Barley grain for ruminants: A global treasure or tragedy

2015

J Adv Dairy Res

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This pragmatic article founds grounds to establish a farm policy to include multiple sources of starch in commercial ruminant diets to improve rumen and ruminant health. Rumen environment has a dramatically fluctuating nature that requires versatile species of microbes to inhabit. As such, multiple sources of differently fermentable starch (varying degradation extent and rate) are required to maintain ruminal microbial versatility and integrity. For its considerable dietary inclusion rate, starch from multiple grain and forage sources better meets energy requirements of a variety of microbial groups and helps minimize risks from metabolic complexities such as subacute rumen acidosis and immune deficiency.Keywords: Starch; Multisource; Cereal grain; Ruminant; Health Innovations and Discussion Rumen environmentRumen possesses highly varying biophysical and biochemical conditions that require fitting microbial versatility and feeding management [1][2][3]. Starch as a major dietary portion (e.g., up to 25-30% of diet dry matter) for commercial ruminants has highly significant impacts on rumen and ruminant health [4,5]. Differential rumen microbial groups have specialized requirements for nutrients with particular rate and extent of fermentation for optimal growth and longevity. As a result, feeds with fitting extents and rates of degradation must be provided towards securing such microbial growth and efficiency. This match-feeding of rumen microbes, also, helps minimize energy loss and risks from metabolic problems such as SARA, bloat, endotoxemia, immune deficiency, and hepatic malfunction [6,7]. Starch propertiesA variety of cereal grains are planted worldwide and fed to ruminants mainly based on their availability and costs. Nonetheless, another reason for using particular grains in ruminant diets is merely the local tradition that may be followed just as a conventional experience regardless of costs and benefits. Soft grains including wheat, barley and oats have rather high rumen degradation rate as opposed to hard grains such as corn and sorghum with much lower fermentation rate [7][8][9][10]. However, within each cereal grain either soft or hard, there could be some varieties with unique degradation behaviour that may essentially not follow the average grain properties [7]. Starch match-feedingBased on the above science, feeding wheat, oats and barley is more likely to induce subacute rumen acidosis and trigger proinflammatory responses than feeding corn and sorghum grains [11][12][13]. On the other hand, feeding solely soft or hard grains in diet would most probably reduce microbial growth, efficiency and yield. This is because given microbial groups' requirements for particular fermentation behaviour may not be optimally met when only specific types of starch are fed. Farm pragmatismThis article innovatively establishes and expands a philosophy that involves dietary inclusion of multisource starch for nearly optimal rumen microbial integrity and health and, thus, for superior ruminant efficiency and ...

Section: Starch Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, feeds with fitting extents and rates of degradation must be provided towards securing such microbial growth and efficiency. This match-feeding of rumen microbes, also, helps minimize energy loss and risks from metabolic problems such as SARA, bloat, endotoxemia, immune deficiency, and hepatic malfunction [6,7]. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multisource Starch for Optimal Rumen and Ruminant Integrity

2015

J Adv Dairy Res

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“…Cereal grains and forage processing and feeding strategies are usually considered critical in managing SARA [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. However, the extensive international farm experience suggests that it is not SARA per se that introduces challenges to dairy cows and the entire enterprise, but it is dairy cow's responses to SARA that is of high importance.…”

Section: Problem Analysis: Prevention and Mitigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management Consistencies to Minimize Sub acute Rumen Acidosis: A Herd Probiotic

2015

J Prob Health

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This article elaborates on a practical viewpoint into minimizing sub-acute rumen acidosis (SARA) through management consistency in high-producing ruminants of notable dairy cows. This is a herd probiotic. The modern management and veterinary sciences encounter serious challenges in optimizing rumen fermentation. The problem often starts from very simple errors in routine farm management practices. Mismanaged feed preparation and presentation, suboptimal feeding timing and frequency, mismatched feeding and milking, short-term outsized changes in diet properties and several other significant factors indicated in this article make SARA occur easily and frequently. Keywords: Management; Rumen; Subacute acidosis; Metabolic disorder Problem Analysis: Prevention and MitigationSub-acute rumen acidosis (SARA) is a frequently occurring metabolic disorder in modern dairy farms. This common metabolic problem is of high economic and health significance since it is not clinical and is thus uneasy to diagnose and treat [1][2][3]. As such, prevention must be a gold goal in eradicating such a major complication. By definition and arguably, SARA occurs when rumen pH drops below 5.6-5.8 for more than 3-6 h daily. Although controversy exists on true pragmatic definition of SARA, prolonged acidotic rumen conditions (pH<5.6) especially for certain periods after feed delivery reduces microbial efficiency and mass yield, and as a result, decreases production longevity and feed efficiency. Moreover, dairy cow economical life drops as a consequence of many metabolic cascades among which are weakened immunity and impaired crucial proteins synthesis towards microbial and host maintenance.A major reason that makes SARA a difficult challenge to overcome is its dependence on a multitude of animal and non-animal management factors [4][5][6][7][8][9]. This article highlights management inconsistencies as a determining factor for prolonged SARA incidence. As such, minimizing management inconsistencies is considered a herd probiotic in postmodern farming. Inconsistent 1) inclusion of dietary ingredients, 2) feed processing and mixing, 3) mixed feed preparation, 4) particle size distribution, 5) final ration moisture content and texture quality, 6) ration freshness at delivery, 7) feed delivery frequency, 8) top dress feeding sequence, 9) milking and feeding sequence, 10) cow grouping strategies, 11) dry cow management and feeding, 12) heifer raising programs, 13) bunk management, and 14) wet and ensiled forages moisture and quality are among managerial factors contributing to SARA incidence in commercial dairy herds [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. All of these managerial factors must be carefully taken into account when predicting SARA incidence and thus when planning to minimize its occurrence.

“…However, despite decades of research, less than few simple and feasible approaches have been developed for on-farm application. This is critical since the metabolic disorders (e.g., subacute rumen acidosis, steatosis, steatohepatitis, and immune deficiency) stem from irregular and abnormal rhythms of circadian rumen fermentation [3,4]. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioprocessing of Soft Cereals for Postmodern Ruminants: Ascertaining Decades of Uncertainty

2014

J Bioproces Biotech

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EditorialThis article provides practical thoughts and on-farm strategies to seek relief from decades of confusions in optimizing physical bioprocessing of soft cereal grains for ruminants. Soft grains mostly include wheat, barley and oats that are characterized by their rapidly degradable starch and protein in rumen [1,2]. The problems start from such initial over-fermentation shortly post-feeding. However, despite decades of research, less than few simple and feasible approaches have been developed for on-farm application. This is critical since the metabolic disorders (e.g., subacute rumen acidosis, steatosis, steatohepatitis, and immune deficiency) stem from irregular and abnormal rhythms of circadian rumen fermentation [3,4].