From horticultural waste to feed: Circular economy potential of cucumber-straw silage in Mediterranean lamb production through integrated in vitro, in vivo, and life cycle assessment

Hassan, Mahmoud ; Belanche, Alejandro (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Davison, Nicholas ; Romero-Huelva, Manuel ; Smith, Laurence ; Yáñez-Ruiz, David R.

Resumen: Improving efficiency and reducing environmental impacts pose challenges to Mediterranean livestock systems, with few viable alternatives to conventional forages. This study evaluated cucumber–straw silage (SIL) as an alternative forage to oat hay (HAY) for lamb production using integrated in vitro, in vivo, and life-cycle assessment approaches. An in vitro fermentation study was conducted by progressively replacing concentrate with SIL or HAY, and rumen fermentation, and CH4 production were measured over 144 h. Subsequently, a 12-week in vivo trial was conducted on a commercial farm with 450 lactating Segureña ewes and 610 lambs to assess productive performance and metabolic status. In vitro experiment followed a factorial design (two forage types × four inclusion levels) within a completely randomized design, while in vivo experiment applied a completely randomized design. In vitro results showed that a 50% inclusion of SIL maintained rumen fermentation activity comparable to HAY in terms of gas production and volatile fatty acid concentrations; moreover, SIL shifted fermentation toward higher butyrate (+13.3%; P = 0.001) and lower CH4 emissions (−17.3%, interaction P = 0.007). In vivo, SIL supported comparable animal performance to HAY, with no significant differences in lamb growth (210 vs. 215 g/day), ewe body condition score, or health, as blood metabolites remained within physiological ranges. A cradle-to-farm-gate life cycle assessment, following ISO-14044 standards and applying two allocation approaches for cucumber waste, revealed that under a zero-allocation scenario (treating waste as burden-free), greenhouse gas emissions averaged 9.50 CO2-eq/kg liveweight (95% CI: 8.29–13.6) compared with 11.6 (95% CI: 10.1–15.9) for HAY, alongside reductions in land occupation of 50%, and water consumption of 70%. Therefore, SIL presents an effective strategy to valorise horticultural waste while maintaining productivity and potentially improving the environmental performance of Mediterranean lamb systems. Further validation across diverse management conditions and by-product sources is recommended.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181795

Año: 2026

Publicado en: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 1032 (2026), 181795 [18 pp.]
ISSN: 0048-9697

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/ 818368/EU/Microbiome Applications for Sustainable food systems through Technologies and EnteRprise/MASTER

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Área Producción Animal (Dpto. Produc.Animal Cienc.Ali.)