• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.1115-1120
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• 2002

The effects of seed-associated or free linseed oil on fermentation characteristics and long-chain unsaturated fatty acids composition, especially the formation of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and octadecenoic acid (trans-11 $C_{18:1}$, $t-C_{18:1}$) by mixed ruminal bacteria were examined in vitro. Concentrate (1% of culture solution, w/v, as-fed basis) with ground linseed (0.6% of culture solution, w/v, DM basis) or linseed oil as absorbed onto ground alfalfa hay was added to 600 ml mixed solution consisting of strained rumen fluid and artificial saliva at the ratio of 1:1 in a glass culture jar. The culture jar was covered with a glass lid with stirrer, and placed into a water-bath ($39^{\circ}C$) and incubated anaerobically up to 24 h. Seed-associated or free linseed oil did not significantly affect the pH and ammonia concentration in the culture solution. Molar percent of acetate tended to increase while that of propionate decreased with the addition of free oil treatment throughout the incubation. Differences in bacterial number were relatively small, regardless of the form of supplements. Decreasing trends in the compositions of linoleic acid ($C_{18:2}$) and linolenic acid ($C_{18:3}$) but increasing trends of stearic acid ($C_{18:0}$), $t-C_{18:1}$ and CLA compositions were found from culture contents up to 12h incubation when incubated with both ground linseed and linseed oil. The compositions of $C_{18:0}$, $C_{18:2}$ and $C_{18:3}$ were greater but those of oleic acid ($C_{18:1}$), $t-C_{18:1}$ and CLA were smaller in a culture solution containing ground linseed than those containing linseed oil. The ratio of $t-C_{18:1}$ to CLA was lower in the culture solutions containing linseed oil up to 12h incubations as compared to those containing ground linseed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2005

A study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the nutritive value of some browse species from Kenya. The species evaluated included: Bauhinia alba, Bauhinia variegata, Bridelia micrantha, Calliandra calothyrsus, Carisa edulis, Cratylia argentea, Gliricidia sepium, Lantana camara, Maerua angolensis, Sesbania micrantha and S. sesban. The browses were evaluated by their chemical composition including phenolics, in vitro gas production and tannin activity (tannin bioassay). All the species had high crude protein content (149-268 g/kg DM) and low NDF content (239-549 g/kg DM). The feeds had varying contents of total extractable tannins (TET) ranging from low (3-22 mg/g DM), moderate (42-58 mg/g DM) and high (77-152 mg/g DM). Calliandra calothyrsus had the highest tannin content. Significant (p<0.05) variation in gas production was recorded among the species. Sesbania micrantha had the highest (p<0.05) potential gas production while Gliricidia sepium had the highest (p<0.05) rate of gas production. Use of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000), to assess the adverse affect of tannins, indicated that tannins in browse species with high tannin content had inhibitory effects on rumen microbial fermentation as indicated by the gas production. Estimated organic matter digestibility and metabolizable energy also increased with PEG addition. The results of this study indicate that such Kenyan browse species have the potential to be used as feed supplements for ruminant animals.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.819-826
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• 2009

An in vitro study was conducted to investigate the effect of malate or fumarate on fermentation characteristics, and production of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and methane ($CH_4$) by rumen microbes when incubated with linolenic acid (${\alpha}-C_{18:3}$). Sixty milligrams of ${\alpha}-C_{18:3}$ alone (LNA), or ${\alpha}-C_{18:3}$ with 24 mM malic acid (M-LNA) or ${\alpha}-C_{18:3}$ with 24 mM fumaric acid (F-LNA) were added to the 150 ml culture solution consisting of 75 ml strained rumen fluid and 75ml McDougall's artificial saliva. Culture solution for incubation was also made without malate, fumarate and ${\alpha}-C_{18:3}$ (Control). Two grams of feed consisting of 70% concentrate and 30% ground alfalfa (DM basis) were also added to the culture solution of each treatment. In vitro incubation was made anaerobically in a shaking incubator up to 12 h at $39^{\circ}C$. Supplementation of malate (M-LNA) or fumarate (F-LNA) increased pH at 6 h (p<0.01) and 12 h (p<0.001) incubation times compared to control and linolenic acid (LNA) treatments. Both malate and fumarate did not influence the ammonia-N concentration. Concentration of total VFA in culture solution was higher for M-LNA and F-LNA supplementation than for control and LNA treatments from 6 h (p<0.040) to 12 h (p<0.027) incubation times, but was not different between malate and fumarate for all incubation times. Molar proportion of $C_3$ was increased by F-LNA and M-LNA supplementation from 6 h (p<0.0001) to 12 h (p<0.004) incubation times compared to control and LNA treatments. No differences in $C_{3}$ proportion, however, were observed between M-LNA and F-LNA treatments. Accumulated total gas production for 12h incubation was increased (p<0.0002) by M-LNA or F-LNA compared to control or LNA treatment. Accumulated $CH_4$ production for 12 h incubation, however, was greatly reduced (p<0.0002) by supplementing malate or fumarate compared to the control, and its production from M-LNA or F-LNA treatment was smaller than that from LNA treatment. Methane production from LNA, M-LNA or F-LNA treatment was steadily lower (p<0.01 - p<0.001) from 3 h incubation time than that from the control, and was also lower for M-LNA or F-LNA treatment at incubation times of 6 h (p<0.01) and 9 h (p<0.001) than for LNA treatment. Methane production from LNA, however, was reduced (p<0.01 - p<0.001) from 3 h to 9 h incubation times compared to the control. Both malate and fumarate increased concentration of trans11-$C_{18:1}$ from 3 h to 12 h incubation (p<0.01), cis9,trans11-CLA up to 6 h incubation (p<0.01 - p<0.01), trans10,cis12-CLA at 3 h (p<0.05) and 12 h (p<0.01), and total CLA for all incubation times (p<0.05) compared to corresponding values for the ${\alpha}-C_{18:3}$ supplemented treatment (LNA). In conclusion, malate and fumarate rechanneled the metabolic $H_2 pathway to production of propionate and CLA, and depressed the process of biohydrogenation and methane generation. Linolenic acid alone would also be one of the optimistic alternatives to suppress the $CH_4$ generation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.220-228
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• 2007

The nutritive value and the effect of tannins on the utilization of foliage from three commonly used legumes, Acacia nilotica, Albizia procera, and Sesbania acculeata, were determined. Three mature rumen-fistulated bullocks were used to study in sacco degradability and twelve adult sheep were randomly allocated on the basis of live weight to 4 groups of 3 in each to study the in vivo digestibility of the foliages. In all foliages, the contents of crude protein (17 to 24% of DM) were high. Fibre was especially high in Albizia (NDF 58.8% of DM vs. 21% in Sesbania and 15.4% in Acacia). Contents of both hydrolysable (4.4 to 0.05%) and condensed tannins (1.2 to 0.04%) varied from medium to low in the foliages. Acacia contained the highest level of total phenolics (20.1%), protein precipitable phenolics (13.2%) and had the highest capacity to precipitate protein (14.7%). Drying in shade reduced the tannin content in Acacia and Albizia by 48.6 and 69.3% respectively. The foliages ranked similarly for each of the different methods used to estimate tannin content and activity. Acacia and Sesbania foliage was highly degradable (85-87% potential degradability of DM in sacco), compared to Albizia (52%), indicating a minimal effect of tannins in Acacia and Sesbania. Yet, in vitro, the tannins in the Acacia inhibited microbial activity more than those in Albizia and Sesbania. Following the addition of polyethylene glycol to neutralise the tannins, gas production and microbial growth increased by 59% and 0.09 mg RNA equiv./dg microbial yield respectively in the Acacia, compared to 16-17% and 0.06 mg RNA equiv./dg microbial yield in the other foliages. There was a trend for low in vivo apparent digestibility of N in the Acacia (43.2%) and Albizia (44.2%) compared to the Sesbania (54.5%) supplemented groups. This was likely to be due to presence of tannins. Consistent with this was the low N retention (0.22 and 0.19 g N/g NI) in sheep supplemented with Acacia and Albizia compared to that for the Sesbania (0.32). Similarly, a trend for poor microbial N yield was observed in sheep fed these foliages. Across the foliages tested, an increase in tannin content was associated with a reduction in ruminal fermentation, N digestibility and N retention. For overall nutritive value, Sesbania proved to be the superior forage of the three tested.