%0 Journal Article %A Haro, Andrés %A Gonzalez, Javier %A Evan, Trinidad de %A Fuente Vázquez, Jesús De La %A Carro, María Dolores %T Effects of Feeding Rumen-Protected Sunflower Seed and Meal Protein on Feed Intake, Diet Digestibility, Ruminal, Cecal Fermentation, and Growth Performance of Lambs %D 2019 %@ 2076-2615 %U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12502 %X The objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy of a treatment (MAH) of sunflower seed (SS) and meal (SM) with a malic acid solution (1 M; 400 mL/kg) and heating (150 ◦C, 2 h) to protect protein against rumen degradation and to improve the growth of lambs. Two homogeneous groups of 12 Lacaune lambs each (14.2 ± 0.35 kg body weight) were fed either a concentrate including untreated SS and SM or a concentrate with MAH-treated SS and SM. Lambs were fed concentrate and barley straw ad libitum for 40 days (about 26 kg body weight); feed intake and growth of lambs were recorded; blood samples were taken on days 0, 20, and the slaughter day for analysis of urea-N and amino acid-N; diet digestibility was determined; and ruminal and cecal samples were collected after slaughter. The in vitro incubation of both concentrates with sheep ruminal fluid for 12 h showed that the MAH-treatment tended to reduce NH3-N concentrations and increased propionate production. However, there were no differences (p > 0.05) between groups in any of the tested variables in the in vivo trial. %~