| Abstract: | The influence of the size of particles, of steaming and preserving (formic acid) of the sugar beet 'Rosamona' was studied with respect to apparent digestibility and tract parameters. Digestibility measuring only resulted in an improvement for crude protein due to the cutting up into small pieces. Tract measures and fillings, microbial activity and an estimate of the absorption rates of nutrients indicate that the bigger part of fresh and silaged coarse particles is digested in the colon but that the nutrients of steamed (and partly mashed) beets are predominantly pre-caecally digested. |
