## 3 Results and Discussion
### Nutritional Assets
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Nutritional Assets**} & **S1** & **S2** & **S3** \\ \hline Dry material & [\%] & 56.30 & 93.49 & 93.74 \\ \hline Humidity & [\%] & 43.70 & 6.51 & 6.26 \\ \hline Crude Protein & [\% DM] & 22.07 & 11.63 & 10.88 \\ \hline Crude Protein & \multirow{2}{*}{[\%CP]} & \multirow{2}{*}{19.06} & \multirow{2}{*}{10.78} & \multirow{2}{*}{10.03} \\ Available & & & & \\ \hline ADICP & [\% DM] & 3.01 & 0.85 & 0.85 \\ \hline NDICP & [\% DM] & 7.51 & 1.38 & 1.54 \\ \hline ADF & [\% DM] & 27.33 & 27.22 & 29.61 \\ \hline aNDF & [\% DM] & 39.76 & 34.55 & 37.82 \\ \hline Fat (EE) & [\% DM] & 0.28 & 4.17 & 2.77 \\ \hline Ash & [\% DM] & 7.95 & 6.08 & 6.16 \\ \hline Lignin & [\% DM] & 25.24 & 11.17 & 15.98 \\ \hline Starch & [\% DM] & 1.78 & 2.94 & 2.44 \\ \hline NDFD 30\% NDF & [\% aNDF] * & 6.82 & - & - \\ \hline uNDF 30 & [\% DM] * & 41.47 & - & - \\ \hline uNDF30 om & [\% DM] * & 37.36 & - & - \\ \hline NFC & [\% DM] & 37.45 & 44.95 & 43.91 \\ \hline DCAD & [meq/100 g] & 14.77 & 22.79 & 24.79 \\ \hline \multicolumn{5}{c}{**NRC 2001 Energy Calculations Diary**} \\ \hline NDT 1X & [\% DM] & 49.23 & 63.35 & 56.33 \\ \hline ENL 3X & [Mcal/kg] & 1.144 & 1.423 & 1.267 \\ \hline ENG & [Mcal/kg] & 0.360 & 0.901 & 0.642 \\ \hline ENM & [Mcal/kg] & 0.903 & 1.493 & 1.207 \\ \hline ME 3X NRC2001 & [Mcal/kg] & 1.897 & 2.287 & 2.073 \\ \hline ME 1X NRC2001 & [Mcal/kg] & 1.897 & 2.386 & 2.073 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Errors within 5% of mean values. * NDF results according to [51].  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Nutrient composition of _IP_ submitted to different processes. _IP_ concentrations of ADICP were lower in S3 than in S2 as a consequence of the ageing process. However, the ADICP for S1 was superior to the traditional threshold of 10% of CP frequently used to define severely heat-damaged hays. This result can be associated with the high environmental temperatures recorded in the region during harvest and transport. _IP_ samples resulted in a lower ADF than corn silage, hay, or haylarge (45% to 60%). Additionally, _IP_ presents ADF values within the range reported for other tree species such as _Acacia millenaria_ (28.5%), _Eritthins poeppigiana_ (28.8%), _Guazuma ulnifolia_ (29.5%), and _Bahinia ungulate_ (26.5%) [57]. Feed from trees generally presents higher digestibility than feed from vegetables. Tree foliage generally contains fewer structural elements, such as lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, and less N than vegetables [57]. It is important to state that the present work reports _IP_ ADF for the first time. The aNDF results of _IP_ samples are similar of that reported for forage trees, such as _Tithonia diversifolia_ (35.3%), _Acacia millenaria_ (42.7%), _Eritthins poeppigiana_ (43-48%), _Guazuma ulnifolia_ (42.5%), and _Bahinia ungulate_ (42.4%) [57]. The relatively low NDF and ADF contents in _IP_ samples make them apt for inclusion in ruminant diets [8; 12]. The amount of fat in S2 was nearly 15 times higher than that of S1 as a consequence of drying under direct fire instead of open air. Additionally, the amount of fat in S2 was 1.5 times lower than S3 as a consequence of the ageing process. The chemical reactions involved in these transformations are not included in the present work and are to be the subject of another study. S1 resulted in lower lignin values than that of mature foliage. This is normal, since sampling was carried out during the harvest period and included new foliage and twigs. Interestingly, the lignin content of S2 was 44% lower than that of S1 and 43% lower than that of S3. The use of _IP_ in livestock diets probably do not affect digestibility or forage intake in contrast to inputs with high lignin content [9]. This argument is supported by results reported for other tree species with low lignin content, such as _Bahinia cheilantha_ (15.3 to 9.1%), _L. leuccephaha_ (11.65%), and _Mimosa caesalpinifolia_ (11%) [57]. _IP_ samples presented a very low starch/NFC ratio compared to other forages.