Rumen fermentation and epithelial gene expression responses to diet ingredients designed to differ in ruminally degradable protein and fiber supplies

Abstract

Although numerous studies exist relating ruminal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations to diet composition and animal performance, minimal information is available describing how VFA dynamics respond to diets within the context of the whole rumen environment. The objective of this study was to characterize how protein and fiber sources affect dry matter intake, rumen pH, fluid dynamics, fermentation parameters, and epithelial gene expression. Four diet treatments (soybean meal or heat-treated soybean meal and beet pulp or timothy hay) were delivered to 10 wethers. The soybean meals served as crude protein (CP) sources while the beet pulp and timothy hay represented neutral detergent fiber (NDF) sources. Feed intake, rumen pH, fluid pool size, and fluid passage rate were unaffected by treatment. Butyrate synthesis and absorption were greater on the beet pulp treatment whereas synthesis and absorption of other VFA remained unchanged. Both CP and NDF treatment effects were associated with numerous VFA interconversions. Expression levels of rumen epithelial genes were not altered by diet treatment. These results indicate that rumen VFA dynamics are altered by changes in dietary sources of nutrients but that intake, rumen environmental parameters, and the rumen epithelium may be less responsive to such changes.

Nutrient digestibility, characteristics of rumen fermentation, and microbial protein synthesis from Pesisir cattle diet containing non-fiber carbohydrate to rumen degradable protein ratio and sulfur supplement

“…VFA production occurs in the rumen, and these VFAs are then taken up by epithelial cells lining the rumen wall. Both VFA production and the equilibrium of absorption within the rumen wall influence the absorption process [37]. The type of feed, depolymerization speed and type of rumen microbes available in the rumen influence VFA production [19].…”

Prediction of Bioethanol from Production of Lignocellulosic Biomass Waste from Agriculture and Livestock Using Regression Analysis Model

“…According to Elfaki & Abdelatti (2015) and Sarteshnizi et al (2018) paunch content contain various components, such as saliva, anaerobic microbes (fungi, protozoa, and bacteria), nutrient content (cellulose, hemicellulose, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins), and enzymes. It also contain volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate (Gleason et al, 2022;Koppolu & Clements, 2004).…”

Effects of microbial preparation on production performance and rumen microbial communities of goat

“…The pH of rumen fluid is mainly determined by the content and ratio of rumen VFA, rumen VFAs are produced by microbial fermentation of carbohydrates and are absorbed, utilized by animals as a source of energy (Del Bianco Benedeti et al, 2018;Gleason et al, 2022). pH is a key detector for ruminant health such as it could be indicator for subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) (Mensching et al, 2020).…”