In vitro experiments were conducted to examine the characteristics and mode of action of a protease that increased the ruminal fiber digestibility of alfalfa hay. A commercial source of protease (Protex 6L, Genencor Int., Rochester, NY), already characterized for its main activities, was further analyzed to determine protease activity in response to pH, molecular size by SDS-PAGE, specificity t...

For hundreds of years, the Swedish peasantry were able to cure diseases of animals by using various popular remedies. In this context, ruminal indigestion is a disease of special interest to veterinary history. Long before research had demonstrated the importance for rumination of the ruminal microflora and microfauna, the Swedish peasantry used to administer living ruminal microorganisms from ...

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of degradation characteristics of six feed supplements on ruminal volatile fatty acid and amino acid production and profile using three ruminally cannulated male sheep. The sheep were fed a concentrate to forage ratio of 35:65. The supplements came from Soybean Meal (SBM), Corn Meal (CM), Meat and Bone Meal (MBM), Feather Meal (FtM), Bl...

Relationships between alkaloid compounds in endophyte-infected tall fescue and ruminal metabolism were studied in two experiments. In the first experiment, different combinations of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids, N-formyl and N-acetyl loline, were incubated with ruminal fluid for 0, 24, or 48 h. Rate of disappearance of N-formyl and N-acetyl loline increased over time. After 48 h, disappearance o...

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of organic acids and monensin on the in vitro fermentation of cracked corn by mixed ruminal microorganisms. Ruminal fluid was collected from a steer fed 36.3 kg of wheat silage and 4.5 kg of concentrate supplement once daily. Mixed ruminal microorganisms were incubated in anaerobic media that contained 20% (vol/vol) ruminal fluid and .4 g...

The predominant ruminal bacteria that were obtained from a 10(8) dilution of ruminal fluid could be maintained as a mixed population for long periods as long as the bacteria were provided with a complex mixture of carbohydrates. Growth of predominant ruminal bacteria in carbohydrate-limited, ammonia-excess, continuous cultures (0.07/h) had a low requirement for maintenance energy, but the nongr...

Six Holstein steers (381 +/- 11 kg BW; mean +/- SE) surgically fitted with hepatic portal (n = 6), hepatic venous (n = 4), mesenteric venous, and arterial catheters were used in a replicated crossover design experiment to evaluate the influence of monensin addition to an alfalfa hay diet on net portal and hepatic nutrient flux. Steers were fed 6.5 kg of DM/d in 12 portions using automatic feede...

Doepel, L., Montgomery, J. E., Beauchemin, K. A., King, J. R. and Acharya, S. N. 2012. Ruminal degradability and wholetract digestibility of protein and fibre fractions in fenugreek haylage. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 92: 211 217. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the digestibility of fenugreek forage compared with alfalfa in dairy cows. Alfalfa and two genotypes of fenugreek, Quatro and F70, w...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of coconut materials on ruminal methanogenesis and fermentation characteristics, in particular their effectiveness for mitigating ruminal methanogenesis. Fistulated Holstein cows were used as the donor of rumen fluid. Coconut materials were added to an in vitro fermentation incubated with rumen fluid-buffer mixture and timothy sub...

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of methionine supplementation on ruminal fermentation and digesta kinetics. In Exp. 1, nine ruminally cannulated beef heifers (average initial BW = 527 kg) in a crossover design were fed low-quality grass hay and cottonseed meal with or without 11.4 g of supplemental methionine (polysaccharide-coated). Particulate and fluid kinetics, rate of D...