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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Nutritional value of cereal brans used in rabbit feeding in Benin
G.S.T. Atchade, A.D.P. Noumavo, M.F. Houndonougbo
Year : 2026 | Volume: 11 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 37-43
Received on: 17/08/2026
Revised on: 22/09/2026
Accepted on: 12/10/2026
Published on: 01/11/2026
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G.S.T. Atchade, A.D.P. Noumavo, M.F. Houndonougbo( 2026).
Nutritional value of cereal brans used in rabbit feeding in Benin
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 11( 6), 37-43.
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Abstract
Cereal brans are by-products used in Benin for rabbit feeding. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional value of industrial maize bran, rice bran and wheat bran. Twenty-four adult rabbits were divided into three groups of eight animals and fed exclusively one of the three types of bran studied. Chemical composition of the brans, feed intake, apparent coefficients of digestibility and digestible energy were determined. The results showed substantial variability in the chemical composition and digestive utilization of the brans. Dry matter intake was significantly similar for wheat bran (98.75 g) and maize bran (96.49 g), and was the highest. The highest apparent crude protein digestibility coefficients were recorded for wheat bran (72.02 %) and maize bran (63.58%). Ether extract digestibility of industrial maize bran was significantly the highest (90.39 %) in rabbits, compared with that of wheat bran (62.18 %). The apparent coefficient of digestibility of crude fiber among the three types of bran ranged from 33.14 to 44.30 % DM, with no significant difference. Digestible energy was higher for industrial maize bran (3,382 kcal/kg DM), followed by rice bran (2,395 kcal/kg DM) and wheat bran (2,195 kcal/kg DM). These results highlight the importance of characterizing the chemical profile of cereal brans for their efficient use in rabbit feeding.
Keywords
Cereal by-products, Chemical composition, Digestibility, Energy, Oryctolagus cuniculus.
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© The Author(s) 2026. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
