Search Results (17)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of lactic acid bacteria inoculation on the fermentation profile and nutritional value of BRS Capiaçu elephant grass silages harvested at two regrowth ages. The treatments were arranged in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme, with five inoculants (I) and two regrowth ages (A, 90 and 105 days), in a completely randomized design, with three replicates. There were I × A interactions (p < 0.05) on pH, acetic acid, and water-soluble carbohydrates. The silage treated with Kera-Sil showed a lower pH compared with the control silage. The highest ammonia nitrogen content was recorded in the silage treated with Yakult^®. There were I × A interactions (p < 0.05) on the dry matter (DM) content, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and in vitro digestibility of DM (IVDMD) and NDF (IVNDFD). Silages treated with Kera-Sil and Silo-Max at 90 days of regrowth showed a higher DM and higher IVDMD (p < 0.05). A higher NDF content and lower IVDMD and IVNDFD were recorded in silages produced with grass harvested at 105 days of regrowth (p < 0.05). The use of commercial microbial inoculants improved the fermentative and nutritional parameters of the silages. Full article

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different forage sources and forage-to-concentrate ratios on digestibility, energy concentration, fermentation parameters, and in vitro estimate of methane. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design using a 3 × 6 factorial arrangement with three forages varying the chemical composition (pineapple crop waste silage [PS], corn silage [CS], and Tifton hay [TH]) associated with concentrate feed (C) in six combinations, using triplicates for each ratio. We evaluated in vitro digestibility, metabolizable and net energy, pH, redox potential, volatile fatty acids (VFA), and methane production. The in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) decreased (p = 0.0011) with the inclusion of concentrate. It was also affected by the forage source, but this fact was only observed in CS up to the 50:50 ratio. In TH, this fact occurred from the 80:20 ratio, and this behavior was not observed in the PS. Data on methane production, VFA, and fermentation parameters varied according to forage source and concentrate inclusion. In conclusion, the inclusion of concentrate reduces methane production, increasing the system’s energy contribution. Overall, the different forage sources and the inclusion of concentrate change digestion and fermentation parameters. Full article

Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) composition have been shown to predict in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD), and in vitro ADF digestibility (IVADFD) in ruminants. This study’s objective was to estimate in vitro digestibility measures within the Daisy^II incubator using equine fecal inoculum from feedstuff NDF and ADF composition. Analyzed feedstuffs included alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa), Coastal Bermudagrass hay, soybean meal, rice bran, hempseed meal, and Bluebonnet® Equilene® Pellets. Data were analyzed using Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) within the R Statistical Program©. The highest ranked model for IVTD was the interaction of NDF and ADF: 10003.32 – 0.2904 × NDF − 0.4220 × ADF − 0.0010 × NDF × ADF (Adjusted R² = 0.959 and AICc = 474.97). Sample IVNDFD was moderately predicted by ADF: 855.15 – 1.5183 × ADF (Adjusted R² = 0.749 and AICc = 560.82). Feedstuff ADF produced the highest ranked model for IVNDFD: 881.91 – 1.5952 × ADF (Adj. R² = 0.835 and AICc = 541.33). These results indicate the effectiveness of using feedstuff NDF and ADF composition to predict IVTD, IVNDFD, and IVADFD within equine fecal inoculum. The findings of this study provide better understanding of feedstuff digestibility using equine fecal inoculum, but more research is warranted for validation of the models and the potential impact in vivo. Full article

The objective of the current study was to compare the rumen inoculum of slaughtered cattle with the ruminal inoculum of cannulated cattle; additionally, determine its reliability in the in vitro analysis of ruminant feeds throughout a multivariate approach. Five male bovines (weight 320 ± 9.4 kg; mean ± standard deviation) provided with ruminal cannula and between five and seven bovines slaughtered in slaughterhouse were used. The evaluations were carried out following a completely randomized design. The data obtained were subjected to different multivariate analyzes to determine the reliability of the ruminal inoculum of animals slaughtered in commercial slaughterhouses compared to that obtained from cannulated animals. The relative contribution indicated that the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD, 50.75%) and in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD, 29.83%) analysis influence 80.13% of the results to determine the reliability of the ruminal inoculum from slaughtered cattle. Furthermore, it was determined that the first two principal components (IVNDFD and acetic acid production) are the ones that influence the results by 89.87%. The grouping of diets using the Tocher optimization method and the dendrogram shows the formation of six groups and two groups, respectively. The grouping shows that the ruminal inoculum source was not the limiting parameter in the evaluation. Rumen inoculum from cattle slaughtered in a commercial slaughterhouse (with unknown diet) has potential as an alternative for the in vitro analysis of cattle feed, provided that the lignin concentration in the diet is less than 35.5 g/kg DM. Full article

This experiment investigated the effects of different additives on the fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility, and aerobic stability of amaranth and wheat bran (AWB) mixed silage. In this experiment, a two-factor (moisture content × additive) completely randomized experimental design was used, with amaranth as the raw silage material, and the moisture content was adjusted to 60%, 65%, and 70% using wheat bran. At each moisture content condition, the silage treatments included groups without any additives (control), with lactic acid bacteria (L), with cellulase (E), and with lactic acid bacteria and cellulase (M). Six replicates of each treatment were analyzed for fermentation quality, chemical composition, and in vitro digestibility of AWB mixed silage after 60 days of ensiling. The results showed that in the same L group, the pH and the lactic acid (LA) in the 60% moisture content (MC) group were lower and higher, respectively, than in the 70% MC group (p < 0.05). In the same E and M groups, the ammonia nitrogen to total nitrogen (AN/TN) in the 60% MC group was lower than that in the 70% MC group, and the in vitro crude protein digestibility (IVCPD) was higher than that in the 70% MC group (p < 0.05). At the same time, the aerobic stability of AWB mixed silage gradually decreased as the MC of the raw material increased (p < 0.05). Under 60% MC, the IVCPD and in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) in AWB mixed silage from the E and M groups were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Under 60% MC, the pH and AN/TN in AWB mixed silage from the M group were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Compared with the control under 60% MC, the aerobic stability of AWB mixed silage inoculated with L, E, and M increased by 33 h, 42 h, and 57 h, respectively. It was shown that the addition of M resulted in the best fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility, and aerobic stability of AWB mixed silage when the amaranth MC was 60%. Full article

In this study, we compared the digestibility levels and in vitro fermentation parameters of total mixed rations (TMRs) containing 20% and 40% defatted black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSF) as a substitute for soybean meal (SBM) in the basal ration (60% roughage/40% concentrated feed) of dairy cows. We evaluated the volatile fatty acid (VFA), total gas production, methane emission, ammonia, pH, carbon dioxide, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) of the TMR0 (basal), TMR20 (20% BSF included), and TMR40 (40% BSF included) diets at the end of 24 and 48 h of incubation. Significantly lower levels of ammonia formation were found in the TMR20 and TMR40 groups at 24 and 48 h (p < 0.001). An increase in total VFA levels was observed in the TMR0 group at 24 h (p < 0.001). The highest IVDMD was determined in TMR20 and TMR40 at 24 h. The highest IVNDFD value was observed in TMR20 at 24 h and in TMR40 at 48 h. The substitution of 20% and 40% of SBM with BSF positively affected IVDMD and IVNDFD (p < 0.001). TMR20 and TMR40 had the highest cumulative gas production at 48 h of incubation (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the use of BSF had a positive impact on digestibility and in vitro rumen fermentation. Therefore, we recommend the use of BSF in formulating dairy cow rations. Full article

Reliable forage analysis is crucial for proper ration formulation of ruminant herds. Through its fast, inexpensive, and non-destructive procedures, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has become a valuable method for forage evaluating. Notwithstanding, NIRS needs calibration before routine analysis. In addition, to evaluate the best method for lignin quantification in Urochloa spp. grasses is crucial under a digestibility perspective in grass-fed ruminant production. The aims of this study were to use 149 samples from different Urochloa species to develop NIRS calibration curves (partial least squares regressions) for acid detergent lignin (ADL), acetyl bromide lignin (ABL), as well as for ash, cell wall (CW), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD), and in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD). Moreover, the aim of this study was to correlate the in vitro digestibility with lignin quantification methods: ADL and ABL. Near-infrared spectroscopy showed potential for the quantification of Urochloa spp. properties, such as lignin contents (ADL and ABL) and ash, CW, NDF, ADF, IVDMD, and IVNDFD. However, calibrations performed using NIRS to measure ADF, ADL, IVDMD, and IVNDFD need to be thought about with caution before their utilization as a routine analysis for determining the potential for nutrient measurement and digestibility of Urochloa spp. grasses. In addition, the ABL method used for lignin quantification was better correlated with IVDMD and IVNDFD than the ADL method. Full article

The low digestibility of fiber in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) limits dry matter intake and energy availability in ruminant animal production systems. Previously, alfalfa plants were identified for low or high rapid (16 h) and low or high potential (96 h) in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) of plant stems. Here, two cycles of bidirectional selection for 16 h and 96 h IVNDFD were carried out. The resulting populations were evaluated for total herbage, percentage of stems to total biomass, IVNDFD, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent lignin as a proportion of NDF (ADL/NDF) at three maturity stages. Within these populations, 96 h IVNDFD was highly heritable (h² = 0.71), while 16 h IVNDFD had lower heritability (h² = 0.46). Selection for high IVNDFD reduced NDF and ADL/NDF in plant stems at the late flowering and green pod maturity stages and reduced seasonal variability in stem digestibility but did not alter the percentage of stems. Stability analyses across 12 harvest environments found that selection for high IVNDFD had little effect on environmental stability of the trait compared to the unselected population. Thus, selection for stem IVNDFD was a highly effective strategy for developing alfalfa populations with improved nutritional quality without changing the percentage of stems to total biomass. Full article

This experiment investigated the effects of lactic acid bacteria and cellulase on the fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility, and aerobic stability of Flammulina velutipes spent mushroom substrate silage (F-silage) and Pleurotus eryngii spent mushroom substrate silage (P-silage). Silage treatments included groups without any additives (control), with lactic acid bacteria (L), with cellulase (E), and with lactic acid bacteria and cellulase (M). Data analysis was performed using independent sample t-test and analysis of variance. After 45 days of ensiling, the pH in F-silage and P-silage from the L, E, and M groups were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The pH, acetic acid (AA), and propionic acid (PA) levels in P-silage were lower than those in F-silage, and the LA content in P-silage was higher than that in F-silage (p < 0.05). Compared with the control, the E treatment increased in vitro neutral detergent fibre digestibility (IVNDFD) and in vitro acid detergent fibre digestibility (IVADFD) in F-silage and P-silage (p < 0.05). The aerobic stability of F-silage inoculated with L increased (p < 0.05) by 24 h compared to the control. The aerobic stability of P-silage inoculated with M increased (p < 0.05) by 6 h compared to the control. The improvement in fermentation quality and aerobic stability is extremely large in terms of applying M in F-silage and P-silage. The E is effective in improving the in vitro digestibility of P-silage. The research results provide a theoretical basis for the production of high-quality spent mushroom substrate fermented feed. Full article

The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield, nutritional composition, and digestibility of conventional (CON) and brown midrib (BMR) pearl millet (PM) with different establishment dates, maturity at harvest and when mixed with cowpea (CWP). In trial 1, CON and BMR were planted on two different dates. In trial 2, CON and BMR, mixed or not with CWP, were harvested when PM was at the boot or heading stages. In trial 1, dry matter (DM) yield was similar between both PM genotypes but delaying establishment reduced DM yield by 30%. Additionally, BMR had a lower concentration of acid detergent lignin (ADL) and a higher in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) compared to CON. In Trial 2, the DM yield was 7.3% higher for CON compared to BMR, and PM with the BMR trait had a lower level of ADL and higher IVNDFD compared to CON. Mixing PM with CWP had negligible effects on nutritional composition but reduced DM yield by 8.3%. Results of these studies indicated that fiber from BMR PM is more digestible than CON but, in one of the trials, this occurred at the expense of lower DM yield. Mixing CWP with PM negatively impacted DM yield. Full article

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary rumen-degradable starch (RDS, g/kg of DM) to rumen-degradable protein (RDP, g/kg of DM) ratios (SPR) on in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics and microbial protein synthesis (MCPS). Treatments were eight diets with SPR of 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 and were formulated to be isoenergetic, isonitrogenous, and isostarch. Substrates were anaerobically incubated in sealed culture vials (100 mL) for 6, 24 or 48 h. Three incubation runs were conducted within two consecutive weeks. With the increase of the dietary SPR, the gas production (GP), in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) and concentration of MCPS and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) linearly increased after 6 h of incubation (p ≤ 0.01), whereas they quadratically increased and peaked at the SPR of 2.3 after 24 and 48 h of incubation (p < 0.05). In response to dietary SPR increasing, the in vitro neutral detergent fiber disappearance (IVNDFD) quadratically increased (p < 0.01), and the ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) concentration linearly decreased (p < 0.01) after 6, 24 and 48 h of incubation. Based on the presented results, an SPR of 2.3 is recommended for formulating a diet due to its greatest IVDMD, IVNDFD, GP, TVFA and MCPS. However, as the results obtained are strictly dependent on the in vitro conditions, further in vivo studies are needed to verify our findings. Full article

The objective of this research was to supplement the cyanide-utilizing bacteria and sulfur in the HCN-rich diet, affecting the gas production and fermentation of rumen in vitro, and lowering the HCN content and the digestion of nutrients. A 2 × 2 × 3 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design was applied during the test. In the experiments, three factors were used. Factor A was the level of CUB at 0 and 10⁸ CFU/mL. Factor B was the level of sulfur in the diet at 0% and 3% of dry matter (DM). Factor C was the three levels of potassium cyanide (KCN) at 0, 300, and 600 ppm. The interaction of CUB × sulfur × KCN affected gas production from the immediately soluble fraction (a) (p < 0.05). However, the greatest ruminal cyanide concentration was found when CUB (with and without), sulfur (3%), and KCN (600 ppm) were introduced at 0 h (p < 0.05). It revealed that the addition of CUB and sulfur had a significant impact on gas accumulation at 96 h (p < 0.05). The addition of CUB with sulfur had an effect on pH at 2 h and ruminal cyanide levels at 6 h (p < 0.05). At 2 h, sulfur supplementation with KCN had an effect on NH₃-N (p < 0.01). The addition of sulfur (3%) and KCN (300 ppm) produced the highest ammonia nitrogen. However, the combination of sulfur (3%) and KCN (600 ppm) produced the lowest level of ammonia nitrogen (p < 0.01). CUB supplementation increased the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) by 11.16% compared to the without-CUB supplemented group (p < 0.05). Supplementation with 3% sulfur increased the in vitro neutral detergent fiber (IVNDFD) by 16.87% but had no effect on IVDMD or in vitro acid detergent fiber (IVADFD) (p < 0.05). The volatile fatty acid (VFA) such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate were not different when CUB, sulfur, and KCN were added. Doses above 600 ppm had the lowest concentrations of TVFA and propionate (p < 0.01). Based on the results of this investigation, supplementing with CUB and sulfur (3%) may improve cumulative gas, digestibility, and TVAF. Supplementing with CUB, on the other hand, reduced HCN the most, by 54.6%. Full article

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of different EOC (0.1425% cobalt lactate + 1.13% oregano essential oil + 98.7275% carrier) levels on in vitro rumen fermentation and microbial changes. Six EOC levels (treatments: 0 mg·L⁻¹, CON; 50 mg·L⁻¹, EOC1; 100 mg·L⁻¹, EOC2; 400 mg·L⁻¹, EOC3; 800 mg·L⁻¹, EOC4 and 1500 mg·L⁻¹, EOC5) were selected to be used to in vitro incubation. The in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD), in vitro acid detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD), pH, ammonia-nitrogen (NH₃-N) concentration, total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentration and microbial protein (MCP) concentration were measured after 48 h incubation, after which the groups with significant nutrient digestibility and fermentation parameters were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that the total gas production (GP) of the EOC5 group was higher than that of the other groups after 12 h of in vitro incubation. TVFA, NH₃-N and MCP concentrations were also shown to be higher in group EOC5 than those in other groups (p < 0.05), while NH₃-N and MCP concentrations in the EOC2 group were lower than those in other groups significantly (p < 0.05). The molar ratio of acetic acid decreased while the molar ratio of propionic acid increased after the addition of EOC. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the rumen microbiota was altered in response to adding EOC, especially for the EOC5 treatment, with firmicutes shown to be the most abundant (43.1%). The relative abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group was significantly lower, while the relative abundance of uncultured_bacterium_f_Muribaculaceae and Succiniclasticum was significantly higher in the EOC5 group than those in other groups (p < 0.05). Comprehensive analysis showed that EOC (1500 mg·L⁻¹) could significantly increase gas production, alter sheep rumen fermentation parameters and microbiota composition. Full article

Ruminants, which have multi-compartmented stomachs, are adapted to digest cellulosic materials, which constitute the primary expense on ranches and dairies. Industrial byproducts can be repurposed for livestock diets to decrease these costs. Therefore, finding alternative feedstuffs may benefit the economics of livestock production. The goal of this project was to evaluate the variation in nutritive value of ruminal waste as a potential feedstuff. Twelve paunch samples were collected from individual cattle across multiple harvest dates at the Tarleton State University Meat Laboratory, Stephenville, TX. Samples were dried and assayed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), sequential neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL), and physically-effective fiber (peNDF). Samples were subjected to batch-culture in vitro digestibility assays for the determination of digestibility coefficients. Mean NDF, ADF, ADL, CP and peNDF concentrations were 681, 399, 109, 150, and 387 g kg⁻¹ DM, respectively. Contribution to variance from sample for NDF, ADF, ADL, CP, and peNDF were 75.3, 41.9, 33.0, 51.2, and 71.3%, respectively. In vitro true digestibility (IVTD) and in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD) were recorded as 462 and 216 g kg⁻¹ DM, respectively. Contribution to variation of sample for IVTD and IVNDFD were 31.0 and 30.7%, respectively. Results indicate that rumen waste harvested from abattoirs may be useful for sustainable livestock production, while reducing environmental threats posed by disposal, but the viability of the product is highly dependent on the source animal. For full viability of application in a sustainable system, a centralized receiving and compositing system may be useful for developing a consistent product. Full article

Cassava pulp (CS) is high in fiber and low in protein; hence, improving the nutritive value of CS is required to increase its contribution to enhancing ruminant production. The present work hypothesized that CS quality could be enhanced by fermentation with yeast waste (YW), which can be used to replace soybean meal (SBM), as well as lead to improved feed utilization in ruminants. Thus, evaluation of in vitro ruminal fermentation and feed digestibility, as influenced by YW-treated CS and different roughage (R) to concentrate (C) ratios, was elucidated. The design of the experiment was a 5 × 3 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design. Each treatment contained three replications and three runs. The first factor was replacing SBM with CS fermented with YW (CSYW) in a concentrate ratio at 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100, respectively. The second factor was R:C ratios at 70:30, 50:50, and 30:70. The level of CSYW showed significantly higher (p < 0.01) gas production from the insoluble fraction (b), potential extent of gas production (a + b), and cumulative gas production at 96 h than the control group (p < 0.05). There were no interactions among the CSYW and R:C ratio on the in vitro digestibility (p > 0.05). Furthermore, increasing the amount of CSYW to replace SBM up to 75% had no negative effect on in vitro neutral detergent fiber degradability (IVNDFD) (p > 0.05) while replacing CSWY at 100% could reduce IVNDFD (p > 0.05). The bacterial population in the rumen was reduced by 25.05% when CSYW completely replaced SBM (p < 0.05); however, 75% of CSWY in the diet did not change the bacterial population (p > 0.05). The concentration of propionate (C3) decreased upon an increase in the CSYW level, which was lowest with the replacement of SBM by CSYW up to 75%. However, various R:C ratios did not influence total volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and the proportion of VFAs (p > 0.05), except the concentration of C3, increased when the proportion of a concentrate diet increased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, CSYW could be utilized as a partial replacement for SBM in concentrate diets up to 75% without affecting gas kinetics, ruminal parameters, or in vitro digestibility. Full article