Degradabilidad ruminal in vitro y cinética de fermentación de ensilados de King Grass Pennisetum purpureum suplementados con cáscara de maracuyá (Passiflora edulis)

The study evaluated the in vitro ruminal degradability and fermentation kinetics of Pennisetum purpureum silages supplemented with passion fruit peel (Passiflora edulis), aiming to determine their potential as a nutritional alternative for ruminants in tropical systems. A completely randomized design was used with five treatments: T1 (100% King Grass), T2 (90% King Grass + 10% peel), T3 (80% + 20%), T4 (70% + 30%), and T5 (60% + 40%), with four replicates. The silages were stored for 30 days and evaluated through in vitro dry matter incubation at different times (0–72 h) using the DAISY II system. Results showed that the inclusion of passion fruit peel significantly increased (p < 0.05) dry matter degradability compared to the control. Between 6 and 72 hours, supplemented treatments reached an average degradation of 50.29%, surpassing the unsupplemented treatment. At 72 hours, values ranged from 49.07% to 51.12%, while the control showed 38.62%. Effective degradability was also higher in supplemented treatments, with T4 standing out at 37.47%. In conclusion, the incorporation of passion fruit peel improves ruminal degradation and represents a viable and sustainable alternative.