Fermentation Pattern Research Articles

Exploring Feeding Potential of Stovers from Novel Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Cultivars by In vitro Fermentation Pattern, Gas Production, Microbial Abundance and Ruminal Enzyme Production in Buffalo

Background: Crop residues play a central role in ruminant’s diet in developing countries. Due to low in nutritional quality, there is limitation in ruminant production through feeding of these residues. Therefore, production of quality crop residues through plant breeding programme without conceding grain yield is of prime importance. The present experiment envisaged the feeding value of stovers from three different novel sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) cultivars by in vitro fermentation pattern, gas production, microbial abundance and ruminal enzyme production in buffalo. Methods: Stovers from three different genotypes of sorghum cultivars viz. normal sorghum (CSV-27), brown midrib (bmr) sorghum (SPV-2018) and sweet sorghum (CSH 22SS) were analyzed for proximate principles and fibre fractions. Each stover sample was incubated (200 ± 5 mg) with 30 ml buffered rumen fluid in 100 ml calibrated glass syringes at 39ºC for 24 h following in vitro gas production system using rumen liquor from Murrah buffaloes. The gas production in each syringe was recorded during incubation at 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 h intervals. Incubations were terminated at 24 h and methane concentration in the head space gas from syringes incubated with each stover sample was analyzed. Supernatant of each syringe contents was analyzed for volatile fatty acids (VFA) estimation. Truly degradable dry matter (TDDM) was determined and microbial biomass production (MBP) and portioning factor (PF) was calculated. Ruminal fibrolytic enzyme production and microbial abundance in each syringe content was estimated. Result: The stover of bmr sorghum showed highest organic matter, followed by normal sorghum and lowest in sweet sorghum. The neural detergent fibre (NDF) ranges between 69.22 to 74.65%, with highest in bmr sorghum and lowest in sweet sorghum. The stover sample of bmr sorghum contained lowest (P less than 0.05) acid detergent fibre (ADF) among the three cultivars examined, which resulted with highest (P less than 0.05) hemicellulose (37.72%) content. Lowest acid detergent lignin (ADL) was found in stovers of bmr cultivar (1.27%) and highest in sweet sorghum (8.36%). The fermentation pattern of bmr sorghum stovers exhibited higher (P less than 0.05) total gas production, dry matter degradability, VFA production, ruminal enzymes (CMCase, xylanase, acetyl esterase) and abundance of total ruminal bacterial population than normal and sweet sorghum stovers. Therefore, this study establishes the enhanced feeding value of stovers from bmr sorghum cultivar compared to normal and sweet sorghum cultivars for ruminant production.

Fermentation characteristics of tropical legumes and grasses of good and poor nutritional quality and the degradability of their neutral detergent fibre

Context Tropical legumes are commonly assumed to share all positive attributes known from temperate legumes such as lucerne. However, increasing evidence exists on the differences between those forages, particularly in terms of their ruminal degradability. Aims Exploring the 24-h rumen in vitro-fermentation characteristics of tropical legumes, their direct comparison with lucerne, and their interactions with grasses depending on their nutritional quality. Methods Arachis and stylosanthes (tropical legumes), pennisetum and andropogon (tropical grasses), and lucerne (lucerne_21 and lucerne_35, harvested 21 and 35 days after emergence respectively) were used for the study. On the basis of the nitrogen and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) concentration, arachis and pennisetum were classified as of good quality, while stylosanthes and andropogon as of poor quality. The following four incubation series were performed: first, forages alone were incubated under iso-nitrogenous conditions; second, forages were incubated under iso-nitrogenous conditions with supplemented starch; third, NDF extract of each forage was incubated alone; fourth, NDF extract of tropical grasses and legumes was incubated combined in grass : legume proportions of 33 : 67 and 67 : 33. Key results When incubated alone, gas production (GP) and total short chain fatty acids were higher for temperate legumes, intermediate for tropical legumes and lowest for tropical grasses. Similar trends were observed for GP when the forages were incubated with starch, but the differences between arachis and lucerne_35 disappeared; short chain fatty acids did not differ among all tropical forages. Moreover, acetate : propionate ratio was highest for tropical legumes, intermediate for temperate legumes, and lowest for tropical grasses. Gas production of NDF extracts was highest for the lucerne samples and lowest for the tropical legumes. Improvements in GP were found when the NDF from the poor-quality grass (andropogon) was combined with the legumes, particularly the good-quality legume (arachis). Conclusions On the basis of the gas production, tropical legumes appear to have lower degradability than do temperate ones, while also showing a different fermentation pattern. Fibre of tropical legumes is less degradable than that of tropical grasses, but when combining both fibre sources, there seems to be a synergistic effect on degradability. Implications The current results give important insights on the fermentation characteristics of tropical legumes, helping better understand their role in ruminants’ nutrition, while giving inputs towards improving their utilisation.

Changes in vitro rumen fermentation, methane production and microbial populations in response to green tea extract

This research was conducted to evaluate the influence of adding increasing levels (0, 250, 500,750, and 1000 μg/mL buffered rumen fluid) of green tea ethanol extract (GTEE) to a basal substrate (50% roughage: 50% concentrate formulated with 50% barley and 50% corn grain) on rumen fermentation, methane emissions, and population of microorganism under in vitro experiment. The potential of gas production (A), methane emission, and methane ratio (mL/mL total gas 24 h) were linearly decreased by increasing the dose of GTEE (p<.001). The control group has the highest methane emission (p<.05), while it was the lowest (p<.05) at a dose of 1000 GTEE (47.74 versus 24.23 mL/g DM). In vitro digestibility of dry and organic matter were negatively affected by GTEE (L and Q; p<.001). The addition of GTEE significantly decreased total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and N-NH3 concentration (L, p<.001), and also changed the VFA profile compared to the control group by decreasing and increasing the acetate and the propionate proportions (p<.001). The highest decrease in total protozoa population (93%), total fungi (38%), and methanogenic archaea (95%) compared to the control group was observed at the highest dose (1000) of GTEE. The addition of GTEE stimulates the population of Prevotella ruminicola and Selenomonas ruminantium, but Butyrivibrio fibrisolvent population was inhibited, in different supplementation doses. The lowest supplementation level (250 μg/mL) seems to have the most benefits on the in vitro fermentation parameters with minimum negative effects on nutrient digestibility. It can be concluded that GTEE can potentially be used to manipulate ruminal fermentation patterns. Highlights Reducing the methane concentration through the anti-protozoal activity of green tea extract improve rumen fermentation patterns by decreasing acetate and N-NH3 concentration and increasing the propionate proportions. Although the in vitro anti-acidosis potential of GTEE is not as much as monensin, the anti-acidosis potential is significantly increased by increasing GTEE dose compared to the control. The decrease in in vitro total gas, CH4 production, and dry- and organic-matter digestibility on the addition of GTEE could be attributed to the antimicrobial action of GTEE.

Conserved Virulence-Linked Metabolic Reprogramming in &lt;i&gt;Clostridioides Difficile&lt;/i&gt; Identified Through Genome-Scale Metabolic Network Analysis

The bacterial pathogen Clostridioides difficile causes a toxin-mediated diarrheal illness and is now the leading cause of hospital-acquired infection in the US. Due to growing threats of antibiotic resistance and recurrent infection, targeting components of metabolism presents a novel approach to combat this infection. Analyses of bacterial genome-scale metabolic network reconstructions (GENREs) have identified new therapeutic targets and helped uncover properties that drive cellular behaviors. We sought to leverage this approach and thus constructed highly-curated C. difficile GENREs for a hyper-virulent isolate (R20291) as well as a historic strain (630). Growth simulations of carbon source usage revealed significant correlations between in silico and experimentally measured values ( p -values ≤ 0.002, PPV ≈ 95%), and single-gene deletion analysis showed accuracies of >89% compared with transposon mutant libraries. Contextualizing these models with in situ omics datasets revealed conserved patterns of elevated proline, leucine, and valine fermentation that corresponded with significant increases in expression of multiple virulence factors during infection. Collectively, our results support that C. difficile utilizes distinct metabolic programs as infection progresses and highlights that GENREs can reveal the underpinnings of bacterial pathogenesis.

Use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based products and effects on rumen environment and performance of sheep subjected to dietary changes

ABSTRACT: Natural additives in ruminant diet optimizes animal performance by controlling or modifying the rumen fermentation pattern. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of using Saccharomyces cerevisiae products during abrupt changes in dietary starch concentration on ruminal pH maintenance, performance and metabolism of confined sheep. Twenty adult ewes, crossbred Texel x Corriedale(44.7±6.97 Kg BW) were divided into three groups: Control (n=6), Cultron X (yeast culture; n=7) and Cultron Pro (hydrolyzed yeast; n=7), administered at a dose of 5 g/sheep/day (10x1010CFU/g DM). The experiment lasted 20 days divided into four periods, alternating between 40 and 60% concentrate. Blood and ruminal fluid were collected at the end of each period, and daily dry matter intake was measured to determine the average daily gain (ADG). Blood tests included blood count and biochemical parameters such as glucose, urea, total plasma proteins (TPP), liver enzymes, acute phase proteins and minerals. There was an upward trend in ADG in group Cultron X compared to control in period 3. Although, ruminal pH did not differ between groups, protozoan motility was higher in animals supplemented with hydrolyzed yeast. The Cultron Pro group showed an increase in TPP in periods 3 and 4, and AST in periods 2 and 3 compared to the control group. There was no difference in other metabolites. Yeast supplementation is a potential tool in times of feeding challenge, in which yeast culture is the most effective for improving performance of confined sheep being in improving performance of confined sheep.

Effects of three herbal feed additives on In Vitro fermentation pattern and methane production

Effects of three herbal feed additives on In Vitro fermentation pattern and methane production

The effects of compound treatment of Aspergillus oryzae and fibrolytic enzyme on in vitro degradation, gas production and fermentative profile of maize silage and sugarcane silage

AbstractThe present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a live culture of Aspergillus oryzae (A; CCT4359) and fibrolytic enzyme (E; Fibrozyme Alltech Inc.) on fibre digestibility by a gas production bioassay and in vitro degradation of maize silage and sugarcane silage. A completely randomized design trial was performed to evaluate: A doses (0, 20, 60 and 100 mg/l), E doses (0, 160, 320 and 480 mg/l) and roughage source (R; maize and sugarcane silage) in a 4 × 4 × 2 factorial arrangement. The inclusion of increasing doses of A and E increased dry matter and neutral detergent fibre in vitro digestibility linearly, but for E this effect occurred only in maize silage. There was a linear increase in the potential for gas production at the highest dose of A only in sugarcane silage, with no effect on lag time (L). Increasing doses of E increased the volume of gases produced linearly, and a trend of linear reduction of L, regardless of the roughage. There was a linear reduction in ammonia-nitrogen concentration in response to increasing doses of A and E, and an increase in acetic acid concentration at the highest dose of A, regardless of roughage. The additives had no synergistic effect on gas production and digestibility, but were efficient in altering the fermentative pattern, demonstrating the potential to increase fibre degradation.

Effects of linseed processing method (ground versus extruded) and dietary crude protein content on performance, digestibility, ruminal fermentation pattern, and rumen protozoa population in growing lambs

Thirty-six male lambs (averaging BW = 24.4 kg) were assigned in a completely randomised design with the factorial arrangement (nine lambs per each treatment) to assess the effects of linseed processing method (ground vs. extruded) and dietary crude protein content (12% vs. 15%, DM basis) on performance, digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and protozoa population. Treatments were; (1) ground linseed with 12% CP (GLS-12CP), (2) ground linseed with 15% CP (GLS-15CP), (3) extruded linseed with 12% CP (ELS-12CP), and (4) extruded linseed with 15% CP (ELS-15CP). The study lasted 84 d, and the lambs had free access to experimental diets and water. Outcomes showed that dry matter intake, digestibility of organic matter, and crude protein were increased in lambs fed ground linseed compared to extruded linseed. Feeding extruded linseed decreased urinary allantoin concentration, total purine derivatives (PD), the ruminal proportion of propionate, and blood concentration of glucose and HDL-cholesterol compared to ground linseed diets. Regarding dietary protein content, results showed that dry matter intake, urinary concentration of allantoin and total PD were increased in 15CP diets compared to 12CP diets. Considering the interaction, results showed that average daily gain was improved in GLS-15CP treatment compared to other experimental treatments. In conclusion, results show that grinding the linseed is more beneficial compared to its extrusion in lamb nutrition. Moreover, 15CP diets had a beneficial effect when fed with either ground or extruded linseed and seem to compensate, to some extent, the negative effects of extruded linseed on the gain of growing lambs. Highlights Linseed processing methods (ground vs. extruded) and dietary protein content (12 vs. 15%, DM basis) were evaluated in growing lambs Ground linseed increased average daily gain, improved digestibility, and microbial protein yield compared to extruded linseed Ground linseed was more favourable than extruded linseed and 15% CP diet has additional advantages either with the ground or extruded linseed

Effect of Feeding Straw Based Complete Diet Supplemented with Thermotolerant Probiotic Yeast on Rumen Fermentation Pattern in Nellore Rams

Effect of Feeding Straw Based Complete Diet Supplemented with Thermotolerant Probiotic Yeast on Rumen Fermentation Pattern in Nellore Rams

Dietary Supplementation of Galangal (Alpinia galangal) Essential Oil Affects Rumen Fermentation Pattern

Dietary Supplementation of Galangal (Alpinia galangal) Essential Oil Affects Rumen Fermentation Pattern

Gene function adjustment for carbohydrate metabolism and enrichment of rumen microbiota with antibiotic resistance genes during subacute rumen acidosis induced by a high-grain diet in lactating dairy cows

The high-grain diets fed to ruminants generally alters the structure and function of rumen microbiota, resulting in variations of rumen fermentation patterns and the occurrence of subacute rumen acidosis (SARA). To clarify the microbial mechanism for carbohydrate metabolism during SARA, 8 ruminally cannulated Holstein cows in mid lactation were selected for a 3-wk experiment. The cows were randomly divided into 2 groups, fed either a conventional diet (CON; 40% concentrate; dry matter basis) or a high-grain diet (HG; 60% concentrate; dry matter basis). Compared with the CON diet, the HG diet reduced average daily pH (5.71 vs. 6.13), acetate concentration (72.56 vs. 78.44 mM), acetate ratio (54.81 vs. 65.24%), and the ratio of the concentrations of acetate to propionate (1.87 vs. 3.21) but increased the concentrations of total volatile fatty acids (133.03 vs. 120.22 mM), propionate (41.32 vs. 24.71 mM), and valerate (2.46 vs. 1.68 mM) and the propionate ratio (30.51 vs. 20.47%). Taxonomic analysis indicated that the HG cows had a higher relative abundance of Ruminococcus, Eubacterium, Selenomonas, Ruminobacter, Succinimonas, Methanomicrobium, and Methanocaldococcus accompanied by a lower relative abundance of unclassified Firmicutes, unclassified Bacteroidetes, Bacteroides, Fibrobacter, Alistipes, Candidatus Methanoplasma, Methanomassiliicoccus, and Methanolobus. Carbohydrate-active enzyme annotation suggested that there was enriched abundance of glycosyltransferases (GT) 2, glycoside hydrolase (GH) 13, GH24, carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) 26, GH73, GH25, CBM12, GH23, GT8, CBM50, and GT9 and reduced abundance of GH78, GH31, S-layer homology, GH109, carbohydrate esterase 1, GH3, carbohydrate esterase 10, and GH43 in the HG group. Functional profiling revealed that the HG feeding mainly downregulated the pentose phosphate pathway of carbohydrate catabolism, acetate metabolism, propionate metabolism (succinate pathway), and methane metabolism, whereas it upregulated the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas and Entner-Doudoroff pathways of glycolysis and the citrate cycle. Additionally, the HG feeding promoted the abundance of various antibiotic resistance genes and antimicrobial resistance gene families. These results elucidated the structure and function adjustment of rumen microbiota for carbohydrate metabolism and summarized the enrichment of rumen antibiotic resistance genes under the HG feeding, which expands our understanding of the mechanism underlying the response of rumen microbiota to SARA in dairy cattle.

Effects of calcium-magnesium carbonate and calcium-magnesium hydroxide as supplemental sources of magnesium on microbial fermentation in a dual-flow continuous culture.

Supplemental sources of Mg can also aid in ruminal pH regulation due to their alkaline properties. Magnesium oxide (MgO) is the most common source of Mg for ruminants and can help controlling ruminal pH; however, the alkaline potential of other sources of Mg has not been evaluated. We aimed to evaluate the inclusion of calcium–magnesium carbonate (CaMg(CO3)2) and calcium–magnesium hydroxide (CaMg(OH)4) alone or in combination as supplemental sources of Mg in corn silage-based diets and its impact on ruminal microbial fermentation. We hypothesized that inclusion of CaMg(OH)4 would allow for ruminal fermentation conditions resulting in a greater pH compared to the inclusion of CaMg(CO3)2. Four treatments were defined by the supplemental source of Mg in the diet: 1) Control (100% MgO, plus sodium sesquicarbonate as a buffer); 2) CO3 [100% CaMg(CO3)2]; 3) OH [100% CaMg(OH)4]; and 4) CO3/OH [50% Mg from CaMg(CO3)2, 50% Mg from CaMg(OH)4]. Nutrient concentration was held constant across treatments (16% CP, 30% NDF, 1.66 Mcal NEl/kg, 0.67% Ca, and 0.21% Mg). Four fermenters were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with four periods of 10 d each. Samples were collected for analyses of nutrient digestibility, soluble Mg, VFA, and NH3, while pH was measured at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h post morning feeding to estimate % time when pH was below 6 (pH-B6) and area under the pH curve for pH below 6.0 (pH-AUC). Bacteria pellets were harvested for 15N analysis and estimates of N metabolism. Treatment effects were analyzed with the mixed procedure of SAS, while effects of using either CaMg(CO3)2 or CaMg(OH)4 as Mg source in comparison to Control treatment were evaluated by orthogonal contrasts. Similar pH-related variables were observed for Control, OH, and CO3/OH treatments, which had smaller pH-AUC and pH-B6 than CO3 (P ≤ 0.01). Butyrate molar proportion was greater in Control and CO3/OH than in CO3 and OH (P = 0.04). Orthogonal contrasts showed lower flow of bacterial N (P = 0.04), lower butyrate molar proportion (P = 0.08) and greater pH-AUC (P = 0.05) for diets with CaMg(CO3)2 in comparison with the Control. Concentration of soluble Mg in ruminal fluid (P = 0.73) and nutrient digestibility (P ≥ 0.52) were similar across treatments. Under the conditions of this experiment, using CaMg(OH)4 alone or combined with CaMg(CO3)2 allowed for a less acidic ruminal fermentation pattern than a diet with only CaMg(CO3)2.

Bee propolis as a natural feed additive: Bioactive compounds and effects on ruminal fermentation pattern as well as productivity of ruminants

Bee propolis as a natural feed additive: Bioactive compounds and effects on ruminal fermentation pattern as well as productivity of ruminants

Effect of active dry yeast on lactation performance, methane production, and ruminal fermentation patterns in early-lactating Holstein cows

This study was conducted to examine the effect of active dry yeast (ADY) supplementation on lactation performance, ruminal fermentation patterns, and CH4 emissions and to determine an optimal ADY dose. Sixty Holstein dairy cows in early lactation (52 ± 1.2 DIM) were used in a randomized complete design. Cows were blocked by parity (2.1 ± 0.2), milk production (35 ± 4.6 kg/d), and body weight (642 ± 53 kg) and assigned to 1 of 4 treatments. Cows were fed ADY at doses of 0, 10, 20, or 30 g/d per head for 91 d, with 84 d for adaptation and 7 d for sampling. Although dry matter intake was not affected by ADY supplementation, the yield of actual milk, 4% fat-corrected milk, milk fat yield, and feed efficiency increased quadratically with increasing ADY supplementation. Yields of milk protein and lactose increased linearly with increasing ADY doses, whereas milk urea nitrogen concentration and somatic cell count decreased quadratically. Ruminal pH and ammonia concentration were not affected by ADY supplementation, whereas ruminal concentration of total volatile fatty acid increased quadratically. Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, nonfiber carbohydrate, and crude protein increased quadratically with increasing ADY supplementation. Supplementation of ADY did not affect blood concentration of total protein, triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase, whereas blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol, and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations decreased quadratically with increasing ADY supplementation. Methane production was not affected by ADY supplementation when expressed as grams per day or per kilogram of actual milk yield, dry matter intake, digested organic matter, and digested nonfiber carbohydrate, whereas a trend of linear and quadratic decrease of CH4 production was observed when expressed as grams per kilogram of fat-corrected milk and digested neutral detergent fiber. In conclusion, feeding ADY to early-lactating cows improved lactation performance by increasing nutrient digestibility. The optimal ADY dose should be 20 g/d per head.

PSII-6 Comparative effects of two multi-species direct-fed microbial products on rumen fermentation, bacterial community and metabolome of beef steers

Abstract We examined the effects of two direct-fed microbials (DFM) containing multiple microbial species and their fermentation products on ruminal fermentation, bacterial community and metabolome of beef steers. Nine rumen-cannulated Holstein steers were assigned to 3 treatments arranged in a 3 × 3 Latin square design with three 21-d periods. Dietary treatments were (1) CON (basal diet without additive), (2) PROB (basal diet plus 19 g/d of Commence), and (3) SYNB (basal diet plus 28 g/d of RX3). Commence is a blend of active S. cerevisiae, Enterococcus lactis, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium, and L. casei, and their fermentation products. RX3 is a blend of active S. cerevisiae and the fermentation products of S. cerevisiae, Enterococcus lactis, Bacillus licheniformis, and Bacillus subtilis. Daily dry matter intake was calculated. On d 21 of each period, ruminal contents were sampled at 3, 6, 12, and 18 h after feeding for analysis of VFA, bacterial community via 16S rRNA sequencing, and metabolome via chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. There was no effect on DMI. Compared to CON, supplementation of either PROB or SYNB increased or tended to increase (P ≤ 0.10) total VFA, propionate, and valerate concentrations. Compared to CON, PROB reduced (P ≤ 0.05) the relative abundance of Prevotella 1 and Prevotellaceae UCG-001, but increased those of Rikenellaceae RC9, Succinivibrionaceae UCG-001, Succiniclasticum, Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, and Ruminococcaceae UCG-002, whereas SYNB decreased (P ≤ 0.05) the relative abundance of Prevotella 1 and Prevotellaceae UCG-001, and increased those of Prevotella 7, Succinivibrio, Succiniclasticum, and Ruminococcaceae UCG-014. Metabolome analysis revealed that 8 ruminal metabolites, including some amino acids, were increased (P ≤ 0.05) by PROB, whereas no differences were found for SYNB. This study demonstrated that supplemental PROB or SYNB altered the ruminal bacterial community and metabolome differently to achieve a similar ruminal fermentation pattern.

Effects of Roughage Quality and Particle Size on Rumen Parameters and Fatty Acid Profiles of Longissimus Dorsi Fat of Lambs Fed Complete Feed.

Simple SummaryRoughage type and particle size may play an important role in rumen volatile fatty acid levels and consequently affect fatty acid profile in meat and quality. Two roughage sources and two particles were used in this trial for growing lambs to study the effect in volatile fatty acids levels and fatty acids profile of longissimus dorsi (LD) fat. The results of this trial supported the hypothesis by confirming the effect of roughage type and particle size on meat quality and human health.The fatty acid composition for the longissimus dorsi (LD) fat of carcass sheep is a crucial factor impacting meat quality. We performed a 90-day feeding trial of 25 Naemi lambs to investigate the effects of roughage sources (alfalfa or wheat straw) of two sizes (regular and 1 cm chopped) when fed with pelleted total mixed ration (TMR) on the growth performance, fermentation patterns, and fatty acid (FA) composition of longissimus dorsi (LD) fat. Lambs were randomly assigned to individual pens with five treatment diets, as follows: C, control group with TMR; T1, TMR and regular alfalfa hay; T2, TMR and alfalfa hay chopped to 1 cm; T3, TMR and regular wheat straw; and T4, TMR and wheat straw chopped to 1 cm. Four lambs were randomly selected from each treatment (20 total) and sacrificed. LD fat of the carcass was extracted and analyzed for FA using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Significantly increased feed intake was found in T1 and T2. The FA composition of LD fat in T2 had higher unsaturated fatty acid (UFA), omega-6 (n6), and omega-3 (n3) FA content. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and α-linoleic acid were highest in lambs fed T1 and T2. Feeding different types of roughage, especially alfalfa hay, either regular or chopped, with total pelleted mixed ration is crucial to improving feed intake and body weight gain, as it positively enhances the rumen microbial fermentation process by controlling rumen pH. The FA profiles of meat from lambs fed TMR with regular or 1 cm particle size alfalfa hay (T1 and T2) are recommended for human consumption as a source of healthy FAs.

Extruded feed in different volume-concentrate ratios: in-vitro fermentation kinetics, consumption, and evaluation of lambs’ metabolic profile

This study aimed both to evaluate the metabolic profile of lambsfed with extruded forage and concentrate containing different roughageconcentrate ratios (R:C) and to evaluate in-vitro ruminal fermentationkinetics of these rations. An experiment was carried out with 20 weanling,female crossbred lambs (½Dorper x ½Santa Inês) aged 120 ± 8 days. Thetreatments were four R:C ratios of extruded forage (Foragge®) and extrudedconcentrate (Beef Total®) – 30%F:70%C, 40%F:60%C, 50%F:50%C, and60%F:40%C – distributed randomly with five replicates. The analysistargeted energy metabolites (VLDL, triglycerides, and cholesterol), hepaticmetabolites (alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyltransferase [GGT], andaspartate aminotransferase [AST]), and protein metabolites (total protein,uric acid, urea, creatinine, albumin, and globulin). In-vitro gas productionwas quantified by inoculating the extruded rations in bovine ruminal fluidwith the following forage:concentrate proportions evaluated: 30%F:70%C,40%F:60%C, 50%F:50%C, 60%F:40%C and 70%F:30%C. Fermentationkinetic values were compared using parallelism test and curve identity atthe error probability level of 5%. A regression study was used to compare themeans of the metabolites at the error probability level of 5%. Average drymatter intake data are provided descriptively. The extruded rationincreased the hepatic metabolites (GGT and AST) without compromising theliver and kept the energy metabolites stable. Similarly, the serumconcentration of protein metabolites remained at normal levelsrecommended to the ovine species. In-vitro fermentation pattern displayedhigh gas production associated with high ration digestibility. The extrudedration provides protein and energy supply to meet the animals’ nutritionalrequirements without compromising their health.

Pretreatments of Broussonetia papyrifera: in vitro assessment on gas and methane production, fermentation characteristic, and methanogenic archaea profile.

ObjectiveThe present study was conducted to examine the gas production, fermentation characteristics, nutrient degradation, and methanogenic community composition of a rumen fluid culture with Broussonetia papyrifera (B. papyrifera) subjected to ensiling or steam explosion (SE) pretreatment.MethodsFresh B. papyrifera was collected and pretreated by ensiling or SE, which was then fermented with ruminal fluids as ensiled B. papyrifera group, steam-exploded B. papyrifera group, and untreated B. papyrifera group. The gas and methane production, fermentation characteristics, nutrient degradation, and methanogenic community were determined during the fermentation.ResultsCumulative methane production was significantly improved with SE pretreatment compared with ensiled or untreated biomass accompanied with more volatile fatty acids production. After 72 h incubation, SE and ensiling pretreatments decreased the acid detergent fiber contents by 39.4% and 22.9%, and neutral detergent fiber contents by 10.6% and 47.2%, respectively. Changes of methanogenic diversity and abundance of methanogenic archaea corresponded to the variations in fermentation pattern and methane production.ConclusionCompared with ensiling pretreatment, SE can be a promising technique for the efficient utilization of B. papyrifera, which would contribute to sustainable livestock production systems.

Nutritional profile of rodent diets impacts experimental reproducibility in microbiome preclinical research

The lack of reproducibility of animal experimental results between laboratories, particularly in studies investigating the microbiota, has raised concern among the scientific community. Factors such as environment, stress and sex have been identified as contributors, whereas dietary composition has received less attention. This study firstly evaluated the use of commercially available rodent diets across research institutions, with 28 different diets reported by 45 survey respondents. Secondly, highly variable ingredient, FODMAP (Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols) and gluten content was found between different commercially available rodent diets. Finally, 40 mice were randomized to four groups, each receiving a different commercially available rodent diet, and the dietary impact on cecal microbiota, short- and branched-chain fatty acid profiles was evaluated. The gut microbiota composition differed significantly between diets and sexes, with significantly different clusters in β-diversity. Total BCFA were highest (p = 0.01) and SCFA were lowest (p = 0.03) in mice fed a diet lower in FODMAPs and gluten. These results suggest that nutritional composition of commercially available rodent diets impact gut microbiota profiles and fermentation patterns, with major implications for the reproducibility of results across laboratories. However, further studies are required to elucidate the specific dietary factors driving these changes.

Valorization of Vegetable Food Waste and By-Products Through Fermentation Processes.

There is a general interest in finding new ways of valorizing fruit and vegetable processing by-products. With this aim, applications of industrial fermentation to improve nutritional value, or to produce biologically active compounds, have been developed. In this sense, the fermentation of a wide variety of by-products including rice, barley, soya, citrus, and milling by-products has been reported. This minireview gives an overview of recent fermentation-based valorization strategies developed in the last 2 years. To aid the designing of new bioprocesses of industrial interest, this minireview also provides a detailed comparison of the fermentation conditions needed to produce specific bioactive compounds through a simple artificial neural network model. Different applications reported have been focused on increasing the nutritional value of vegetable by-products, while several lactic acid bacteria and Penicillium species have been used to produce high purity lactic acid. Bacteria and fungi like Bacillus subtilis, Rhizopus oligosporus, or Fusarium flocciferum may be used to efficiently produce protein extracts with high biological value and a wide variety of functional carbohydrates and glycosidases have been produced employing Aspergillus, Yarrowia, and Trichoderma species. Fermentative patterns summarized may guide the production of functional ingredients for novel food formulation and the development of low-cost bioprocesses leading to a transition toward a bioeconomy model.