EFFECT OF ZEOLITE ON PERFORMANCE OF JAMNAPARI GOAT

A. Aswanimiyuni1*, I. Mohamad Noor1, F. Norfadzrin1, H. Haryani1,S. A. Syed Hussein2, M. A. Abu Hassan2,

Zeolites are natural and synthetic hydrated crystalline aluminosilicates endowed with absorptive and ion exchange properties. They have found numerous and multifarious applications in industry as catalysts and absorbents, in water sanitation for removal of ammonia and heavy metals, in agriculture as fertilizers and animal husbandry as the absorbents of excreted material and as food additives. Among a high number of natural zeolites, clinoptilolite is best known and have been used as animal feed supplement for many decades. Clinoptilolite is a member of the naturally occurring zeolite family of minerals. It is formed by the devitrification (the conversion of glassy material to crystalline material) of volcanic ash in lakes and marine waters millions of years ago. They are characterized by the ability to lose and gain water reversibly and to exchange constituent cations without major changes of structure (1). Previous studies showed that the used of zeolite as feed additive may increase the growth performance of animals. Furthermore, using zeolite as feed additive improved feed efficiency, thus leading to a beneficial growth response in growing-finishing pigs, sheep and cattle (2,3,4), while a better feed efficiency and egg productivity has been achieved in laying hens (5). The objective of this experiment was to study the effect of supplementation of 15% zeolite in feed diet on the growth performance of goats.