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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2017
Sunflower meal is a good source of protein and NDF for ruminants. The amount of hull or fibre in sunflower might affect the ruminal and post-ruminal digestion of this protein source. Available information on the effect of sodium hydroxide on degradation of NDF and lignin of sunflower meal is scarce. It has been proposed that sodium hydroxide may break down hemicellulose, hydrolyze the ester bonds between lignin and hemicellulose, swell cellulose microfibrils (Canale et al., 1992), expose the cellulose to microbial attachment and improve digestibility (Goto et al., 1993). The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on chemical composition and in situ degradation characteristics of NDF and lignin of low and high fat sunflower meal (25 and 165 g/kg DM; LFSM and HFSM, respectively).