In vitro Gas Production and Dry Matter Digestibility of Irradiated Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Seeds

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of irradiation of pomegranate seed (PS) on chemical composition, digestibility and kinetic of gas production. Pomegranate seeds were exposed to gamma ray (GR) and electron beam (EB) at doses of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kGy. Three ruminally fistulated rams were used for obtaining ruminal fluid for in vitro digestibility and gas production measurements. Irradiation had no effect on chemical composition of PS. Orthogonal contrast did not show any significant effect for EB irradiation on neutral detergent fiber % (NDF%), but GR irradiation of PS at low doses (i.e.; 5 and 15 kGy) increased NDF percentage (P lt;0.05). Irradiation decreased condensed tannin (CT) content of PS at all doses (P lt;0.01). Gas production potential (b) and gas production rate (c) of PS were decreased; but EB irradiation at doses of 5 and 20 kGy did not effect on gas production potential of PS. Irradiation treatment did not affect partitioning factor. Ionizing radiation decreased PS digestibility, but EB irradiation at a dose of 20 kGy and 5, 15 and 20 kGy did not change in vitro dry matter digestibility and organic matter digestibility. In conclusion, the result of this study suggests that ionizing radiation processing, especially EB irradiation, can be regarded as an efficient method in decreasing CT of pomegranate seeds.