• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 1990

Influences of plant phenolic acids and their possible metabolites(non-phenolic aromatic acids involved) in the rumen on the cellulolytic activity of mixed rumen populations were examined by a simple in vitro culture technique. Initial concentrations of aromatic acids were 1, 5, 10 and 20 mM/l. All the tested aromatic acids reduced microbial cellulose digestion especially at the higher initial concentration. P-Coumaric acid, ferulic acid and cinnamic acid, those having unhydrogenated propenoic side chain were more inhibitory than were 3-phenylpropinic acid and phloretic acid, those having hydrogenated propanoic side chain. Lag-time for cellulose digestion was prolonged by former three acids by 16 h. Apparent reduction in p-coumaric acid concentration was observed at 24 h when cellulose digestion began. Volatile fatty acid productions from cellulose fermentation were shifted by former three aromatic acids to produce more acetate and less propionate. This suggests that the selection of celluloytic organisms was induced by these aromatic acids.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.303-316
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• 1994

Microbial digestion of feed in the rumen involves a sequential attack culminating in the formation of fermentation products and microbial cells that can be utilized by the host animal. Most feeds are protected by a cuticular layer which is in effect a microbial barrier that must be penetrated or circumvented for digestion to proceed. Microorganisms gain access to digestible inner plant tissues through damage to the cuticle, or via natural cell openings (e.g., stomata) and commence digestion from within the feed particles. Primary colonizing bacteria adhere to specific substrates, divide to form sister cells and the resultant microcolonies release soluble substrates which attract additional microorganisms to the digestion site. These newly attracted microorganisms associate with primary colonizers to form complex multi-species consortia. Within the consortia, microorganisms combine their metabolic activities to produce the diversity of enzymes required to digest complex substrates (e.g., cellulose, starch, protein) which comprise plant tissues. Feed characteristics that inhibit the microbial processes of penetration, colonization and consortia formation can have a profound effect on the rate and extent of feed digestion in the rumen. Strategies such as feed processing or plant breeding which are aimed at manipulating feed digestion must be based on an understanding of these basic microbial processes and their concerted roles in feed digestion in the rumen.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.213-221
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• 2019

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been widely used to valorize food waste (FW) because of its ability to convert organic carbon into $CH_4$ and $CO_2$. Korean FW has a high content of fruits and vegetables, and efficient hydrolysis of less biodegradable fibers is critical for its complete stabilization by AD. This study examined the digestates from different anaerobic digesters, namely Rs, Rr, and Rm, as the inocula for the AD of vegetable waste (VW) and cellulose (CL): Rs inoculated with anaerobic sludge from an AD plant, Rr inoculated with rumen fluid, and Rm inoculated with anaerobic sludge and augmented with rumen fluid. A total of six conditions ($3\;inocula{\times}2\;substrates$) were tested in serial subcultures. Biogas yield was higher in the runs inoculated with Rm than in the other runs for both VW (up to 1.10 L/g VS added) and CL (up to 1.05 L/g VS added), and so was biogas production rate. The inocula had different microbial community structures, and both substrate type and inoculum source had a significant effect on the formation and development of microbial community structures in the subcultures. The overall results suggest that the bioaugmentation with rumen microbial consortium has good potential to enhance the anaerobic biodegradability of VW, and thereby can help more efficiently digest high fiber-content Korean FW.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2000

The effects of grass lipids and long chain fatty acids (LCFA; palmitic, stearic and oleic acids), at low concentrations (0.001~0.02%), on the growth and enzyme activity of two strains of anaerobic fungi, monocentric strain Piromyces rhizinflata B157 and polycentric strain Orpinomyces joyonii SG4, were investigated. The addition of grass lipids to the medium significantly (p<0.05) decreased filter paper (FP) cellulose digestion, cellulase activity and fungal growth compared to control treatment. However, LCFA did not have any significant inhibitory effects on fungal growth and enzyme activity, which, however, were significantly (p<0.05) stimulated by the addition of oleic acid as have been observed in rumen bacteria and protozoa. This is the first report to our knowledge on the effects of LCFA on the rumen anaerobic fungi. Continued work is needed to identify the mode of action of LCFA in different fungal strains and to verify whether these microorganisms have ability to hydrogenate unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.941-946
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• 2001

The effects of various concentrations of saturated fatty acids (SFA; caprylic, capric and stearic acids) on the growth of the anaerobic fungus, Neocallimastix frontalis C5-1 isolated from the rumen of a Korean native goat were investigated. At higher concentrations of fatty acids (0.1%, w/v), the addition of SFA strongly decreased filter paper (FP) cellulose digestion and polysaccharide-degrading enzyme activity. The sensitivity of the rumen anaerobic fungus to the added fatty acids increased in the following order: caprylic ($C_{8:0}$)>capric($C_{10:0}$)>stearic($C_{18:0}$) acid, although stearic acid had no significant (p<0.05) inhibitory effects at any of the concentrations tested. However, the addition of SFA at lower concentrations (0.01 and 0.001% levels), did not inhibit FP cellulose degradation and enzyme activity. Furthermore, although these parameters were slightly stimulated by the addition of SFA, they were not statistically different from control values. This is the first report examining the effects of fatty acids on anaerobic gut fungi. We found that the lower levels of fatty acids used in this experiment were able to stimulate the growth and specific enzyme activities of rumen anaerobic fungi, whereas the higher levels of fatty acids were inhibitory with respect to fungal cellulolysis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.131-138
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• 2009

Among rumen microbes, bacteria play important roles in the biological degradation of plant fiber due to their large biomass and high activity. To maximize the utilization of fiber components such as cellulose and hemicellulose by ruminant animals, the ecology and functions of rumen bacteria should be understood in detail. Recent genome sequencing analyses of representative fibrolytic bacterial species revealed that the number and variety of enzymes for plant fiber digestion clearly differ between Fibrobacter succinogenes and Ruminococcus flavefaciens. Therefore, the mechanism of plant fiber digestion is also thought to differ between these two species. Ecology of individual fibrolytic bacterial species has been investigated using pure cultures and electron microscopy. Recent advances in molecular biology techniques complement the disadvantages of conventional techniques and allow accurate evaluation of the ecology of specific bacteria in mixed culture, even in situ and in vivo. Molecular monitoring of fibrolytic bacterial species in the rumen indicated the predominance of F. succinogenes. Nutritive interactions between fibrolytic and non-fibrolytic bacteria are important in maintaining and promoting fibrolytic activity, mainly in terms of crossfeeding of metabolites. Recent 16S rDNA-based analyses suggest that presently recognized fibrolytic species such as F. succinogenes and two Ruminococcus species with fibrolytic activity may represent only a small proportion of the total fibrolytic population and that uncultured bacteria may be responsible for fiber digestion in the rumen. Therefore, characterization of these unidentified bacteria is important to fully understand the physiology and ecology of fiber digestion. To achieve this, a combination of conventional and modern techniques could be useful.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.1110-1117
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• 2001

Responses of the rumen fungus, Neocallimastix frontalis RE1, to long chain fatty acid (LCFA) were evaluated by measuring gas production, filter paper (FP) cellulose digestion and polysaccharidase enzyme activities. LCFA (stearic acid, $C_{18:0}$; oleic acid, $C_{18:1}$; linoleic acid, $C_{18:2}$ and linolenic acid, $C_{18:3}$) were emulsitied by ultrasonication under anaerobic condition, and added to the medium. When N frontalis RE1 was grown in culture with stearic, oleic and linoleic acid, the cumulative gas production, gas pool size, FP cellulose digestion and enzymes activities significantly (p<0.05) increased at some incubation times(especially, exponential phases of fungal growth, 48~120 h of incubation) relative to that for control cultures. However, the addition of linolenic acid strongly inhibited all of the investigated parameters up to 120 h incubation, but not after 168 and 216 h of incubation. These results indicated that stearic, oleic and linoleic acids tended to have great stimulatory effects on fungal cellulolysis, whereas linolenic acid caused a significant (p<0.05) inhibitory effects on the cellulolysis by the rumen fungus. These results are the first report of the effect of LCFAs on the ruminal fungi. Further research is needed to identify the mode of action of LCFAs on fungal strains and to verify whether or not ruminal fungi have ability to hydrate unsaturated LCFAs to saturated FAs. There was high correlation between cumulative in vitro gas production and fungal growth (94.78%), FP cellulose degradation (96.34%), CMCase activity(90.86%) or xylanase activity (87.67%). Thus measuring of cumulative gas production could be a useful tool for evaluating fungal growth and/or enzyme production by ruminal fungi.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.201-205
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• 2009

Effects of Cordyceps militaris mycelia on rumen microbial fermentation were determined by measuring in vitro gas production, cellulose digestion and VFA concentrations. C. militaris mycelia was added to buffered rumen fluid with final concentrations of 0.00, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30 g/L and incubation times were for 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 h. At all incubation times, the gas production showed a quadratic increase with the supplementation of C. militaris mycelia; maximum responses were seen with 0.25 g/L supplementation. However, the gas production was significantly lower for the 0.30 g/L supplementation than for the 0.25 g/L supplementation from 9 h to 72 h incubation. The cellulose filter paper (FP) digestion showed a quadratic increase, as did the gas production except at 3 h incubation. The concentration of total VFA was significantly increased by the supplementation of C. militaris mycelia compared with the control treatment; the highest response was also seen with 0.25 g/L supplementation. This was true for responses in the concentration of acetic and propionic acids. As opposed to other responses, the responses of pH to the supplementation of C. militaris mycelia showed a quadratic decrease from 3 h to 36 h incubation. In conclusion, C. militaris mycelia alter the mixed rumen microbial fermentation with increases in the production of gas and VFA, and cellulose FP digestion.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.1151-1157
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• 2003

The surfactant Tween 80 was evaluated for its ability to influence cumulative gas production, cellulose digestion, and enzyme activities by mixed ruminal microorganisms grown on barley grain or Orchardgrass hay. The addition of Tween 80 at a level of 0.10% significantly (p<0.05) decreased the cumulative gas production rate from both barley grain or Orchardgrass hay substrates. However, 0.05% Tween 80 did not affect gas production rates compared to the control treatment. The addition of 0.05% Tween 80 to cultures growing on barley grain resulted in a significant increase in cellulase (90.01%), xylanase (90.73%) and amylase (487.25%) activities after 30 h incubation. Cultures utilizing Orchardgrass hay had a significant increase in cellulase (124.43%), xylanase (108.86%) and amylase (271.22%) activities after 72 h incubation. These increases in activities were also observed with cultures supplemented with 0.10% Tween 80 throughout all the incubation times tested. These results indicated that the addition of 0.05% Tween 80 could greatly stimulate the release of some of key enzymes without decreasing cell growth rate in contrast to trends reported with aerobic microorganism. Our data indicates potential uses of the surfactant Tween 80 as a feed additive for ruminant animals.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 1996

Three stages of growth of Italian ryegrass (pre-blooming, P-B; early-blooming, E-B; and late-blooming, L-B) were used to evaluate the effect of maturity on in vitro digestion of dry matter, fiber components and gas production. The rumen digestibility and gas production values were obtained by incubation of each sample in the rumen fluid of sheep for 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 hr, respectively. The results showed that digestibility of dry matter (DM) significantly reduced (p < 0.05) as advancing maturity of the grass. Similarly, the digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) also significantly decreased (p < 0.05) with advancing maturity at all incubation times. However, the effect of maturity on digestibility of cellulose and hemicellulose was only detected when the samples were incubated more than 36 hr, where L-B was lower than P-B and E-B. Potential digestibility of nutrients, the maximum digestibility attainable in the rumen theoretically, was also higher at P-B than those of E-B and L-B. The amount of gas produced by microbial fermentation was closely related to the extent of DM digestion, and it was negatively correlated with advancing maturity of the grass.