pistachio blanks

Digestibility of energy by growing pigs and concentrations of digestible and metabolizable energy in diets containing pistachio blanks

As the production of pistachios grows globally, more co-products are produced every year. Pistachio blanks are pistachio fruits that float in water because the shells are hollow and therefore cannot be used for human food. Pistachio blanks is a high fiber ingredient, which is comparable to wheat middlings. The annual production is 50,000 to 70,000 tons, but is growing. Pistachio blanks have been viewed as a waste product from the pistachio processing sector, but it is possible this feed ingredient can provide nutrients for animals and be used in animal diets. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that the apparent total tract digestibility of energy, dry matter, ash, and total dietary fiber in pistachio blank powder is not different from that of wheat middlings if included in diets for growing pigs.

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