The use of fresh or thawed rumen fluid containing glycerol or particle associated microbes to estimate in vitro degradation of feeds

Abstract

Thawed rumen contents have been used to obtain strained rumen fluid (SRF) to estimate in vitro dry matter degradation (DMD) of feeds (Mohamed et al., 2002). However, thawed SRF (TSRF) gave lower DMD than fresh SRF (FSRF) which was partly attributed to reduced microbial activity in TRSF following storage at -20°C. This study examined the addition of glycerol (G) as cryopreservative and washing from particle associated microbes to SRF before its storage for later use as TSRF to estimate in vitro degradation of rapeseed meal (Rsd) and grass nut (Gnt).