Disposal of bergamot by-products by animal productions

The objective of this study was to investigate the utilization of bergamot by-product in monogastric and poligastric diets, as an interesting alternative to dispose this surplus. In ovine productions, 27 lambs were divided in three groups and fed for 90 days with 3 different diets: one group of lambs (C) was fed only concentrate while the other groups received concentrate and fresh bergamot pulp (FBP) at the level of 20% dry matter (DM) on the diet fed (BL20) and concentrate and FBP at the level of 35% DM on the diet fed (BL35); in pig production, for 120 days, 30 pigs were fed 3 dietary treatments formulated to contain: only concentrate (C), concentrate and ensiled bergamot pulp (EBP) at the level of 10% dry matter (DM) on the diet fed (BP10) and concentrate and EBP at the level of 15% DM on the diet fed (BP15). After 10 days of adaptation, the experimental animals of the two trials ingested all the bergamot by-products integrated in the diets, with a global utilization of 2412 kg and 5730 kg respectively for ovine and pig productions. No significant differences between treatments were found for final weight, average daily gain, dry matter intake, feed conversion ratio and carcass weight. The BL35 treatment tended to increase total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), mainly PUFA n − 3, leading to a lower levels of PUFA n − 6/n − 3 ratio. Therefore, the utilization of FBP in animal productions is a valid alternative to dispose of it without detrimental effects on animal performances.