Potential of Raw and Processed Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) as Alternative Nutrient Sources in Ruminant Feed Production in Malaysia

Husna Fasihah, Hamdan Ahmad, Ibrahim Kura and Hasber Salim

Background and Objective: Since the world population reaches nine billion by 2050, both humans and animals may experience further malnourishment and starvation. It is crucial to comprehend the current state of the alternative plant. The study was carried out to evaluate the potential of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) as a rich source of fibre and nutritional benefit for high-quality ruminant feed production in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: The fibre content and nutritional elements of raw kenaf tree (3 months old) and two types of kenaf processed products (bast and core fibres) were evaluated using the standard procedure of proximate analysis. The nutritional elements (i.e., dry matter, crude protein, metabolizable energy, ether extract, crude fibre, acid detergent fibre, organic matter digestibility and total digestible nutrient) of different groups were assessed proximately using standard techniques. Results: The result revealed that nutrient elements such as dry matter, crude protein and total digestible nutrients were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the leaves of raw kenaf plants while metabolizable energy, ether extract and organic metabolizable energy differed insignificant (p>0.05) between leaves and stems and crude fibre and acid detergent fibre in stems were substantially higher (p>0.05). For the processed kenaf plants, nutrient elements such as dry matter, ether extract and total digestible nutrients varied significantly in both bast, 1st and 2nd processed cores, while nutrient elements including crude fibre, metabolizable energy, crude protein, acid detergent fibre and organic matter digestibility were insignificantly differentiated (p>0.05) from one another. The combination of kenaf samples both raw and processed products detected potential nutritional values for ruminants’ consumption. Raw kenaf is good in nutritional values supply whereas, processed kenaf is good for its longer shelf life and fibre content. Conclusion: Therefore, the findings of this study suggested that raw and processed kenaf products have the potential to be formulated into high-quality animal feed.

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