The objective was to summarize the literature and derive equations that relate the chemical composition of diet and rumen characteristics to the intestinal supply of microbial nitrogen (MicN), efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (EMPS), and flow of nonammonia nonmicrobial N (NANMN). In this study, 619 treatment means from 183 trials were assembled for dairy cattle sampled from the duodenum or omasum. Backward elimination multiple regression was used to derive equations to estimate flow of nitrogenous components over a large range of dietary conditions. An intercept shift for sample location revealed that omasal sampling estimated greater MicN flow relative to duodenal sampling, but sample location did not interact with any other variables tested. The ruminal outflow of MicN was positively associated with dry matter intake (DMI) and with dietary starch percentage at a decreasing rate (quadratic response). Also, MicN was associated with DMI and rumen-degraded starch and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). When rumen measurements were included, ruminal pH and ammonia-N were negatively related to MicN flow along with a strong positive association with ruminal isovalerate molar proportion. When evaluating these variables with EMPS, isovalerate interacted with ammonia such that the slope for EMPS with increasing isovalerate increased as ammonia-N concentration decreased. A similar equation with isobutyrate confirms the importance of branched-chain volatile fatty acids to increase growth rate and therefore assimilation of ammonia-N into microbial protein. The ruminal outflow of NANMN could be predicted by dietary NDF and crude protein percentages, which also interacted. This result is probably associated with neutral detergent insoluble N contamination of NDF in certain rumen-undegradable protein sources. Because NANMN is calculated by subtracting MicN, sample location was inversely related compared with the MicN equation, and omasal sampling underestimated NANMN relative to duodenal sampling. As in the MicN equation, sampling location did not interact with any other variables tested for NANMN. Equations derived from dietary nutrient composition are robust across dietary conditions and could be used for prediction in protein supply-requirement models. These empirical equations were supported by more mechanistic equations based on the ruminal carbohydrate degradation and ruminal variables related to dietary rumen degradable protein.

Several attempts have been made to quantify microbial protein flow from the rumen; however, few studies have evaluated tradeoffs between empirical equations (microbial N as a function of diet composition) and more mechanistic equations (microbial N as a function of ruminal carbohydrate digestibility). Although more mechanistic approaches have been touted because they represent more of the biology and thus might behave more appropriately in extreme scenarios, their precision is difficult to evaluate. The objective of this study was to derive equations describing starch, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and organic matter total-tract and ruminal digestibilities; use these equations as inputs to equations predicting microbial N (MicN) production; and evaluate the implications of the different calculation methods in terms of their precision and accuracy. Models were evaluated based on root estimated variance σˆe and concordance correlation coefficients (CCC). Ruminal digestibility of NDF was positively associated with DMI and concentrations of NDF and CP and was negatively associated with concentration of starch and the ratio of acid detergent fiber to NDF (CCC=0.946). Apparent ruminal starch digestibility was increased by omasal sampling (compared with duodenal sampling), was positively associated with forage NDF and starch concentrations, and was negatively associated with wet forage DMI and total dietary DMI (CCC=0.908). Models were further evaluated by calculating fit statistics from a common data set, using stochastic simulation, and extreme scenario testing. In the stochastic simulation, variance in input variables were drawn from a multi-variate random normal distribution reflective of input measurement errors and predicting MicN while accounting for the measurement errors. Extreme scenario testing evaluated each MicN model against a data subset. When compared against an identical data set, predicting MicN empirically had the lowest prediction error, though differences were slight (σˆe 23.3% vs. 23.7 or 24.3%), and highest concordance (0.52 vs. 0.48 or 0.44) of any approach. Minimal differences were observed between empirical MicN prediction (σˆe 25.3%; CCC 0.530) and MicN prediction (σˆe 25.3%; CCC 0.532) from rumen carbohydrate digestibility in the stochastic analysis or extreme scenario testing. Despite the hypothesized benefits of a more mechanistic prediction approach, few differences between the calculation approaches were identified.

Evaluation of ration balancing systems such as the National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirements series is important for improving predictions of animal nutrient requirements and advancing feeding strategies. This work used a literature data set (n = 550) to evaluate predictions of total-tract digested neutral detergent fiber (NDF), fatty acid (FA), crude protein (CP), and nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC) estimated by the NRC (2001) dairy model. Mean biases suggested that the NRC (2001) lactating cow model overestimated true FA and CP digestibility by 26 and 7%, respectively, and under-predicted NDF digestibility by 16%. All NRC (2001) estimates had notable mean and slope biases and large root mean squared prediction error (RMSPE), and concordance (CCC) ranged from poor to good. Predicting NDF digestibility with independent equations for legumes, corn silage, other forages, and nonforage feeds improved CCC (0.85 vs. 0.76) compared with the re-derived NRC (2001) equation form (NRC equation with parameter estimates re-derived against this data set). Separate FA digestion coefficients were derived for different fat supplements (animal fats, oils, and other fat types) and for the basal diet. This equation returned improved (from 0.76 to 0.94) CCC compared with the re-derived NRC (2001) equation form. Unique CP digestibility equations were derived for forages, animal protein feeds, plant protein feeds, and other feeds, which improved CCC compared with the re-derived NRC (2001) equation form (0.74 to 0.85). New NFC digestibility coefficients were derived for grain-specific starch digestibilities, with residual organic matter assumed to be 98% digestible. A Monte Carlo cross-validation was performed to evaluate repeatability of model fit. In this procedure, data were randomly subsetted 500 times into derivation (60%) and evaluation (40%) data sets, and equations were derived using the derivation data and then evaluated against the independent evaluation data. Models derived with random study effects demonstrated poor repeatability of fit in independent evaluation. Similar equations derived without random study effects showed improved fit against independent data and little evidence of biased parameter estimates associated with failure to include study effects. The equations derived in this analysis provide interesting insight into how NDF, starch, FA, and CP digestibilities are affected by intake, feed type, and diet composition.

Nitrates have been fed to ruminants, including dairy cows, as an electron sink to mitigate CH 4 emissions. In the NO 3 − reduction process, NO 2 − can accumulate, which could directly inhibit methanogens and possibly other microbes in the rumen. Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast was hypothesized to decrease NO 2 − through direct reduction or indirectly by stimulating the bacterium Selenomonas ruminantium, which is among the ruminal bacteria most well characterized to reduce both NO 3 − and NO 2 −. Ruminal fluid was incubated in continuous cultures fed diets without or with NaNO 3 (1.5% of diet dry matter; i.e., 1.09% NO 3 −) and without or with live yeast culture (LYC) fed at a recommended 0.010 g/d (scaled from cattle to fermentor intakes) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Treatments with LYC had increased NDF digestibility and acetate: propionate by increasing acetate molar proportion but tended to decrease total VFA production. The main effect of NO 3 − increased acetate: propionate by increasing acetate molar proportion; NO 3 − also decreased molar proportions of isobutyrate and butyrate. Both NO 3 − and LYC shifted bacterial community composition (based on relative sequence abundance of 16S rRNA genes). An interaction occurred such that NO 3 − decreased valerate molar proportion only when no LYC was added. Nitrate decreased daily CH 4 emissions by 29%. However, treatment × time interactions were present for both CH 4 and H 2 emission from the headspace; CH 4 was decreased by the main effect of NO 3 − until 6 h postfeeding, but NO 3 − and LYC decreased H 2 emission up to 4 h postfeeding. As expected, NO 3 − decreased methane emissions in continuous cultures; however, contrary to expectations, LYC did not attenuate NO 2 − accumulation.

This work evaluated the National Research Council (NRC) dairy model (2001) predictions of rumen undegradable (RUP) and degradable (RDP) protein compared with measured postruminal non-ammonia, nonmicrobial (NANMN) and microbial N flows. Models were evaluated using the root mean squared prediction error (RMSPE) as a percent of the observed mean, mean and slope biases as percentages of mean squared prediction error (MSPE), and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). The NRC (2001) over-estimated NANMN by 18% and under-estimated microbial N by 14%. Both responses had large mean biases (19% and 20% of MSPE, respectively), and NANMN had a slope bias (22% of MSPE). The NRC NANMN estimate had high RMSPE (46% of observed mean) and low CCC (0.37); updating feed library A, B, and C protein fractions and degradation rate (K) estimates with newer literature only marginally improved fit. The re-fit NRC models for NANMN and microbial N had CCC of 0.89 and 0.94, respectively. When compared with a prediction of NANMN as a static mean fraction of N intake, the re-derived NRC approach did not have improved fit. A protein system of intermediate complexity was derived in an attempt to estimate NANMN with improved fit compared with the static mean NANMN model. In this system, postruminal appearance of A, B, and C protein fractions were predicted in a feed-type specific manner rather than from estimated passage and degradation rates. In a comparison to independent data achieved through cross-validation, the new protein system improved RMSPE (34 vs. 36% of observed mean) and CCC (0.42 vs. 0.30) compared with the static mean NANMN model. When the NRC microbial N equation was re-derived, the RDP term dropped from the model. Consequently, 2 new microbial protein equations were formulated, both used a saturating (increasing at a decreasing rate) form: one saturated with respect to TDN and the other saturated over increasing intakes of rumen degraded starch and NDF. Both equations expressed maximal microbial N production as a linear function of RDP intake. The function relating microbial N to intake of rumen degradable carbohydrate improved RMSPE (24 vs. 28% of the observed mean) and CCC (0.63 vs 0.30) compared with the re-derived NRC model. The newly derived equations showed modest improvements in model fit and improved capacity to account for known biological effects; however, substantial variability in NANMN and microbial N estimates remained unexplained.

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Nitrates have been fed to ruminants, including dairy cows, as an electron sink to mitigate CH 4 emissions. In the NO 3 − reduction process, NO 2 − can accumulate, which could directly inhibit methanogens and some bacteria. However, little information is available on eukaryotic microbes in the rumen. Protozoa were hypothesized to enhance nitrate reductase but also have more circling swimming behavior, and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was hypothesized to lessen NO 2 − accumulation. In the first experiment, a culture of S. cerevisiae strain 1026 was evaluated under 3 growth phases: aerobic, anoxic, or transition to anoxic culture. Each phase was evaluated with a control or 1 of 3 isonitrogenous doses, including NO 3 − , NO 2 − , or NH 4 + replacing peptone in the medium. Gas head phase, NO 3 − , or NH 4 + did not influence culture growth, but increasing NO 2 − concentration increasingly inhibited yeast growth. In experiment 2, rumen fluid was harvested and incubated for 3 h in 2 concentrations of NO 3 − , NO 2 − , or sodium nitroprusside before assessing chemotaxis of protozoa toward glucose or peptides. Increasing NO 2 − concentration decreased chemotaxis by isotrichids toward glucose or peptides and decreased chemotaxis by entodiniomorphids but only toward peptides. Live yeast culture was inhibited dose-responsively by NO 2 − and does not seem to be a viable mechanism to prevent NO 2 − accumulation in the rumen, whereas a role for protozoal nitrate reductase and NO 2 − influencing signal transduction requires further research.

To support improving genetic potential for increased milk production, intake of digestible carbohydrate must also increase to provide digestible energy and microbial protein synthesis. We hypothesized that the provision of exogenous branched-chain volatile fatty acids (BCVFA) would improve both neutral detergent fiber (NDF) degradability and efficiency of microbial protein synthesis. However, BCVFA should be more beneficial with increasing efficiency of bacterial protein synthesis associated with increasing passage rate (k p ). We also hypothesized that decreasing pH would increase the need for isobutyrate over 2-methylbutyrate. To study these effects independent from other sources of variation in vivo, we evaluated continuous cultures without (control) versus with BCVFA (0 vs. 2 mmol/d each of isobutyrate, isovalerate, and 2-methylbutyrate), low versus high k p of the particulate phase (2.5 vs. 5.0%/h), and high versus low pH (ranging from 6.3 to 6.8 diurnally vs. 5.7 to 6.2) in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Diets were 50% forage pellets and 50% grain pellets administered twice daily. Without an interaction, NDF degradability tended to increase from 29.7 to 35.0% for main effects of control compared with BCVFA treatments. Provision of BCVFA increased methanogenesis, presumably resulting from improved NDF degradability. Decreasing pH decreased methane production. Total volatile fatty acid (VFA) and acetate production were decreased with increasing k p , even though true organic matter degradability and bacterial nitrogen flow were not affected by treatments. Decreas-ing pH decreased acetate but increased propionate and valerate production, probably resulting from a shift in bacterial taxa and associated VFA stoichiometry. Decreasing pH decreased isobutyrate and isovalerate production while increasing 2-methylbutyrate production on a net basis (subtracting doses). Supplementing BCVFA improved NDF degradability in continuous cultures administered moderate (15.4%) crude protein diets (excluding urea in buffer) without major interactions with culture pH and k p .