The nutritional value of new varieties of high-yielding triticale: Nutrient composition and in vitro digestibility

Ten high-yielding cultivars of triticale obtained from a breeding group at the University of New England, harvested in 2008 and 2009, were assessed for nutrient composition and nutrient digestibility. The cultivars tested were AT528, H20, H127, H128, H157, H249, H418, H426, JRCT74 and Tahara. Their nutrient characteristics, including dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, ash and gross energy, starch content and composition, and concentrations of non-starch polysaccharides, minerals, phytate-P content and amino acids, were determined. The in vitro digestibility and viscosity during digestion were also measured. There was low variability between the cultivars tested and harvest years (the difference between wet and dry conditions) had little effect on nutrient composition.