Ingestion and In <i>Vivo</i>Digestibility of a Concentrated Granulated Feed Containing Seeds of <i>Moringa oleifera</i>Associated with <i>Pennisetum purpureum</i>in Guinea Pigs

In order to contribute to the improvement of guinea pig nutrition through the use of unconventional vegetable protein sources (Moringa oleifera seeds), experimental trials were carried out at the Animal Production and Nutrition Research Unit (URPRONAN) of the University of Dschang in April 2018. Moringa oleifera seeds from North Cameroon were divided into three treatments: the first consisted of whole Moringa oleifera seeds (MO-whole), the second of Moringa oleifera seeds soaked in cold water for 24 hours (MO-water) and the third of peeled Moringa oleifera seeds (MO-peeled). The seeds belonging to these three treatments were analyzed for the determination of the chemical composition before being incorporated into the different concentrates. Each concentrate was then granulated and combined with Pennisetum purpureum to make up the different rations. 40 English Guinea pigs with an average weight of 350 ± 50 g were used to evaluate the ingestion and digestibility of each ration. During the digestibility test which lasted 17 days (10 days of adaptation and 07 days of data collection), each ration was repeated on 10 Guinea pigs. The main results showed that the total tannin and phenol contents decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in M. oleifera seeds soaked for 24 hours (8.2% DM;2884 mg/100gMS) and pulped (13.6% DM;3156 mg/100gMS). The intake of crude cellulose (10.26 gMS/d) and crude protein (3.21 gMS/d) in rations containing whole M. oleifera seeds was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than in other rations. Similarly, crude protein digestibility (77.04%) of rations containing whole M. oleifera seeds was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than other rations. This study shows that Moringa oleifera seeds soaked for 24 hours or pulped can be used in guinea pig feed as an alternative source of protein.