Nutrient Intake, Digestibility and Economic Performance of West African Dwarf Goats Fed Lactobacillus-Treated Jatropha Kernel Cake

This study evaluated the effects of Lactobacillus-treated Jatropha curcas kernel cake (JKC) on nutrient intake, digestibility, growth performance, and economic efficiency of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats. Detoxification was achieved using three Lactobacillus (LAB) strains; Lactobacillus acidophilus-DLB07, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-DLB13 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus-DLB23 either singly or as a co-culture, inoculated at 1.0 × 10⁶ cfu/g and incubated at 37 °C for 7 days. Fifty healthy WAD goats with an average weight of (6.0 ± 0.5 kg, 4 - 5 months old) were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments (10 goats per group) in a completely randomized design for a 98-day feeding and a 14-day digestibility trial. Diets included the control (D1, no JKC) and 10% inclusion of Lactobacillus acidophilus-DLB07, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-DLB13, Lactobacillus rhamnosus-DLB23 and co-culture treated JKC (D2, D3, D4 and D5, respectively). Nutrient intake, digestibility, growth, and economic indices were recorded. Goats on the co-culture diet (D5) had significantly higher crude protein intake (42.9 g/d), body weight gain (2.75 kg), and feed conversion ratio (10.12) compared with other treatments (p < 0.05). Apparent digestibility of DM, CP, and NDF exceeded 70% in D5, while the lowest cost per kg weight gain (₦ 2624.10) was obtained in the co-culture group (D5). The findings indicate that co-culture fermentation of JKC enhances nutrient utilization, growth, and economic efficiency, supporting its potential as a safe and sustainable protein substitute in goat diets.