This study was conducted in order to verify the best level of palm kernel cake in the diet for lambs through evaluation of hepatic condition. It was used 32 non-castrated Santa Inês lambs distributed into four diets with palm kernel cake levels of 0.0; 6.5; 13.0 and 19.5% in the dry matter (DM). Every 15 days, blood samples were collected, totalizing five collects for the whole experimental period. It was determined levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, total protein, albumin and globulin, activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate-aminotrasferase, and gama-glutamiltransferase enzymes, and serum concentrations of total, direct and indirect bilirrubine. The increase of palm kernel cake percentage in the diet did not affect concentration of triglycerides whose mean value was 40.57 mg/dL. However, cholesterol levels increased as the palm kernel cake was increased in the diets. There was no difference in the total proteins either, but there was an increasing quadratic effect in the levels of albumine and urea and a decreasing linear effect in the levels of globuline. Statistical differences were not observed for activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate-aminotrasferase, and gamaglutamiltransferase enzymes, which showed mean values of 6.40; 37.59 and 62.38 UI/L respectively. Similarly, it was not detected influence on the total, direct, and indirect bilirrubine, whose mean values were 0.50; 0.11; and 0.38 mg/dL, respectively. The use of palm kernel cake at levels up to 19.5% does not cause metabolic disorders in lambs.
biodiesel; byproduct; hepatopathology; liver
