Fermentation Quality and Palatability by Dry Cows of Fermented TMR Mixed with Green Tea Waste

Abstract

The fermentation quality and palatability of fermented TMR mixed with green tea waste (GTW) were evaluated by using four dry cows. The GTW was added to basal TMR at 0, 5, 10 or 15% on a dry matter basis, and fermented for 180 days. The addition of GTW had no adverse influences on the fermentation quality of TMR. The time spent for in-take by dry cows tended to decrease as the mixed proportion of GTW increased, showing preference index of 47.0, 49.7, 51.2 and 37.3 for 5, 10, 15 and 20% mixture of GTW, respectively. The results show that mixing GTW up to 15% as a material of fermented TMR has no influence on feed palatability.