ABSTRACT - A trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of five dietary concentrate levels on the intake and total and partial apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), total carbohydrates (CHO), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and non structural carbohydrates (NSC). Five rumen, abomasum and ileum fistulated F1 Limousin x Nellore bulls were full fed diets containing 25.0, 37.5, 50.0, 62.5, and 75.0% of concentrate and allotted to a 5 x 5 Latin square design. The chromic oxide was used as an external marker to determine the total and partial digestibility. The addition of crescent concentrate amounts to the diet resulted in linear increases in the DM, OM, NCE, CP, EE, and TDN and reductions in NDF intake. The total apparent digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE, CHO, and NSC linearly increased with the increment of the dietary concentrate levels. The CP apparent digestibility in the small intestine linearly increased as function of the concentrate addition in the diets. The concentrate levels in the diet did not influence the rumen and post-rumen NDF apparent digestibility. The dietary NDF levels reduction resulted on linear increases of NDT and DM total apparent digestibility.
bovines; concentrate; digestibility; intake
