• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.533-555
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• 1995

Direct-fed microbials (DFM) have been used to enhance milk production in lactating cattle and to increase feed efficiency and body weight gain in growing ruminants. Primary microorganisms that have been used as DFM for ruminants are fungal cultures including Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus or Streptococcus. Attempts have been made to determine the basic mechanisms describing beneficial effects of DFM supplements. Various modes of action for DFM have been suggested including : stimulation of ruminal microbial growth, stabilization of ruminal pH, changes in ruminal microbial fermentation pattern, increases in digestibility of nutrients ingested, greater nutrient flow to the small intestine, greater nutrient retention and alleviation of stress, however, these responses have not been observed consistently. Variations in microbial supplements, dosage level, production level and age of the animal, diet and environmental condition or various combinations of the above may partially explain the inconsistencies in response. This review summarizes production responses that have been observed under various conditions with supplemental DFM and also corresponding modification of ruminal fermentation and other changes in the gastrointestinal tract of ruminant animals.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.523-528
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• 2013

This study investigates the effects of three branched-chain amino acids (BCAA; valine, leucine, and isoleucine) on the in vitro ruminal fermentation of wheat straw using batch cultures of mixed ruminal microorganisms. BCAA were added to the buffered ruminal fluid at a concentration of 0, 2, 4, 7, or 10 mmol/L. After 72 h of anaerobic incubation, pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA), and ammonia nitrogen ($NH_3$-N) in the ruminal fluid were determined. Dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) degradability were calculated after determining the DM and NDF in the original material and in the residue after incubation. The addition of valine, leucine, or isoleucine increased the total VFA yields ($p{\leq}0.001$). However, the total VFA yields did not increase with the increase of BCAA supplement level. Total branched-chain VFA yields linearly increased as the supplemental amount of BCAA increased (p<0.001). The molar proportions of acetate and propionate decreased, whereas that of butyrate increased with the addition of valine and isoleucine (p<0.05). Moreover, the proportions of propionate and butyrate decreased (p<0.01) with the addition of leucine. Meanwhile, the molar proportions of isobutyrate were increased and linearly decreased (p<0.001) by valine and leucine, respectively. The addition of leucine or isoleucine resulted in a linear (p<0.001) increase in the molar proportions of isovalerate. The degradability of NDF achieved the maximum when valine or isoleucine was added at 2 mmol/L. The results suggest that low concentrations of BCAA (2 mmol/L) allow more efficient regulation of ruminal fermentation in vitro, as indicated by higher VFA yield and NDF degradability. Therefore, the optimum initial dose of BCAA for in vitro ruminal fermentation is 2 mmol/L.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.993-1004
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• 2009

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of non-ionic surfactant (NIS) supplementation on ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility and performance of beef steers fed high-roughage diets. The objective of experiment 1 was to investigate the effects of NIS supplementation on in vitro ruminal fermentation of cultures administered with corn and barley as grain substrate and rice straw and timothy hay as roughage substrate. The in vivo ruminal fermentation, nitrogen balance and digestibility of nutrients were also examined with steers fed a high-roughage diet in experiment 2. The aim of experiment 3 was to determine the responses to NIS of growing steers fed a high-roughage diet. In experiment 1, ammonia nitrogen concentration for NIS supplementation was higher (p<0.05) than for the control with all substrates. However, concentrations of total volatile fatty acid (VFA), acetate, butyrate and valerate of the incubated roughage substrates, rice straw and timothy hay, were higher (p<0.05) for NIS supplementation than for the control whereas VFA concentrations in the cultures of corn and barley were unaffected. These results indicated that effects of NIS on ruminal fermentation are diet dependent, specifically on roughage sources. In experiment 2, ruminal pH of steers supplemented with NIS was lower (p<0.05) than the control. Ruminal concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, acetate, total VFA and urinary concentrations of purine derivatives were increased (p<0.05) by NIS supplementation. In experiment 3, supplementation of NIS increased (p<0.05) intakes of total feed and corn silage, average daily gain, and feed efficiency of growing steers although they varied depending on supplementation level. Due to the roughage-specific feature of NIS effects, NIS appears to enhance ruminal fermentation of fibrous parts of feeds and, consequently, performance of steers fed a high-roughage diet.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.80-85
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• 2018

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of corn grain particle size on ruminant fermentation and blood metabolites in Holstein steers fed total mixed ration (TMR) as a basal diet to explain fundamental data of corn grain for cattle in Korea. Methods: Four ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (body weight $592{\pm}29.9kg$) fed TMR as a basal diet were housed individually in an auto temperature and humidity modulated chamber ($24^{\circ}C$ and 60% for 22 h/d). Treatments in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design were TMR only (control), TMR with whole corn grain (WC), coarsely ground corn grain (CC), and finely ground corn grain (FC), respectively. The corn feeds substituted for 20% energy intake of TMR intake. To measure the ruminal pH, ammonia N, and volatile fatty acids (VFA), ruminal digesta was sampled through ruminal cannula at 1 h intervals after the morning feeding to determine ruminal fermentation characteristics. Blood was sampled via the jugular vein after the ruminal digesta sampling. Results: There was no difference in dry matter (DM) intake between different corn particle size because the DM intake was restricted to 1.66% of body weight. Different corn particle size did not change mean ammonia N and total VFA concentrations whereas lower (p<0.05) ruminal pH and a ratio of acetate to propionate, and higher (p<0.05) propionate concentration were noted when the steers consumed CC compared with WC and FC. Concentration of blood metabolites were not affected by different particle size of corn grain except for blood triglyceride concentration, which was significantly (p<0.05) increased by FC. Conclusion: Results indicate that feeding CC may increase feed digestion in the rumen, whereas the FC group seemed to obtain inadequate corn retention time for microbial degradation in the rumen.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.379-386
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• 2016

Four ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (BW $482.9{\pm}8.10kg$), fed low protein TMR (CP 11.7%) as a basal diet, were used to investigate changes in rumen fermentation and blood metabolism according to protein fraction, cornell net carbohydrates and protein system (CNCPS), and enriched feeds. The steers, arranged in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design, consumed TMR only (control), TMR supplemented with rapeseed meal (AB1), soybean meal (B2), and perilla meal (B3C), respectively. The protein feeds were substituted for 23.0% of CP in TMR. Ruminal pH, ammonia-N, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) in rumen digesta, sampled through ruminal cannula at 1 h-interval after the morning feeding, were analyzed. For plasma metabolites analysis, blood was sampled via the jugular vein after the rumen digesta sampling. Different N fraction-enriched protein feeds did not affect (p > 0.05) mean ruminal pH except AB1 being numerically lower 1 - 3 h post-feeding than the other groups. Mean ammonia-N was statistically (p < 0.05) higher for AB1 than for the other groups, but VFA did not differ among the groups. Blood urea nitrogen was statistically (p < 0.05) higher for B2 than for the other groups, which was rather unclear due to relatively low ruminal ammonia-N. This indicates that additional studies on relationships between dietary N fractions and ruminant metabolism according to different levels of CP in a basal diet should be required.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.419-427
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• 2018

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of Korean corn grain on in vitro ruminal fermentation with total mixed ration (TMR) as a basal feed. Three ruminal cannulated Holstein steers (Body Weight $479{\pm}33.0kg$) were used as rumen fluid donors. Treatments for in vitro fermentation were TMR only (control, 3.0 g), TMR substituted partially with high level (HC, TMR 1.5 and corn 1.5 g), and with low level of Korean corn grain (LC, TMR 2.25 and corn 0.75 g), respectively. To measure in vitro ruminal pH, gas production, ammonia N and volatile fatty acids (VFA), the in vitro fermentation incubation was triplicated at $39^{\circ}C$, 120 rpm for 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h, respectively. Mean ruminal pH was significantly lower (p < 0.05) for HC than control. Changes in rumen pH was rather similar between the groups till 6 h after incubation, but the lowest pH for HC (pH 5.10) appeared at 48 h compared with control and LC. Total gas production was tended (p < 0.09) to be higher and ammonia N was significantly lower (p < 0.05) for HC than control and LC. Total VFA was higher (p < 0.05) for HC and LC than control but no differences appeared between HC and LC. Overall, the present data indicate that feeding different levels of Korean domestic corn grain may lead to high and sustainable starch degradation in the rumen.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.132-140
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• 2019

Fermented total mixed ration (TMR) is a novel feed for ruminants in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the quality of TMR and in vitro ruminal fermentation. Strains of three LAB spp. (Lactobacillus plantarum, L. brevis, L. mucosae) were used in fermentation of TMR. Inoculations with the three LAB spp. lowered pH and increased concentrations of lactic acid, acetic acid, and total organic acid compared to non-LAB inoculated control (only addition of an equivalent amount of water) (p<0.05). Bacterial composition indicated that aerobic bacteria and LAB were higher. However, E. coli were lower in the fermented TMR than those in the control treatment (p<0.05). Among the treatments, L. brevis treatment had the highest concentration of total organic acid without fungus detection. Gas production, pH, and ammonia-nitrogen during ruminal in vitro incubation did not differ throughout incubation. However, ruminal total VFA concentration was higher (p<0.05) in the LAB spp. treatments than the control treatment at 48 hours. Overall, the use of L. brevis as an inoculant for fermentation of high moisture. TMR could inhibit fungi growth and promote lactic fermentation, and enhance digestion in the rumen.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.204-213
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• 2008

Four ruminally cannulated Holstein cows averaging 43 days in milk (DIM) were used in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square to determine the effect of feeding extruded soybean, ground canola seed and whole cottonseed on ruminal fermentation and milk fatty acid profile. One hundred and twenty lactating Holstein cows, 58 (${\pm}31$) DIM, were assigned to four treatments in a completely randomized block design to study the effects of the three types of oilseeds on production parameters and milk fatty acid profile. The four diets were a control diet (CON) and three diets in which 10% extruded soybean (ESB), 5% ground canola seed (GCS) and 10% whole cottonseed (WCS) were included, respectively. Diets consisted of concentrate mix, corn silage and Chinese wild rye and were balanced to similar concentrations of CP, NDF and ADF. Ruminal fermentation results showed that ruminal fermentation parameters, dry matter intake and milk yield were not significantly affected by treatments. However, compared with the control, feeding cows with the three oilseed diets reduced C14:0 and C16:0 and elevated C18:0 and C18:1 concentrations in milk, and feeding ESB increased C18:2 and cis9, trans11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Production results showed that feeding ESB tended to increase actual milk yield (30.85 kg/d vs. 29.29 kg/d) and significantly decreased milk fat percentage (3.53% vs. 4.06%) compared with CON. Milk protein (3.41%) and solid non-fat (13.27%) from cows fed WCS were significantly higher than from cows fed CON (3.24% and 12.63%, respectively). Milk urea N concentrations from cows fed the ESB (164.12 mg/L) and GCS (169.91 mg/L) were higher than cows fed CON (132.31 mg/L). However, intake of DM, 4% fat corrected milk, energy corrected milk, milk fat and protein yields, milk lactose percentage and yield, somatic cell count and body condition score were not affected by different treatments. The proportion of medium-chain fatty acid with 14 to 16 C units in milk was greatly decreased in cows fed ESB, GCS and WCS. Feeding ESB increased the concentration in milk of C18:1, C18:2, C18:3 and cis9, trans11-CLA content by 16.67%, 37.36%, 95.24%, 72.22%, respectively, feeding GCS improved C18:0 and C18:1 by 17.41% and 33.28%, respectively, and feeding WCS increased C18:0 by 31.01% compared with feeding CON. Both ruminal fermentation and production trial results indicated that supplementation of extruded soybean, ground canola seed and whole cottonseed could elevate the desirable poly- and monounsaturated fatty acid and decrease the medium chain fatty acid and saturated fatty acid content of milk fat without negative effects on ruminal fermentation and lactation performance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.544-547
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• 1999

The object of this study was to determine the influence of monensin and virginiamycin (VM) on in vitro ruminal fermentation of rice straw or ammoniated rice straw. Rumen fluid was collected from 4 wethers fed 200 g of concentrate supplement with 400 g of untreated (U) or ammoniated (A) rice straw once daily for 28 days. Mixed ruminal microorganisms were incubated in anaerobic media that contained 20% (vol/vol) ruminal fluid and 0.3 g of either U or A rice straw. Monensin and/or VM, dissolved in ethanol, were added in centrifuge tubes at final concentrations of 0, 15, 30, 15+15 and 30+30 ppm of culture fluid. The addition of monensin and VM combination to A rice straw fermentation decreased (p<0.05) the acetate to propionate ratio, total VFA and lactate production, but increased (p<0.05) pH. Total gas production tended to be decreased by the addition of monensin plus VM. Antimicrobial agents decreased $NH_3$ N concentration and dry matter digestibility.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1726-1735
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• 2014

This study investigated the effects of acarbose addition on changes in ruminal fermentation characteristics and the composition of the ruminal bacterial community in vitro using batch cultures. Rumen fluid was collected from the rumens of three cannulated Holstein cattle fed forage ad libitum that was supplemented with 6 kg of concentrate. The batch cultures consisted of 8 mL of strained rumen fluid in 40 mL of an anaerobic buffer containing 0.49 g of corn grain, 0.21 g of soybean meal, 0.15 g of alfalfa and 0.15g of Leymus chinensis. Acarbose was added to incubation bottles to achieve final concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/mL. After incubation for 24 h, the addition of acarbose linearly decreased (p<0.05) the total gas production and the concentrations of acetate, propionate, butyrate, total volatile fatty acids, lactate and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). It also linearly increased (p<0.05) the ratio of acetate to propionate, the concentrations of isovalerate, valerate and ammonia-nitrogen and the pH value compared with the control. Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene showed that the addition of acarbose decreased (p<0.05) the proportion of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and increased (p<0.05) the percentage of Bacteroidetes, Fibrobacteres, and Synergistetes compared with the control. A principal coordinates analysis plot based on unweighted UniFrac values and molecular variance analysis revealed that the structure of the ruminal bacterial communities in the control was different to that of the ruminal microbiota in the acarbose group. In conclusion, acarbose addition can affect the composition of the ruminal microbial community and may be potentially useful for preventing the occurrence of ruminal acidosis and the accumulation of LPS in the rumen.