• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.369-375
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• 1991

A series of in vitro incubation studies with washed rumen bacteria were conducted to determine the influence of incubation time and concentrations of peptides, alanine, ammonia nitrogen and carbohydrate on the rate of peptide disappearance and on bacterial growth. Disappearance rate of tri-alanine (ala3) under various conditions was between 30.6 and $58.2mg\;hr^-$ per gram bacterial dry matter. Ala3 was removed from the incubation medium in an almost linear fashion as incubation time and ala3 concentration was increased. Washed rumen bacteria utilized ala3 faster than di-l-alanine (ala2) at all concentrations. Adding 9mM carbohydrate significantly increased ala3 disappearance, but level of ammonia nitrogen had no influence on ala3 disappearance. The presence of alanine in the medium significantly lowered ala3 utilization by rumen bacteria. Bacterial dry matter and nitrogen growth yield were not influenced by alanine and peptides when incubation medium already contained a sufficient level of ammonia nitrogen. Increased ammonia nitrogen in the presence of ala3 did not stimulate bacterial growth. Carbohydrate significantly increased bacterial dry matter and nitrogen growth as expected. Results indicate that the rate of peptide utilization by rumen bacteria may be altered by type and concentration of peptides, and energy supply, and this may be mediated through changes in numbers and type of bacteria.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.45-49
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• 1996

A series of in vitro experiments was conducted to investigate response of rumen bacterial deamination to the ionophore salinomycin. Addition of salinomycin to the inoculum, strained rumen fluid, depressed ammonia production from casein, while increased accumulation of ${\alpha}$-amino acids. This suggests an inhibitory effect of salinomycin on ruminal deamination. When the effect in washed bacterial suspension was monitored with individual amino acid, aspartic acid degradation was markedly inhibited by salinomycin. This inhibition was not observed when the mixed rumen bacteria were ultrasonically disrupted and used as the enzyme source. Extent of the inhibition tended to be higher in the bacteria source from sheep on a high roughage diet. From these results it was speculated that the inhibition of deamination with salinomycin is caused by a decreased transport of amino acid into the bacterial cells as well as a decreased proportion of deaminating bacteria in the rumen.