Ethanol Accumulation in the Rumen after Overfeeding with Readily Fermentable Carbohydrate

Allison, Milton J.; Dougherty, R. W.; Bucklin, J. A.; Snyder, E. E.

doi:10.1126/science.144.3614.54

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This is in agreement with previously reported data on ruminants (sheep) that indicate that overfeeding with wheat grain is associated with EtOH concentrations as high as 8 mM (Allison et al 1964). Kristensen et al (2007) also reported rumen EtOH concentrations above 2 mM in dairy cows fed a TMR containing *54% corn silage and *13.5% rolled barley grain.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Metabolomics reveals unhealthy alterations in rumen metabolism with increased proportion of cereal grain in the diet of dairy cows

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study presents the first application of metabolomics to evaluate changes in rumen metabolites of dairy cows fed increasing proportions of barley grain (i.e., 0, 15, 30, and 45% of diet dry matter). 1 H-NMR spectroscopy was used to analyze rumen fluid samples representing 4 different diets. Results showed that for cows fed 30 and 45% grain, increases were observed in the concentration of rumen methylamine as well as glucose, alanine, maltose, propionate, uracil, valerate, xanthine, ethanol, and phenylacetate. These studies also revealed lower rumen 3-phenylpropionate in cows fed greater amounts of cereal grain. Furthermore, ANOVA tests showed noteworthy increases in rumen concentrations of N-nitrosodimethylamine, dimethylamine, lysine, leucine, phenylacetylglycine, nicotinate, glycerol, fumarate, butyrate, and valine with an enriched grain diet. Using principal component analysis it was also found that each of the 4 diets could be distinguished on the basis of the measured rumen metabolites. The two closest clusters corresponded to the 0 and 15% grain diets, whereas the 45% barley grain diet was significantly separated from the other clusters. Unhealthly levels of a number of potentially toxic metabolites were found in the rumen of cattle fed 30 and 45% grain diets. These results may have a number of implications regarding the influence of grain on the overall health of dairy cows.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Metabolomics reveals unhealthy alterations in rumen metabolism with increased proportion of cereal grain in the diet of dairy cows

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Ørskov et al (1967) observed caproate molar proportions of up to 15 per cent and concentrations of up to 18 mM in ruminal samples from cows fed rations high in sugar and starch (21.8 per cent each on a feed dry matter basis); in these same cows, ethanol was detected within 2 h of feeding, and the authors speculated that C. kluyveri was a likely agent for caproate production, based on its known ability to couple ethanol oxidation to reductive RBO. Moomaw and Hungate (1963) and Allison et al (1964) had also observed ethanol accumulation in the rumen, but again only under conditions of feeding diets rich in concentrates. To our knowledge there are no reports of significant ethanol accumulation in ruminants fed diets high in forages or other cellulosic materials that would likely be used in a cellulosic biofuels system.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Production of medium-chain volatile fatty acids by mixed ruminal microorganisms is enhanced by ethanol in co-culture with Clostridium kluyveri

Weimer

Nerdahl

Brandl

2015

Bioresource Technology

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Ethanol has been identified as a transient component of rumen fluid both in vitro and in vivo, particularly when diets rich in grains are fed. Allison et al (1964) reported that 12 of 12 sheep fed cracked wheat had detectable levels of ethanol in the rumen, and in one sheep, ethanol concentrations reached 33 mM (although this sheep died a few hours later). Dietary induction of ethanol accumulation has been reported to increase butyrate and caproate concentrations in the rumen, with the latter reaching up to (Ørskov et al 1967).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Isolation, characterization, and quantification of Clostridium kluyveri from the bovine rumen

Weimer

Stevenson

2011

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

131

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A strain of Clostridium kluyveri was isolated from the bovine rumen in a medium containing ethanol as an electron donor and acetate and succinate (common products of rumen fermentation) as electron acceptors. The isolate displayed a narrow substrate range but wide temperature and pH ranges atypical of ruminal bacteria and a maximum specific growth rate near the typical liquid dilution rate of the rumen. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that C. kluyveri was widespread among bovine ruminal samples but was present at only very low levels (0.00002% to 0.0002% of bacterial 16S rRNA gene copy number). However, the species was present in much higher levels (0.26% of bacterial 16S rRNA gene copy number) in lucerne silage (but not maize silage) that comprised much of the cows' diet. While C. kluyveri may account for several observations regarding ethanol utilization and volatile fatty acid production in the rumen, its population size and growth characteristics suggest that it is not a significant contributor to ruminal metabolism in typical dairy cattle, although it may be a significant contributor to silage fermentation. The ability of unadapted cultures to produce substantial levels (12.8 g L(-1)) of caproic (hexanoic) acid in vitro suggests that this strain may have potential for industrial production of caproic acid.

show abstract

Ethanol Accumulation in the Rumen after Overfeeding with Readily Fermentable Carbohydrate

Cited by 35 publications

References 3 publications

Metabolomics reveals unhealthy alterations in rumen metabolism with increased proportion of cereal grain in the diet of dairy cows

Metabolomics reveals unhealthy alterations in rumen metabolism with increased proportion of cereal grain in the diet of dairy cows

Production of medium-chain volatile fatty acids by mixed ruminal microorganisms is enhanced by ethanol in co-culture with Clostridium kluyveri

Isolation, characterization, and quantification of Clostridium kluyveri from the bovine rumen

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About