Quality, Nutritive Value and Acceptability of Cassava Peel with Graded Levels of Palm Kernel Cake Pellet for Cattle

Abstract

Cassava peel is produced in large quantities in Nigeria and is often wasted. Although low in protein, it could help alleviate dry-season feed shortages affecting cattle such as the Sokoto Gudali. This study investigated the effects of graded levels of palm kernel cake (PKC) at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% inclusion on the quality, nutritive value and acceptability of pelletised cassava peel-based diets (T1–T6), using a completely randomised design. Pellet friability differed among treatments and was lowest in T2 (1.62%) and highest in T5 (9.27%), indicating that durability did not improve consistently with PKC inclusion. Bacterial counts differed significantly between treatments (2.38 × 10³ to 2.72 × 10³ cfu/g), and fungal growth was detected only in T4 and T5. Crude protein increased with PKC inclusion, from 9.65% (T1) to 12.89% (T6) (P < 0.05), but fat, fibre, ash and nitrogen-free extract changed irregularly. Moisture content ranged from 16.00% (T6) to 23.16% (T1), highlighting a potential concern for storage stability. Feed intake, coefficient of preference (CoP) and percentage preference (%P) were highest in T1 and lowest in T4 (4.50 vs 3.10 kg; 1.216 vs 0.832; 20.26% vs 13.86%), showing that acceptability did not rise with PKC inclusion. These findings indicate that PKC increases the protein content of cassava peel pellets, but this increase should be considered alongside pellet durability, microbial stability, moisture level and animal acceptability. Further studies on mycotoxins, digestibility, growth performance and economic feasibility are recommended.