The objective of this experiment was to verify the effects of soybean oil and/or ethanolic extract of propolis, in the diets of dairy goats, on intake, on digestibility of nutrients, on milk production and composition and some ruminal parameters. Sixteen Alpine female goats were used, in which four animals fistulated in the rumen. The animals were allocated in four 4x4 Latin squares, in a 2x2 factorial arrangement of treatments. It was added to the concentrate 0 or 120 g of soybean oil and 0 or 10 mL of ethanolic extract of propolis/animal/day (30% weight/volume of grinded crude propolis in alcoholic solution at 70% in water). The diets had the same protein content, with 11.5% CP and contained 67% corn silage and 33% concentrate based on corn and soybean meal. The soybean oil decreased the intakes of dry matter (%BW and g/kg BW0.75), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and non-fibrous carbohydrates; decreased the digestibility of NDF, increased the digestibilities of CP and EE and increased the total digestible nutrients content (TDN); decreased the production and increased the percentual contents of fat, protein and total solids in the milk; increased the pH and decreased the acetate:propionate ratio in the ruminal fluid. There was interaction between soybean oil and ethanolic extract of propolis, in which soybean oil decreased the intakes of DM, OM and NDF, in kg/animal/day, only in the presence of propolis and increased the intake of crude protein in the absence of propolis. The soybean oil was more effective in changing the evaluated variables than the ethanolic extract of propolis.
digestibility; goat; milk; rumen; soybean oil
