Can by-products replace conventional ingredients in concentrate of dairy goat diet?

Intensive dairy goat production in the Mediterranean basin is based on imported conventional ingredients to be included in concentrates. Fourteen Murciano-Granadina goats in the middle of the third lactation were allocated into 2 groups of 7 animals each fed, respectively, a control diet based on alfalfa hay and concentrate in a 40:60 ratio, and a diet in which the concentrate included tomato fruits, citrus pulp, brewer's grain and brewer's yeast (T100CBY) to study the effect of diet on nutrient utilization, ruminal fermentation, purine derivatives excretion in urine, milk yield and composition, and methane emissions. No effect of the diet on total dry matter intake was observed. Digestibility of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were higher for T100CBY compared with the control diet. The N in feces and urine was lower and balance and retained N were higher in animals fed T100CBY than the control diet. Milk protein N and energy were similar for both diets. Metabolizable energy per energy intake and metabolizable energy per digestible energy were higher and energy in methane was lower with diet T100CBY than with the control. Milk yield and composition were not affected by diet, with the exception of protein, casein, and total solids, which were higher for diet T100CBY than the control. Diet T100CBY promoted less saturated fatty acids and higher mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk than the control diet. Diet T100CBY produced less methane and NH3 concentration in the rumen, higher propionate, and a lower acetate-to-propionate ratio without an effect on the volatile fatty acid concentration. The concentrate with by-products did not affect urinary excretion of total purine derivatives, reduced feeding costs, and increased profit margin by 14 and 16% compared with the control. The mixture of tomato fruits, citrus pulp, brewer's grain, and brewer's yeast could replace 47% of conventional ingredients (corn, wheat bran, sunflower meal, and soy flour) in the concentrate of the dairy goat diet, reducing feeding cost and methane production, leading to a healthier fatty acids profile in milk without compromising nutrient utilization or milk yield.