Mathematical modeling techniques have been applied to study various aspects of the ruminant, such as rumen function, postabsorptive metabolism, and product composition. This review focuses on advances made in modeling rumen fermentation and its associated rumen disorders, and energy and nutrient utilization and excretion with respect to environmental issues. Accurate prediction of fermentation ...

Absorption of the lower fatty acids occurs directly from the rumen of sheep, in which organ they are produced as a result of bacterial fermentation. Previous work on this subject, in which the pH of the rumen was not controlled (Barcroft, McAnally & Phillipson, 1944), showed that: (a) The quantity of acid absorbed is substantial. (b) The rate of absorption from the normally filled rumen bears n...

The effects of direct-cut and wilted silage with or without rapeseed meal (RSM) supplementation on rumen fermentation and digesta passage rates were studied in a 4 4 balanced Latin square experiment with four multiparous cows. The dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) degradabilities of silages were determined in sacco. RSM supplementation replaced 16% of the oat±barley concentrate mixture. Th...

Linkageofmicrobial ecology to phenotype: correlationof rumen microbial ecology to cattle’s feed e⁄ciency Le Luo Guan, Joshua D. Nkrumah, John A. Basarab & Stephen S. Moore Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Igenity Livestock Production Business Unit, Merial Ltd, Edmonton, AB, Canada; and Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Devel...

A growth factor present in rumen fluid and essential for growth of a rumen strain of Methanobacterium ruminantium was shown to be coenzyme M, 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid.

We report the development of a high-throughput screening platform to identify inhibitors of the membrane-bound A1Ao-ATP synthase from the rumen methanogen Methanobrevibacter ruminantium M1. Inhibitors identified in the screen were tested against growing cultures of M. ruminantium, validating the approach to identify new inhibitors of methanogens.