• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.350-353
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• 2005

Effects of sucrose supplement on the pattern of VFA production and microbial protein synthesis in the rumen were examined in sheep consuming basal diet of grass silage (2.5 kg fresh wt/d) that was provided in 24 equal meals each day by an automatic feeder. Four mature wethers were allocated to four experimental treatments in a 4${\times}$4 Latin square design with periods lasting 14 days. The treatments were (1) the basal diet, (2) supplemented with 150 g sucrose and 7.0 g urea, (3) 300 g sucrose and 13 g urea, and (4) 450 g sucrose and 20 g urea given as a continuous intraruminal infusion for 24 h. All infusions were given in 2 litres of aqueous solution per day using a peristaltic pump. The effect of sucrose level on rumen mean pH was significantly linear (p<0.01). There were not significant differences in the concentration of ammonia-N, total VFA and the molar proportions of acetate, propionate and butyrate with the level of sucrose infusion. The molar proportions of isobutyric acid (p<0.05) and isovaleric acid (p<0.001) were significantly reduced when the infused amount of sucrose was increased. The flow of microbial N was linearly (p<0.001) increased with sucrose and urea level. High levels of readily fermentable carbohydrate in a ration reduced the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in the rumen. It was demonstrated that of the individual fatty acids, only the molar proportion of isovalerate showed a significant negative correlation (R2=$0.3501^{**}$) with the amount of microbial N produced and a significant positive correlation (R2=$0.2735^{**}$) with the efficiency of microbial growth.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.96-114
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• 2000

Genetically selected beef cattle are fed high-energy diets in intensive production systems developed in industrial countries. This type of feeding can induce rumen dysfunctions that have to be corrected by farmers to optimise cost-effectiveness. The risk of rumen acidosis can be reduced by using slowly degradable starch, which partly escapes rumen fermentation and goes on to be digested in the small intestine. Additives are proposed to stabilise the rumen pH and restrict lactate accumulation, thus favouring the growth of cellulolytic bacteria and stimulating the digestion of the dietary plant cell wall fraction. This enhances the energy value of feeds when animals are fed maize silage for example. Supplementation of lipids to increase energy intake is known to influence the population of rumen protozoa and some associated rumen functions such as cellulolysis and proteolysis. The end products of rumen fermentation are also changed. Lipolysis and hydrogenation by rumen microbes alter the form of fatty acids supplied to animals. This effect is discussed in relation with the quality of lipids in beef and the implications for human health. Conditions for optimising the amount of amino acids from microbial proteins and dietary by-pass proteins flowing to the duodenum of ruminants, and their impact on beef production, are also examined.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.485-490
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• 2001

Farmers in the centre of Vietnam have a tradition of dosing young cattle with groundnut oil before fattening them on a diet of rice straw and road-side grass. These farmers claim the cattle grow faster. It was hypothesized that the effect of the oil could be to eliminate the protozoa from the rumen. This is known to increase the net microbial growth efficiency in the rumen and increase the protein supply to the animal. To test this hypothesis, two experiments were undertaken; one on-station with four cattle fitted with rumen cannulae and the second a growth trial with 25 young cattle in smallholder farms. When the cannulated animals were drenched with groundnut oil, the protozoa were eliminated from the rumen and animals could be kept free of protozoa by isolation. The ammonia concentration in the rumen fluid was decreased when the protozoa were eliminated and there was an indication of improved rumen dry matter degradability of the forage components of the diet. In the practical condition on the smallholder farms, the growth rates of cattle drenched with groundnut oil were increased considerably (65%) compared with untreated control animals. The laboratory results when taken together with the on-farm results indicate that these resource-poor farmers had been able to defaunate their cattle and to maintain the fauna-free state by isolation of their animals from extraneous stock. This traditional practice in Central Vietnam, whereby one family keeps only one or two animals that are hand fed and tethered, has quite a large potential for all of those countries where animals are fed agro-industrial by-products, as it is highly economic. The use of 1 litre of oil compared with 1 kg of rice polishing per day (300 kg over 300 days), would be highly profitable in all countries of South-East Asia.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2018

Objective: Due to the threat of global warming, the livestock industry is increasingly interested in exploring how feed additives may reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, especially from ruminants. This study investigated the effect of Rhodophyta supplemented bovine diets on in vitro rumen fermentation and rumen microbial diversity. Methods: Cannulated Holstein cows were used as rumen fluid donors. Rumen fluid:buffer (1:2; 15 mL) solution was incubated for up to 72 h in six treatments: a control (timothy hay only), along with substrates containing 5% extracts from five Rhodophyta species (Grateloupia lanceolata [Okamura] Kawaguchi, Hypnea japonica Tanaka, Pterocladia capillacea [Gmelin] Bornet, Chondria crassicaulis Harvey, or Gelidium amansii [Lam.] Lamouroux). Results: Compared with control, Rhodophyta extracts increased cumulative gas production after 24 and 72 h (p = 0.0297 and p = 0.0047). The extracts reduced methane emission at 12 and 24 h (p<0.05). In particular, real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that at 24 h, ciliate-associated methanogens, Ruminococcus albus and Ruminococcus flavefaciens decreased at 24 h (p = 0.0002, p<0.0001, and p<0.0001), while Fibrobacter succinogenes (F. succinogenes) increased (p = 0.0004). Additionally, Rhodophyta extracts improved acetate concentration at 12 and 24 h (p = 0.0766 and p = 0.0132), as well as acetate/propionate (A/P) ratio at 6 and 12 h (p = 0.0106 and p = 0.0278). Conclusion: Rhodophyta extracts are a viable additive that can improve ruminant growth performance (higher total gas production, lower A/P ratio) and methane abatement (less ciliateassociated methanogens, Ruminococcus albus and Ruminococcus flavefaciens and more F. succinogenes.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.455-461
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• 1998

This study was proposed to investigate effects of inclusion of Chinese milk vetch silage (MVS) and rapeseed meal (RSM) on the growth and rumen fermentation of Hu-sheep. Fifty weanling lambs were randomly divided into five equal groups and offered ammoniated rice straw (ABRS) ad libitum along with 100 g concentrate (Trial 1). The animals in $T_0$, $T_1$, $T_2$, $T_3$ and $T_4$ group were respectively supplemented with MVS at levels of 0, 0, 7, 14 or 21% and with RSM at levels of 0, 15, 10, 5 or 0%. Daily gain of lambs was significantly (p<0.05) higher in $T_1$, $T_2$ and $T_3$ group than that in $T_0$ and $T_4$ group. Feed conversion ratio was greatly reduced in supplemented groups as compared with $T_0$ group. In trial 2, five sheep with rumen cannulae were used in a $5{\times}5$ Latin square design. The experimental treatments were as described in Trial 1, but without concentrate. The intake of AVRS was significantly (p<0.05) lower in $T_4$ group than that in $T_0$ group, and also significantly (p<0.05) lower than those in $T_1$ and $T_2$ group. Little difference among all treatments was found in 48h DM degradability of ABRS, MVS and RSM, and in rumen pH value and microbial protein concentration. Rumen concentrations of individual and total VFA tended to be higher in supplemented groups than those in $T_0$ group.These rusults suggest that supplementation with RSM or RSM plus MVS can effectively improve the performance of lambs, and may fail to influence markedly the rumen digestion of ABRS and rumen environments.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.1084-1093
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• 2000

An in vitro gas production system was used to investigate the influence of various substrate mixtures on a natural mix of rumen microbes by measurement of fermentation end-products. The treatments were combinations of cassava (15.0, 30.0 and 45.0%) with different roughage sources (ruzi grass, rice straw or urea treated rice straw). Microbial biomass, net $^{15}N$ incorporation into cells, volatile fatty acid production, gas volume and rate of gas production increased linearly with increasing levels of cassava inclusion. There was also an effect of roughage source, with rice straw being associated with the lowest values for most parameters whilst similar values were obtained for ruzi grass and urea treated rice straw. The results suggest that microbial growth and fermentation rate increase as a function of readily available carbohydrate in the substrate mixture. A strong linear relationship between $^{15}N$ enrichment, total volatile fatty acid production and gas production kinetics support the suggestion of the use of the in vitro gas production system as a tool for screening feedstuffs as an initial stage of feed evaluation.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.199-204
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• 2007

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of soluble carbohydrates (glucose, cellobiose), pH (6.0, 6.5, 7.0), and rumen microbial growth factors (VFA, vitamins) on biohydrogenation of linoleic acid (LA) by mixed rumen fungi. Addition of glucose or cellobiose to culture media slowed the rate of biohydrogenation; only 35-40% of LA was converted to conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) or vaccenic acid (VA) within 24 h of incubation, whereas in the control treatment, 100% of LA was converted within 24 h. Addition of VFA or vitamins did not affect biohydrogenation activity or CLA production. Culturing rumen fungi at pH 6.0 slowed biohydrogenation compared with pH 6.5 or 7.0. CLA production was reduced by pH 6.0 compared with control (pH 6.5), but was higher with pH 7.0. Biohydrogenation of LA to VA was complete within 72 h at pH 6.0, 24 h at pH 6.5, and 48 h at pH 7.0. It is concluded that optimum conditions for biohydrogenation of LA and for CLA production by rumen fungi were provided without addition of soluble carbohydrates, VFA or vitamins to the culture medium; optimum pH was 6.5 for biohydrogenation and 7.0 for CLA production.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.2_spc
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• pp.323-336
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• 2024

Molecular hydrogen (H₂) and formate (HCOO^-) are metabolic end products of many primary fermenters in the rumen ecosystem. Both play a vital role in fermentation where they are electron sinks for individual microbes in an anaerobic environment that lacks external electron acceptors. If H₂ and/or formate accumulate within the rumen, the ability of primary fermenters to regenerate electron carriers may be inhibited and microbial metabolism and growth disrupted. Consequently, H₂- and/or formate-consuming microbes such as methanogens and possibly homoacetogens play a key role in maintaining the metabolic efficiency of primary fermenters. There is increasing interest in identifying approaches to manipulate the rumen ecosystem for the benefit of the host and the environment. As H₂ and formate are important mediators of interspecies interactions, an understanding of their production and utilization could be a significant starting point for the development of successful interventions aimed at redirecting electron flow and reducing methane emissions. We conclude by discussing in brief ruminant methane mitigation approaches as a model to help understand the fate of H₂ and formate in the rumen ecosystem.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2015

During recent years, there has been exponential growth in biological information. With the emergence of large datasets in biology, life scientists are encountering bottlenecks in handling the biological data. This study presents an integrated geographic information system (GIS)-ontology application for handling microbial genome data. The application uses a linear referencing technique as one of the GIS functionalities to represent genes as linear events on the genome layer, where users can define/change the attributes of genes in an event table and interactively see the gene events on a genome layer. Our application adopted ontology to portray and store genomic data in a semantic framework, which facilitates data-sharing among biology domains, applications, and experts. The application was developed in two steps. In the first step, the genome annotated data were prepared and stored in a MySQL database. The second step involved the connection of the database to both ArcGIS and $Prot{\acute{e}}g{\acute{e}}$ as the GIS engine and ontology platform, respectively. We have designed this application specifically to manage the genome-annotated data of rumen microbial populations. Such a GIS-ontology application offers powerful capabilities for visualizing, managing, reusing, sharing, and querying genome-related data.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.709-718
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• 2006

In order to know the effects of Garlic, Scallion, Flavonoid, Urushiol, Anthocyanidin and Bio-MOS?? on pathogenic microbes and rumen anaerobic microbes, the growth rate of pathogens (including Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella paratyphi, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) and in vitro rumen microbial growth, gas production, ammonia concentration, carboxymethylcellulase(CMCase) activity, and microbial populations were investigated.The growth of pathogens was inhibited by supplementation of 0.1% Flavonoid, Scallion or Bio-MOS?? as biological active materials. And Scallion and Flavonoid had powerful antimicrobial properties on the pathogens applied in paper disc method.Although few effects by biological active materials disappeared in rumen fermentation in vitro, CMCase activity removed with supplementation of 1% of Flavonoid which had antimicrobial property in paper disc method. Scallion, having powerful antimicrobial property on pathogens and no inhibiting on rumen fermentation, might be a source in development of natural antimicrobial agent for ruminants.