ABSTRACT
Reduction in in vitro digestibility time for forage evaluation

Rodolfo Saldaña P.1 y Juan Carlos Dumont L.
 

The possibility of reducing the pepsine-incubating time in arder to obtain the two-step in vitro digestibility in lucern plants was evaluated.
The incubation times were: 0, 4, 6, 24, and 48 hours, and temperatures: 40 and 50 'C.
Regression analysis indicates that 4 hour incubation at 50 'C give the same result as 48 hours at 40 'C. Dose of pepsine can be reduced from 900 to 540 units/tube.
It is possible then, to reduce the pepsine incubation time getting a better analysis capacity during the week, and less cost.

Keywords: Digestibility, in vitro, pepsine, forage evaluation.
1 Centro Regional de Investigación Remehue (INIA), Casilla 24-0, Osorno, Chile.