF digestibility was greatest in the HF diet (P = 0.035). Cellulolytic activity estimated through the in vitro disappearance rate of the dietary ADF fraction (IVAD(ADF)) was less (P < 0.001) in the HS than the HF diet. There was no dietary effect on NDF digestibility due to the longer MRT(Eu) of small particles in the hindgut (P = 0.036), which compensated for the lower fibrolytic activity expressed per unit of time in the HS compared with the HF diet. Supplementation with SC improved ADF digestibility (P = 0.038) and stimulated DM (P = 0.030) and NDF (P = 0.038) intakes, but had no effect on the MRT of solid digesta. The absence of any significant diet x SC interaction supports the strategy of using SC to stimulate cellulose digestion and improve the nutritional status of horses under both HF and HS diets.