摘要：Background and Objective: West Sumatra is the third largest tea-producing area in Indonesia. Tea plantations in this area produce top quality leaves that can be marketed both domestically and internationally. To maintain a high level of tea leaf productivity, plants should be pruned every 3 years using a rotation system that involves monthly prunings. These prunings produce waste tea leaves that can serve as alternative feed resource for poultry as they have good nutritional value . Tea leaves contain high concentrations of antioxidants, such as polyphenols and policosanol as well as minerals and vitamins, which are known to improve poultry health. Unfortunately, tea leaves also contain high levels of tannins and crude fiber-components known to be detrimental to poultry. This study was designed to evaluate the potential of waste tea leaves ( Camellia sinensis ) as poultry feed in West Sumatra by reducing their tannin content through immersion in fresh and hot water. Materials and Methods: This research consisted of two phases. The first phase was a survey of the potential of waste tea leaves as poultry feed through interviews and measurement of waste tea leaf production. The second phase was to experimentally process waste tea leaves through immersion in fresh and hot water. Variables measured during phase 1 included the size of tea plantations, ownerships, tea varieties produced, waste tea leaf production and estimated potential for poultry feed. The experiment conducted in phase 2 was performed using a completely randomized design involving 2×4 factorial arrangement of treatments with 4 replicates. The first experimental variable was water temperature (room temperature or 80°C). The second experimental variable was based on immersion at 6, 12, 18 or 24 h. Response variables measured included change in tannin content, dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and crude fiber (CF). Results: The results of the first phase indicated that the area of tea plantations in West Sumatra was 4,246.6 ha, ownership consisted of small holders (2,172 ha), the government (604.58 ha) and a private company (1,470 ha), total waste tea leaf production was 25,208.28 t/year, tea varieties or clones were Camellia sinensis assamica TRI 2024 and assamica TRI 2025 and waste tea leaves had the potential to feed 4,201,380,000 laying hens . The results of the second phase indicated that there was an interaction between water temperature and immersion duration on tannin reduction (p<0.05). Water temperature significantly influenced (p<0.01) reductions in OM and CP content and significantly affected (p<0.05) CF augmentation. Immersion duration significantly affected (p<0.05) DM reductions and highly significantly influenced (p<0.01) reductions in OM and CP. Conclusion: Waste tea leaves can be immersed in hot water (80°C) for 12 h to reduce their tannin content without affecting their protein content.
