Forestomach epithelial receptor activation by rumen fluids from sheep given intraruminal infusions of volatile fatty acids

Forty-four reticuloruminal epithelial receptors were tested with rumen fluids obtained from 12 sheep before they were intraruminally infused with 4.0M acetic acid (8 sheep) or 4.0M butyric acid (4 sheep; preinfusion rumen fluid) and with rumen fluids obtained at the onset of ruminal stasis (abolition rumen fluid). The preinfusion rumen fluids from the 8 acetic acid-infused sheep (mean pH, 6.55) contained 1.7 mM nondissociated volatile fatty acids (VFA)/L and excited none of the 25 receptors tested. Preinfusion rumen fluids from the 4 butyric acid-infused sheep (mean pH, 6.98) contained 0.3 mM nondissociated VFA/L and also did not evoke responses in any of the 19 receptors tested. Abolition rumen fluids from sheep treated with acetic acid excited 17 of the 25 receptors tested and contained 89.4 mM nondissociated VFA/L, of which nondissociated acetic acid comprised 85.0 mM/L. Abolition rumen fluids from sheep treated with butyric acid activated 14 of the 19 receptors tested and contained 61.1 mM nondissociated VFA/L, of which 38.7 mM/L was nondissociated butyric acid. Preinfusion rumen fluids whose pH values were adjusted to that of abolition rumen fluids with HCl contained nondissociated VFA levels ranging from 16.3 mM/L (acetic acid-treated sheep) to 20.6 mM/L (butyric acid-treated sheep) and elicited responses in 4 of 30 receptors tested. Preinfusion rumen fluids whose pH values were adjusted to the pH value of abolition rumen fluid with acetic acid contained 29.5 mM nondissociated VFA/L and excited 7 of 13 tested receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

脂肪酸添加剂对奶牛瘤胃挥发性脂肪酸和甲烷的影响

21头安装瘤胃瘘管的荷斯坦产奶牛随机分为对照组和试验Ⅰ~Ⅵ组,每组3头,对照组饲喂全混日粮(TMR),试验Ⅰ~Ⅵ组每天饲喂TMR加50.0 g、100.0 g、150.0 g、200.0 g、250.0 g、300.0 g/头复合脂肪酸日粮,主要探讨复合脂肪酸对奶牛瘤胃甲烷(CH4)产量、挥发性脂肪酸(VFA)、氨氮(NH3-N)浓度和pH值及产奶性能的影响。结果,TMR中每天添加150.0~200.0 g/头复合脂肪酸,明显(P<0.05)提高奶牛乳脂率和瘤胃乙酸浓度,显著(P<0.05)降低奶牛的CH4释放量、CH4能/GE值和瘤胃NH3-N浓度,对奶牛的标准乳(FCM)、乳干物质、乳蛋白和乳糖均有提高趋势,能有效地提高奶牛的经济效益和生态效益。     

Continuous automated recording of ruminal pH in sheep nourished entirely by intragastric infusions

A method is described whereby the rumen pH in sheep entirely nourished by infusion of volatile fatty acids was determined continuously. The electrodes used were standard laboratory combination electrodes connected to a digital pH meter, a multi-channel chart recorder and an isolation module. The correlation between pH readings from the bench samples and from electrodes immersed in the rumen for periods of up to 28 days was 0.980 +/- 0.015 for 250 observations. There were fairly regular patterns of change in ruminal pH. The pH rose and fell by approximately 0.1 to 0.2 units over a period of about one hour. These changes were thought to be associated with periods of pseudorumination.     

Effects of rare earth element lanthanum on rumen methane and volatile fatty acid production and microbial flora in vitro

The objectives of the trial were to study the effects of rare earth element (REE) lanthanum (La) on the in vitro rumen methane (CH₄) and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and the microbial flora of feeds. Four feed mixtures with different levels of neutral detergent fibre (NDF), that is 20.0% (I), 31.0% (II), 41.9% (III) and 52.7% (IV), were formulated as substrates. Five levels of LaCl₃, that is 0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 mmol/kg dry matter (DM), were added to the feed mixtures, respectively, as experimental treatments in a two‐factor 5 × 4 randomized design. The in vitro incubation lasted for 24 h. The results showed that supplementing LaCl₃ increased the total gas (p < 0.001) production and tended to increase the total VFA production (p = 0.072) and decreased the CH₄ production (p = 0.001) and the ratios of acetate/propionate (p = 0.019) and CH₄/total VFA (p < 0.001). Interactions between LaCl₃ and NDF were significant in total gas production (p = 0.030) and tended to be significant in CH₄ production (p = 0.071). Supplementing LaCl₃ at the level of 0.8 mmol/g DM decreased the relative abundance of methanogens and protozoa in the total bacterial 16S rDNA analysed using the real‐time PCR (p < 0.0001), increased F. succinogenes (p = 0.0003) and decreased R. flavefaciens (p < 0.0001) whereas did not affect R. albus and anaerobic fungi (p > 0.05). It was concluded that LaCl₃ decreased the CH₄ production without negatively affecting feed digestion through manipulating rumen microbial flora when feed mixtures with different levels of NDF were used as substrates.     

The effect of reduced drinking water supply on feed absorption, apparent digestibility of crude nutrients and rumen fermentation of sheep

Based on the fact that the insufficient supply of agricultural domestic animals with drinking water in tropical and subtropical regions is often the factor limiting their performance, the effect of different drinking water supply of sheep (ad libitum, 54% of ad libitum and 27% of ad libitum) on various parameters was studied. A water supply reduced to 54 and 27% resp. diminished dry matter intake to 84% and 45% resp. A water supply reduced to 54% improved the digestibility of organic matter, crude fibre, crude cellulose and N-free extractives, it was, however, not significant. A reduction to 27% of the ad libitum water supply improved the digestibility of all crude nutrients, significantly, however, only that of organic matter, crude fibre, crude cellulose and N-free extractives. In comparison with a supply of water reduced to 54%, a water supply reduced to 27% also resulted in an improvement of the digestibility of all crude nutrients. Both the reduction of the ad libitum water supply and the increasing time interval for the sampling of rumen fluid resulted in an increased concentration of volatile fatty acids in the rumen fluid, which was sampled 15 min, 1 hour and 2 hours after feeding.     

气相色谱测定羊瘤胃液中挥发性脂肪酸方法研究

建立了程序升温气相色谱法测定羊瘤胃液中的挥发性脂肪酸。样品经过滤离心,偏磷酸溶液酸化后,直接进样分析。结果表明:该方法实现了羊瘤胃液中乙酸、丙酸和正丁酸直接快速分离,方法的精密度、回收率较高。     

The effects of diet on water flux and volatile fatty acid concentrations in the rumen of growing beef steers fed once daily

In vivo temporal changes in ruminal liquid flow, liquid volume and VFA concentrations were determined in growing steers following once-daily feeding. Crossbred beef steers (n = 8; 278 +/- 8 kg), used in a crossover design, were trained to consume 180% of their maintenance energy intake within 2 h of either a high-forage (54% hay: 46% concentrate; HF) or high-concentrate (28% hay: 72% concentrate; HC) diet. For each animal on each diet, ruminal VFA concentrations, liquid volumes and liquid dilution rates were determined during a 2-h period before feeding and during three consecutive 2-h periods following feeding. Water was withheld during these periods to observe physiologically rather than behaviorally induced changes. At equal energy intakes, diet alone had no effect on VFA concentrations (P greater than .10), although changes in total VFA, acetic and isobutyric acids differed during the time periods following feeding due to diet (diet x time period interaction; P less than or equal to .10). Ruminal volume and dilution rate were altered in a reciprocal manner due to diet, with greater volumes and lower dilution rates observed in HC than in HF steers. Differences among time periods were observed for dilution rate and propionic acid concentrations. In general, these differences can be explained by comparison of the prefeeding time period with the postfeeding time periods. A numerical, but not statistically significant, increase in ruminal volume was observed following feeding. The effects of diet on volume and liquid dilution rate of the rumen must be considered when assessing total nutrients available for animal absorption.     

Studies on rumen fermentation with special reference to the volatile fatty acid production rate in ewes during reproduction. 2. Production rate of volatile fatty acids and rumen volume

Methods and results of the measuring of the rumen volume and the passage rate as well as the dependence of the production of volatile fatty acids on the parameters mentioned are described. The correlative relations between rumen volume on the one hand and feed passage on the other hand to the production quotas are investigated. Passage rates and rumen volumes were determined with the help of the isotope dilution method. In the course of reproduction rumen volumes of 7.81, 6.41, 8.91, 7.11 in experiment 1 and 5.41, 5.81, 9.51 and 4.71 in experiment 2 were measured in the sequence early stage of gestation, late stage of gestation, lactation and the period between pregnancies. The average total production of volatile fatty acids within 12 hours amounted to 475 mmol, 265 mmol, 313 mmol and 351 mmol in experiment 1 and 155 mmol, 175 mmol, 271 mmol and 144 mmol in experiment 2 in the same sequence. The average passage duration of the feed through the digestive tract of the ewes was 32.4 h in experiment 1 and 33.6 h in experiment 2. The relatively high feed intake of the ewes resulted in a short passage duration and could be a cause of the low production quotas of the volatile fatty acids.     

Measurement of volatile fatty acid production rates in sheep given roughage

Measurement of the irreversible loss rate (ILR) of acetate, propionate and butyrate by radioisotope dilution of the respective tracers in sheep offered chopped dried grass from continuous belt type feeders gave 'plateau samples', the specific radioactivity of which had unacceptably high variance (coefficient of variation [cv] of the five or six samples taken from any one animal over the last four hours of 10 hours infusion ranged from 16 to 57 per cent). In an experiment which attempted to identify the source of this variability the distribution of the liquid phase marker 51Cr EDTA into different areas of the rumen was examined during its administration either in liquid form or impregnated on paper. The paper provided better mixing but incurred considerable spillage problems which would be unacceptable where calculations of ILR were required. Radiographic observations were made to examine the mixing of radio-opaque liquid and solid phase markers in the rumen. A better mixing of both was achieved with intermittent than continuous feeding. When 1-14C- and 2-14C-labelled acetate were each infused into the rumen of four sheep given two levels of chopped dried grass by means of hourly feeders, samples of rumen liquor gave much lower variability of the mean plateau specific radioactivity values than was obtained in experiment 1 (cv less than 15 per cent in all but one sheep). The ILRs of acetate and the transfer quotients of carbon from acetate to butyrate obtained using 1-14C- and 2-14C-labelled acetate were similar.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of dietary choline on volatile fatty acids in rumen liquid of sheep and rumen dry matter degradability of untreated and ammonia-treated wheat straw

Three rumen fistulated wethers consumed a roughage (1200 g artificially dried grass) or a concentrate/roughage diet (600 g concentrate, 400 g dried grass per animal and day). The diets were unsupplemented or 0.5, 1 or 2 g choline per animal and day were added. After a 14-day feeding period, samples of rumen liquid were taken 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 h after morning feeding. In a second experiment, untreated and ammonia-treated wheat straw were incubated in nylon bags for 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h in rumen of 5 sheep fed on 1.2 kg dried grass and without or with 1 g choline per day. Choline supplementation decreased the total concentration of volatile fatty acids in rumen liquid in both types of diet (roughage: 106, 83, 89 and 87; concentrate/roughage: 142, 114, 91 and 106 mmol/l for 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 g choline per day resp.). Concentration of acetate and branched chain fatty acids in both diets and butyrate in concentrate/roughage diet was reduced as total acids. Butyrate in roughage diet was increased by added choline. Molar propionate concentration was not significantly influenced by choline (P greater than 0.05). Choline resulted in a little increase (P greater than 0.05) of dry matter degradability in rumen, especially when NH3-treated straw was incubated. The effect of choline on milk fat production of cows fed with diets rich in concentrate is probably not related to changes in rumen fermentation and digestion.     

Influence of dietary niacin on volatile fatty acids in rumen liquid of sheep and rumen dry matter degradability of untreated and ammonia-treated wheat straw

Three rumen fistulated sheep were fed with roughage (1200 g artificially dried grass) or a concentrate/roughage diet (600 g concentrate, 400 g artificially dried grass per animal and day). The diets were unsupplemented or 0.5, 1 and 2 g niacin per animal and day were added. After a 14-day adaptation period samples of rumen liquid were taken 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 h after morning feeding. In a second experiment untreated and NH3-treated wheat straw were incubated in nylon bags for 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h in the rumen of 5 sheep fed with 1.2 kg artificially dried grass and unsupplemented or supplemented with 1 g niacin per day. Niacin did not significantly influence the total concentration of volatile fatty acids, acetate and branched chain fatty acids in both types of diet (P less than 0.05). 0.5 and 1 g niacin in the roughage and 0.5 g niacin in concentrate/roughage diet increased the propionic acid concentration and reduced the butyric acid concentration in rumen liquid of sheep (P less than 0.05). Niacin resulted in a small decrease (P greater than 0.05) of dry matter degradability in rumen. After 48 h incubation time, the dry matter disappearance of untreated and NH3-treated wheat straw amounted to 35.4 and 46.2% resp. The effects of niacin on rumen fermentation may be useful in avoiding ketogenic situations in dairy cows.     

脂肪酸钙对瘤胃发酵及羧甲基纤维素酶活性的影响

试验选用4只装有永久性瘤胃瘘管的小尾寒羊,采用4×4拉丁方设计,分为对照组(CT)和3个试验组(A、B和C)。对照组饲喂基础日粮,试验组分别在基础日粮中添加日粮干物质1%、2%、3%的脂肪酸钙(Ca-LCFA),研究不同添加水平脂肪酸钙对绵羊瘤胃发酵及羧甲基纤维素酶活性的影响。结果表明:各试验组间瘤胃液pH差异不显著(P0.05),瘤胃液NH3-N浓度差异显著(P0.05)或极显著(P0.01),但都在正常范围内;总挥发性脂肪酸(TVFA)浓度C组和A组显著高于CT组和B组(P0.05),C和A两组间差异不显著(P0.05),在乙酸丙酸比上各组间差异不显著(P0.05);C组羧甲基纤维素酶活性最强(P0.01)。这表明在本试验条件下,C组即添加日粮干物质3%的脂肪酸钙最有利于绵羊瘤胃发酵。     

Quantifying the effect of monensin dose on the rumen volatile fatty acid profile in high-grain-fed beef cattle

Monensin is a common feed additive used in various countries, where 1 of the associated benefits for use in beef cattle is improved efficiency of energy metabolism by the rumen bacteria, the animal, or both. Modeling fermentation-altering supplements is of interest, and thus, it is the purpose of this paper to quantify the change in VFA profile caused by monensin dose in high-grain-fed beef cattle. The developmental database used for meta-analysis included 58 treatment means from 16 studies from the published literature, and the proportional change in molar acetate, propionate, and butyrate (mol/100 mol) as well as total VFA (mM) with monensin feeding dose (mg/kg DM, concentration in the feed) was evaluated using the MIXED procedure (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) with the study treated as a random effect. The mean monensin dose in the literature database was 30.9 ± 3.70 mg/kg DM and ranged from 0.0 to 88.0 mg/kg DM. Mean DMI was 7.8 ± 0.26 kg DM/d, mean concentrate proportion of the diet was 0.87 ± 0.01, and mean treatment period was 42 ± 5.6 d. Results produced the following equations: proportional change in acetate (mol/100 mol) = -0.0634 (± 0.0323) × monensin (mg/kg DM)/100 (P = 0.068), proportional change in propionate (mol/100 mol) = 0.260 (± 0.0735) × monensin (mg/kg DM)/100 (P = 0.003), and proportional change in butyrate (mol/100 mol) = -0.335 (± 0.0916) × monensin (mg/kg DM)/100 (P = 0.002). The change in total VFA was not significantly related to monensin dose (P = 0.93). The results presented here indicate that the shift in VFA profile may be dose dependent, with increasing propionate and decreasing acetate and butyrate proportions (mol/100 mol). These equations could be applied within mechanistic models of rumen fermentation to represent the effect of monensin dose on the VFA profile in high-grain-fed beef cattle.     

有机物进食量和外流速度对瘤胃VFA产生量及比例的影响

占日粮 70 %～ 80 %的碳水化合物和部分饲料蛋白质 ,在瘤胃中发酵产生挥发性脂肪酸(ＶＦＡ)、ＣＨ4、ＣＯ2 、ＡＴＰ等 ,为反刍家畜和瘤胃微生物维持和生长提供主要能量来源 ,因此评定ＶＦＡ中乙、丙、丁酸等比例及产生量 ,对于评定饲料营养价值及进一步提高反刍家畜能量转化效率具有重要意义。本试验旨在研究不同有机物进食量和外流速度对稻草 -玉米 -豆粕型日粮瘤胃发酵ＶＦＡ产生量及各挥发酸比例的影响。1　材料与方法1 1　试验动物和日粮　采用 3头体重在 50 0ｋｇ左右、安装有永久瘤胃瘘管的成年公牛。日粮采用ＡＲＣ(1 980 )肉牛饲…     

Influence of diet composition on intestinal volatile fatty acid and nutrient absorption in unanesthetized pigs

Two experiments were conducted to study the effect of the amount and nature of fiber and carbohydrates on nutrient and VFA absorption. Five Large White pigs in each crossover experiment were accustomed to a semisynthetic 14% protein diet containing 6 (LC) or 16% (HC) pure cellulose (Exp. 1) or 22% alfalfa meal (6.3% cellulose, HA) and 22% lactose and 6% pure cellulose (HL; Exp. 2). Each animal was then fitted with catheters in the portal vein and carotid artery and with a flow probe around the portal vein. Eight days after surgery, the absorption of reducing sugars (RS) and amino-N was studied for 12 h and that of VFA for 24 h after intake of a single 800-g meal. The alternate diet was then given for 7 to 10 d and a second series of samplings was performed within the same conditions. In the first experiment, added dietary cellulose decreased efficiency of absorption of RS (LC: 90.4 +/- 7.0%; HC: 81.6 +/- 3.6%) and amino-N (LC: 95.3 +/- 9.1%; HC: 70.3 +/- 2.8%; P less than .05). Daily absorption (24 h) of VFA tended to be larger when the cellulose level rose (LC: 1,184 +/- 85 mmol; HC: 1,429 +/- 216 mmol, NS) and increased (P less than .05) with the length of adaptation (21 to 28 d) to the diet, regardless of cellulose level. In the second experiment, after intake of the alfalfa diet, absorption of RS was high (97.8%), whereas absorption of amino-N (74.3%) and VFA (880 +/- 87 mmol/24 h) were low. Intake of lactose reduced absorption of RS (85.2%), did not alter absorption of N (75.9%) and increased absorption of VFA (1,181 +/- 218 mmol/24 h). Thus, the energy efficiency of the diet was lowered (P less than .05) when cellulose was added to the diet but not when alfalfa meal or lactose were added.     

Using a novel macro in vitro technique to estimate differences in absorption rates of volatile fatty acids in the rumen

A novel macro in vitro system was used to test the theory that rumen proportions of acetate, propionate and butyrate are not representative of their respective net production rates. Whole rumen content (10–16 kg) from two cows was mixed with a bicarbonate buffer and incubated separately in two 40‐l in vitro vessels for 3 h. A total of six experimental periods were used. In this study, a total of six cows were used and fed 1/8 of the daily ration by hand every 3 h. To obtain differences in rumen volatile fatty acids (VFA) composition, 1 l of acetate (416 mm ), propionate (108 mm ), butyrate (79 mm ), lactic acid (300 mm ) or nothing was infused during 24 h into the rumen before collection of representative samples of rumen contents. Infusions of acids were then continued during the in vitro incubations in exact proportion to the digesta removed from the rumen. In Periods 1 and 2, the cows were alternatively infused with acetate or nothing. In Periods 3 and 4, the infusions consisted of propionate or butyrate and in Periods 5 and 6 of lactate or nothing. Nine liquid samples were obtained between 3 and 180 min after the start of incubation and analysed for concentrations of VFA. Changes in proportions of individual VFA were estimated by linear regression. No differences in VFA proportions were observed in the absence of infusion (p > 0.5) over time, but when individual VFA were infused, their respective proportions increased. This was interpreted as the result of a decreased in vitro fermentation rate of digesta substrates compared with that in the rumen. Lactate infusion increased butyrate proportion in vitro. It is concluded that this study could not provide any evidence that ruminal VFA proportions are unrepresentative of the proportions of net production.