Ruminal degradation of mountain pastures infested by Euphorbia polygalifolia in cattle and sheep: effect of previous grazing in invaded areas

Six cows and eight ewes were distributed in four paddocks according to a factorial design, 2 species (cattle vs sheep) × 2 grazing managements (grazing in pastures invaded vs non‐invaded by Euphorbia polygalifolia), to study the ability of sheep and cattle to ruminally degrade mountain pastures containing E. polygalifolia, as well as the influence of previous grazing in invaded areas. After a period of 17 days, rumen fluids were collected and used as microbial inoculum to examine in vitro fermentation rates and ruminal parameters of infested and non‐infested pastures. Results on parameters of gas production, extent of degradation, ammonia concentration and volatile fatty acid production of infested pastures indicate a better fermentation of this substrate in sheep than in cattle. The absence of noticeable differences when the pasture without this species of spurge was incubated suggests that most variation between ruminant species can be attributed to the presence of E. polygalifolia. The positive effect of previous grazing in invaded areas on rates of gas production, extent of degradation and ammonia concentration supports the hypothesis that the ability to degrade infested pastures may be enhanced by previous consumption, probably through an adaptation of the rumen microbiota. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of an in vitro method to determine rumen undigested aNDFom for use in feed evaluation

A portion of the forage cell wall, defined as neutral detergent fiber (NDF), is indigestible to anaerobic microbial digestion in ruminants. This fraction has been characterized by surface area relationships between acid detergent lignin, but recently, data have been published describing the dynamic nature of this relationship. In situ approaches have been described to estimate indigestible NDF, recovering the undigested NDF after long-term fermentations (uNDF). To be applicable to nutritionists and diet formulation, determining uNDF needs to be conducted in a commercial laboratory similar to other routine analyses of forage chemistry. A series of studies were conducted to evaluate an in vitro approach, to describe uNDF, which is repeatable and adaptable for routine feed evaluation. One hundred and two forages of several species were analyzed for NDF, acid detergent lignin, and uNDF. The uNDF was estimated by several approaches involving long-term fermentations and filtration steps to evaluate the length of time necessary to exhaust the digestible NDF and a filtration method necessary to maintain sample integrity by ensuring low sample loss and uniform recovery with residues from long-term in vitro fermentation. To determine uNDF, in vitro fermentations were conducted on 0.50 or 0.75 g of dry matter samples, in triplicate, at multiple time points up to 504 h and initially used Gooch crucibles with Celite (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA) as a filtering aid. The final method utilized a 1.5-µm pore size glass microfiber filter, which allowed for increased repeatability and improved sample recovery (lowest standard deviation). In this study, in vitro fermentations of 240 h were adequate to characterize and identify uNDF, which was repeatable among conventional forages provided the samples, after NDF analyses, were filtered through the same glass fiber filter. This approach could be adapted by commercial laboratories and would provide opportunities to develop near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy equations and calibrations.     

Assessment of nutritive value of cereal and legume straws based on chemical composition and in vitro digestibility

The nutritive value of 17 straws was determined on the basis of their chemical composition, in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility and rumen fermentation kinetics (from gas production curves measured in vitro). Five roughages were from the cereal species Avena sativa (oat), Hordeum vulgare (barley), Secale cereale (rye), Triticum aestivum (wheat) and Zea mays (maize stover). The other 12 samples were legume straws, two samples from each of the species Cicer arietinum (chickpea), Lens culinaris (lentil) and Phaseolus vulgaris (bean) and one sample from each of the species Lathyrus sativus (chickling vetch), Lupinus albus (white lupin), Pisum sativum (field pea), Vicia articulata (one‐flowered vetch), Vicia ervilia (bitter vetch) and Vicia sativa (common vetch). All samples were collected after harvesting from different farms located in León (northwestern Spain). Based on their chemical composition, digestibility and gas production characteristics, species could be clustered into two groups with a significant linkage distance, one for cereal straws that merged at a level of similarity of 80% and the other for legume straws with a degree of similarity of 50%. Species varied widely and significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed between the two groups of straws. Legume straws showed higher crude protein (74 ± 6.1 vs 29 ± 2.2 g kg^?1 DM) and lower fibre (584 ± 18.1 vs 793 ± 27.5 g neutral detergent fibre kg^?1 DM) contents than cereal straws and, consequently, DM digestibility coefficients (0.670 vs 0.609; standard error of difference 0.0054) and metabolisable energy values (7.4 ± 0.15 vs 5.7 ± 0.24 MJ kg^?1 DM) were significantly greater in legume than in cereal straws. Although there were noticeable differences among species within each botanical family, legume straws showed better nutritional quality than cereal straws, indicating that they could be considered promising and interesting sources of roughage for incorporation into ruminant diets. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Feeding value,in vitro digestibility and in vitro gas production of different by‐products for ruminant nutrition

Nine by‐products used in animal nutrition were examined for their nutritive value by determining the chemical composition (crude protein, crude fat (ether extract), neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, lignin), in vitro organic matter digestibility and rumen fermentation kinetics (from gas production curves measured in vitro). The by‐products studied were giant pumpkin, red pepper, stem broccoli, brewer's grain, fresh artichoke, scalded artichoke, lemon peel, orange peel and melon. The nutritive value was very variable, depending on the by‐product and on the process applied to the material during industrial processing. In vitro gas production was measured for 500 mg dry matter in quadruplicate at 39 °C after 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 h of incubation and fitted to single‐pool exponential equations. The fermentation kinetics indicated that brewer's grain was the only by‐product which fitted well with the p = a + b(1 ? e^?ct) equation model; all other by‐products had a very fast degradation rate and their gas production fitted the equation p = b(1 ? e^?c(t?L)), because in the other exponential model a was negative. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of fermentation on the nutritive value of maize

The effects of fermentation on protein, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), amino acid, total phenolics, phytic acid and colour values of four maize cultivars (two bi‐colour waxy corn and two super sweet corn), namely Jing Tian Zi Hua Nuo NO. 2, Jing Tian NO. 3, Bright Jean and Su Ke Hua Nuo 2008, were determined and compared with those of their unfermented counterparts. Results showed that fermentation caused significant increase in protein (43.5% largest increase), most kind of amino acid (131.5% largest increase in lysine content) and total phenolic content (23.4% largest increase), but significant reduction in phytic acid content (24.3% largest reduction) of four maize cultivars. The IVPD of four maize cultivars, except Suke2008, did not change significantly. Colour values of two waxy corn were resulted in the increase in a‐values and reduction in L‐values.     

微生物固态发酵法提升冷榨菜籽饼粕营养价值的研究

为了得到高品质的饲用菜籽饼粕,利用混合菌种(白地霉:产朊假丝酵母:植物乳杆菌=2:1:2,接种量8%)作为发酵菌株,采用固态发酵方式处理冷榨菜籽饼粕。对发酵温度、时间、pH、水料比进行单因素实验和正交实验优化,结果表明,当水料比为2.2:1,培养基用水pH为2时,在34℃发酵64h,菜籽饼粕中硫甙降解率达77.29%,体外消化率提升率高达99.91%,其营养价值得到明显提高。     

Modification of a rumen fluid priming technique for measuring in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility

Recently, we developed an alternate method to measure in vitro neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (ivNDFD) based on a primed rumen fluid inoculum. Pretreating rumen fluid inoculum with cellulose and holding the inoculum until it generated 0.3 mL of gas/mL of rumen fluid before inoculating forage samples improved ivNDFD assay repeatability but depressed ivNDFD means. Our objective in this study was to determine if pretreating rumen fluid with a mixture of carbohydrates and urea would affect the ivNDFD mean and variance. We also used the modified procedure as a reference assay to calibrate near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict 24-, 30-, and 48-h ivNDFD. Two experiments were completed. In experiment A, 3 ivNDFD assays modified from the method of Goering and Van Soest were evaluated over 24, 28, 48, 54, and 72 h by using dried, ground alfalfa (1 mm) or wheat straw (0.5 g) sealed in Ankom F57 forage fiber bags. Bags were placed individually in 125-mL Erlenmeyer flasks and incubated with Goering and Van Soest media and 10 mL of rumen fluid. Rumen fluid was collected before feeding from 2 cannulated cows fed a high-forage diet and was prepared in 1 of 3 ways: 1) pooled rumen fluid was strained and used immediately to inoculate flasks (modified Goering and Van Soest method); 2) strained, pooled fluid was combined with buffer, reducing solution, and 1.25 mg of primer/mL of rumen fluid and allowed to produce 0.12 mL of gas/mL of rumen fluid before sample inoculation [Combs-Goeser (CG) method]; or 3) the CG method was used without the primer mixture (unprimed method). The assay was repeated 5 times, with 5 time points (24, 28, 48, 54, and 72 h) and 2 subsamples per time point for each method. Neutral detergent fiber was analyzed using an Ankom²⁰⁰ forage fiber analyzer and ivNDFD was determined as follows: ivNDFD (% of NDF) = 100 × [(NDF_0h - NDF_residue)/(NDF_0h)]. Results were analyzed using a mixed model procedure, and data were blocked by method to obtain repetition sums of squares, which were compared by an F-test to assess interassay error. Repetition sums of squares were reduced with the CG method compared with the Goering and Van Soest method (19 vs. 228), and mean ivNDFD estimates were similar at 28, 48, and 54 h. In experiment B, 24-, 30-, and 48-h ivNDFD data for 54 feeds were determined in triplicate using the CG method, and corresponding samples were then scanned with an NIRS instrument. Calibrations were computed using partial least squares regression techniques. The NIRS calibration equation R² values were 0.93, 0.93, and 0.89 for 24-, 30-, and 48-h ivNDFD. Results suggest that the modified ivNDFD method using rumen fluid primed with a mixture of carbohydrate and urea (CG method) reduced interassay error.     

Evaluation of tropical plants containing tannin on in vitro methanogenesis and fermentation parameters using rumen fluid

BACKGROUND: Methane (CH₄) produced during ruminal fermentation represents a loss of 10–11% of gross energy intake. The use of browse species containing tannin as feed supplement for ruminants tends to increase in order to reduce CH₄ production. The present study was conducted to evaluate some tropical plants containing tannin as feed supplement (200 g kg^?1) on in vitro CH₄ production and fermentation parameters. RESULTS: The crude protein (CP) content ranged from 87 to 390 g kg^?1 dry matter (DM) and was highest in Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poiret. The neutral detergent fibre (NDF) concentration was highest in Pennisetum purpureum Schumach (725 g kg^?1 DM) and lowest in S. grandiflora (330 g kg^?1 DM). The ranking order of plants based on their total tannin content was Acacia mangium Willd. > Biophytum petersianum Klotzch > Jatropa curcas Linnaeus > Psidium guajava Linnaeus > Phaleria papuana > Persea americana Mill. > S. grandiflora. Methane gas production after 48 h of incubation was significantly (P < 0.05) lower with inclusion of A. mangium (PP + AM), B. petersianum (PP + BP), J. curcas (PP + JC) or P. guajava (PP + PG) as compared to control feed (PP). There was negative correlation between total tannin content and CH₄ production at 48 h of incubation (r = ? 0.76). Concentration NH₃‐N was significantly (P < 0.01) higher with inclusion of S. glandiflora. Inclusion of P. guajava significantly (P < 0.05) suppressed protozoa population by 49.7% relative to control feed (PP). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that A. mangium, B. petersianum, J. curcas and P. guajava have potential to be used as a feed supplement to reduce CH₄ production in ruminants. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nutritive evaluation of herbage from permanent meadows by near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy: 1. Prediction of chemical composition and in vitro digestibility

This study was implemented to evaluate the potential of near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) technology to estimate the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of botanically complex herbage mixtures characterised, moreover, by a noteworthy variation among samples in the maturity of the forage plants. A total of 107 herbage samples harvested from permanent meadows located in the uplands of León (northwestern Spain) were analysed to determine their chemical composition. In addition, the in vitro digestibility of each herbage sample was measured by two different in vitro procedures using buffered rumen fluid. A Bran + Luebbe InfraAlyzer 500 spectrophotometer was used to obtain the near‐infrared spectra corresponding to each herbage sample. Prediction equations developed for the estimation of the chemical components showed that NIRS technology could predict these parameters accurately, especially the crude protein and neutral detergent fibre contents ( in both cases). In vitro digestibility parameters could also be predicted with an acceptable degree of accuracy using NIRS technology, particularly the in vitro Tilley and Terry organic matter digestibility ( , standard error of prediction (SEP) = 2.165% organic matter) and the in vitro dry matter true digestibility measured according to the Goering and Van Soest procedure ( , SEP = 2.208% dry matter). Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of mechanical processing on the nutritive value of barley silage for lactating dairy cows

Mechanical processing of whole crop barley before ensiling may be useful for improving nutrient use by dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of feeding mechanically processed barley silage as the main forage source on lactational performance. Twenty-four Holstein cows, 16 primiparous (187 +/- 52 days in milk) and 8 multiparous (87 +/- 69 days in milk) cows, were used in a completely randomized design with a 2-wk covariate period and a 6-wk treatment period. The 2 treatments were: 1) total mixed ration (TMR) containing regular barley silage (RBS-TMR), and 2) TMR containing mechanically processed barley silage (MPBS-TMR). Barley silage and alfalfa hay supplied 41 and 5% of the dietary dry matter (DM), respectively. Intake, body weight, and milk production were measured during the covariate and treatment periods. In addition, 2 multiparous cows were used for in situ measurements of the ruminal DM and fiber degradation kinetics of the barley silages and TMR. Data were analyzed with repeated measurements using a mixed model that included the covariate adjustment. Feeding MPBS-TMR had no significant effects on DM intake (DMI; 21.7 kg/d), milk yield (33.9 kg/d), or milk composition, with only 4% FCM (fat-corrected milk) yield (29.7 vs. 31.7 kg/d) and milk fat concentration (3.30 vs. 3.57%) showing a numerical improvement. Apparent digestibilities of DM and nutrients were not affected by feeding MPBS-TMR, with the exception of starch digestibility, which tended to increase. Dairy efficiencies calculated as milk yield/DMI or FCM/DMI were not different between treatments. Body weight and body condition score were not affected by treatments. Effective ruminal degradability of DM was similar for both barley silages, indicating that when the silages were ground to remove the effects of mechanical processing, the potential digestion was similar. Mechanical processing of barley silage harvested at a mid-dough stage of maturity resulted in small improvements in its nutritive value for lactating dairy cows and had minor impact on digestibility and milk production.     

Evaluating the nutritive values and in vitro degradability characteristics of leaves,seeds and seedpods from Moringa stenopetala

BACKGROUND: Moringa stenopetala is a multipurpose tree which has several agricultural, industrial and medicinal uses. The nutritive value of East African M. stenopetala has not been fully investigated and pertinent data for ruminants are lacking. The present study was therefore conducted to fill this gap by providing the latest information on chemical composition and in vitro fermentation of M. stenopetala tree parts. RESULTS: The respective metabolizable energy values for leaves, seeds and seedpods were 10.0, 7.0 and 5.1 g kg^?1 dry matter (DM). The crude protein (CP) contents for leaves, seeds and seedpods were 395, 282 and 110 g kg^?1 DM, respectively. For leaves and seeds, 88% and 83%, respectively, of the CP was true protein. Fat contents (g kg^?1 DM) were relatively high in seeds (334) but not in leaves (84) or seedpods (110). No starch was detected in seeds. Leaves were a potentially useful source of calcium,, sodium and manganese, containing 18.5, 4.1 and 0.086 g kg^?1 DM, respectively. The concentrations of essential amino acids in leaves for leucine, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine and threonine were 8.5, 5.3, 5.3, 4.5, and 4.4 g 16 g N^?1, respectively, and were comparable to those found in soybean and Moringa olifera leaves. The contents of total phenols in seeds and leaves were 1.2 and 56.7 g kg^?1 DM, respectively. CONCLUSION: The chemical composition of leaves and seeds from M. stenopetala revealed its potential as a protein and energy supplement for ruminant livestock. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

In vitro degradability of mature and immature leaves of tropical forage legumes differing in condensed tannin and non‐starch polysaccharide content and composition

A study was designed to examine the relationships between protein, condensed tannin and cell wall carbohydrate content and composition and the nutritional quality of seven tropical legumes (Desmodium ovalifolium, Flemingia macrophylla, Leucaena leucocephala, L pallida, L macrophylla, Calliandra calothyrsus and Clitoria fairchildiana). Among the legume species studied, D ovalifolium showed the lowest concentration of nitrogen, while L leucocephala showed the highest. Fibre (NDF) content was lowest in C calothyrsus, L Leucocephala and L pallida and highest in L macrophylla, which had no measurable condensed tannins. The highest tannin concentration was found in C calothyrsus. Total non‐structural polysaccharides (NSP) varied among legumes species (lowest in C calothyrsus and highest in D ovalifolium), and glucose and uronic acids were the most abundant carbohydrate constituents in all legumes. Total NSP losses were lowest in F macrophylla and highest in L leucocephala and L pallida. Gas accumulation and acetate and propionate levels were 50% less with F macrophylla and D ovalifolium as compared with L leucocephala. The highest levels of branched‐chain fatty acids were observed with non‐tanniniferous legumes, and negative concentrations were observed with some of the legumes with high tannin content (D ovalifolium and F macrophylla). Linear regression analysis showed that the presence of condensed tannins was more related to a reduction of the initial rate of gas production (0–48 h) than to the final amount of gas produced or the extent (144 h) of dry matter degradation, which could be due to differences in tannin chemistry. Consequently, more attention should be given in the future to elucidating the impact of tannin structure on the nutritional quality of tropical forage legumes. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of tillage and nitrogen fertilisation on triticale grain yield,chemical composition and nutritive value

BACKGROUND: Given the interest in the development of cultivation systems with low agronomic input and environmental impact, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of tillage system (conventional tillage (CT), two‐layer tillage (TT), surface tillage (ST) and minimum tillage (MT)) and nitrogen (N) fertilisation rate (0, 50 and 100 kg ha^?1) on triticale grain and protein yields, chemical composition and nutritive value. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among tillage treatments in grain and protein yields. ST resulted in significantly higher crude protein (CP) and true soluble protein (TSP) contents as well as in vitro crude protein digestibility (CPD). Neutral detergent fibre concentration was significantly higher with ST than with MT, and this led to a small reduction (2 g kg^?1 dry matter (DM)) in in vitro true DM digestibility (IVTDMD). N fertilisation significantly increased grain and protein yields as well as CP, non‐protein nitrogen and TSP contents and CPD. IVTDMD was significantly lower with 0 kg N ha^?1 than with 50 and 100 kg N ha^?1. CONCLUSION: Reducing tillage intensity improved the CP content and CPD of triticale grain. The application of 50 kg N ha^?1 resulted in good grain quality parameters and grain and protein yields. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

油茶籽粕反刍动物饲料化利用价值初探

在分析油茶籽粕常规营养成分基础上,本试验采用体外产气和尼龙袋技术对油茶籽粕瘤胃发酵和降解特性进行了评定。结果显示:(1)油茶籽粕的粗蛋白、粗脂肪、中性洗涤纤维、酸性洗涤纤维、酸性洗涤木质素分别为13.1%、8.6%、66.2%、44.5%和25.4%(绝干物质基础);油茶籽粕的代谢能为4.30 MJ/kg DM;(2)油茶籽粕在体外发酵前期(2~12 h)的累积产气量显著高于羊草(P0.05),但36 h起油茶籽粕的累积产气量显著低于羊草(P0.05)。这与尼龙袋法测定的干物质降解率的变化趋势一致,油茶籽粕的干物质降解率在24~72 h显著低于羊草(P0.05),但在前期(3~12 h)二者的干物质降解率没有显著性差异(P0.05);(3)油茶籽粕25%替代羊草时不影响潜在产气量(P0.05),随替代比例的进一步增加(≥50%)慢速产气量显著降低(P0.05),但产气速度显著增加(P0.05),油茶籽粕25%替代羊草时不影响丙酸浓度(P0.05)。结果表明油茶籽粕含有较高的粗蛋白和粗脂肪,油茶籽粕替代羊草可提升全混合饲粮的发酵速度,提高丙酸所占挥发性脂肪酸比例;较高含量的木质素降低了其营养价值。     

Comparison of in vitro degradation of temperate forages using the gas production and filter bag techniques

BACKGROUND: Two of the most promising in vitro techniques for dynamic forage evaluation are the gas production (GP) and filter bag (FB) techniques. To improve our understanding of how these techniques describe the dynamic degradation of forages, 20 temperate forage samples were analysed by each method at different time points during a 96 h incubation period. The results of the recordings were fitted to a biphasic Michaelis–Menten model describing the degradation of rapidly and slowly degrading forage fractions. RESULTS: GP and disappearance from the FB measurements were correlated at all time points from 6 to 96 h (R² = 0.27–0.74), except at the 24 h incubation point. When GP was transformed into organic matter degradation (OMD), there was an even stronger correlation (R² = 0.54–0.75) between the techniques at all intervals. Comparison of the parameters from the Michaelis–Menten model resulted in correlations (R² = 0.83) between the sizes of the estimated forage fractions, but not between parameter determining the rates of their degradation. CONCLUSIONS: Both the GP and FB techniques have the potential to estimate the degradation of individual feed fractions in forages. Further studies in which the in vitro parameters are evaluated against livestock data, are needed to confirm the findings of this study, however. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Technical note: In vitro total gas and methane production measurements from closed or vented rumen batch culture systems

This study compared measured gas production (GP) and computed CH₄ production values provided by closed or vented bottles connected to gas collection bags. Two forages and 3 concentrates were incubated. Two incubations were conducted, where the 5 feeds were tested in 3 replicates in closed or vented bottles, plus 4 blanks, for a total of 64 bottles. Half of the bottles were not vented, and the others were vented at a fixed pressure (6.8 kPa) and gas was collected into one gas collection bag connected to each bottle. Each bottle (317 mL) was filled with 0.4000 ± 0.0010 g of feed sample and 60 mL of buffered rumen fluid (headspace volume = 257 mL) and incubated at 39.0°C for 24 h. At 24 h, gas samples were collected from the headspace of closed bottles or from headspace and bags of vented bottles and analyzed for CH₄ concentration. Volumes of GP at 24 h were corrected for the gas dissolved in the fermentation fluid, according to Henry’s law of gas solubility. Methane concentration (mL/100 mL of GP) was measured and CH₄ production (mL/g of incubated DM) was computed using corrected or uncorrected GP values. Data were analyzed for the effect of venting technique (T), feed (F), interaction between venting technique and feed (T × F), and incubation run as a random factor. Closed bottles provided lower uncorrected GP (−18%) compared with vented bottles, especially for concentrates. Correction for dissolved gas reduced but did not remove differences between techniques, and closed bottles (+25 mL of gas/g of incubated DM) had a greater magnitude of variation than did vented bottles (+1 mL of gas/g of incubated DM). Feeds differed in uncorrected and corrected GP, but the ranking was the same for the 2 techniques. The T × F interaction influenced uncorrected GP values, but this effect disappeared after correction. Closed bottles provided uncorrected CH₄ concentrations 23% greater than that of vented bottles. Correction reduced but did not remove this difference. Methane concentration was influenced by feed but not by the T × F interaction. Corrected CH₄ production was influenced by feed, but not by venting technique or the T × F interaction. Closed bottles provide good measurements of CH₄ production but not of GP. Venting of bottles at low pressure permits a reliable evaluation of total GP and CH₄ production.