Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T21:23:05.912Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Comparison of non-tracer and tracer methods for determination of volatile fatty acid production rate in the rumen of sheep fed on two levels of intake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Cécile Martin ,
Niels B. Kirstensen  and
Pekka Huhtanen
Cécile Martin*
Affiliation:
Unité de Recherche sur les Herbivores, INRA Theix, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
Niels B. Kirstensen
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
Pekka Huhtanen
Affiliation:
Animal Production Research, Agricultural Research Centre, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Denmark
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Cécile Martin, fax +33 4 73 62 42 73, email cecile@clermont.inra.fr
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The aim of the present work was to estimate volatile fatty acid (VFA) production rate in the rumen of sheep fed two levels of intake using both a tracer (TM; by isotope dilution) and a non-tracer method (NTM; by supplementary infusion) in steady-state conditions. Six wethers received a diet containing 700 g lucerne hay and 300 g ground maize/kg in eight equal meals at 3 h intervals per d. The diet (9·8 MJ metabolizable energy (ME)/kg DM) was offered at 90 % ad libitum consumption (high intake, HI) or 45 % ad libitum consumption (low intake, LI) in a 2×2 crossover design. Each sheep received five intrarumen VFA solutions infused continuously for 24 h at rates of 250 ml and 165 ml/h for the HI and LI respectively. The first infusion, considered as a control treatment (Con), consisted of a solution of [1-13C]propionate (7 mmol/d). The four other solutions were isoenergetic (1·9 MJ ME/kg DM intake) mixtures of unlabelled propionate (C3) and butyrate (C4) at different levels: 0·90 mol C4/kg DM intake; 0·60 mol C4+0·45 mol C3/kg DM intake; 0·30 mol C4+0·90 mol C3/kg DM intake; 1·35 mol C3/kg DM intake. The VFA infusions did not affect rumen fermentation of the basal diet (pH, osmotic pressure, protozoa numbers), and comparable DM digestibility of the diet among the different treatments was observed. Both estimation methods demonstrated a similar increase (1·7-fold) in the rumen VFA production rate of sheep fed at intakes varying between 0·9 to 1·7 times maintenance. Irrespective of the intake level, the rumen production rate of individual VFA was on average 1·5-fold higher when estimated by the TM compared with the NTM. Rumen VFA production rates estimated by the NTM and TM represented 80 % and 120 % ME intake respectively. The difference between NTM and TM estimates seems likely to be caused mainly by overestimation of the VFA production rates by the TM.

Keywords

RumenVolatile fatty acidsProduction rateIntake level
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 86 , Issue 3 , September 2001 , pp. 331 - 340
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2001

References

Andrieu, J & Demarquilly, C (1987) Alimentation des ruminants: révision des systèmes et des tables de l'INRA (Ruminant alimentation: revision of INRA systems and tables). Bulletin Technique du CRZV Theix, INRA 70, 61–73.Google Scholar
Association of Analytical Chemists (1990) Official Methods of Analysis, 15th ed., Arlington, VA: AOAC.Google Scholar
Bauman, DE, Davis, CL & Bucholtz, HF (1971) Propionate production in the rumen of cows fed either a control or high-grain, low-fibre diet. Journal of Dairy Science 54, 1282–1287.Google Scholar
Bath, IH, Balch, CC & Rook, AJF (1962) A technique for the estimation of the ruminal production of volatile fatty acids in the cow. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 21, 9–10.Google Scholar
Bergman, EN (1990) Energy contributions of volatile fatty acids from the gastrointestinal tract in various species. Physiological Reviews 70, 567–589.Google Scholar
Bergman, EN, Reid, RS, Murray, MG, Brockway, JM & Whitelaw, FG (1965) Interconversions and production of volatile fatty acids in the sheep rumen. Biochemical Journal 97, 53–58.Google Scholar
Binnerts, WT, Van't Klooster, ATh & Frens, AM (1968) Soluble chromium indicator measured by atomic absorption in digestion experiments. Veterinary Record 82, 470.Google Scholar
Breves, G, Schulze, E, Sallmann, HP & Höller, H (1987) Sodium [1-13C]acetate as a label for measuring acetate production rate in the rumen of sheep. Journal of Veterinary Medicine 34, 698–702.Google Scholar
Bruce, LA, Lobley, GE and MacRae JC (1987) Measurement of volatile fatty acid production rates in sheep given roughage. Research Veterinary Science 42, 47–52.Google Scholar
Demeyer, DI (1991) Quantitative aspects of microbial metabolism in the rumen and hindgut. In Rumen Microbial Metabolism and Ruminant Digestion pp,217–237 [Jouany, JP, editor]. Paris: INRA Editions.Google Scholar
Dijkstra, J, Boer, H, Van Bruchem, J, Bruining, M & Tamminga, S (1993) Absorption of volatile fatty acids from the rumen of lactating dairy cows as influenced by volatile fatty acids concentration, pH and rumen liquid volume. British Journal of Nutrition 69, 385–396.Google Scholar
Emmanuel, B, Milligan, LP & Turner, BV (1974) The metabolism of acetate by rumen microorganisms. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 20, 183–185.Google Scholar
Esdale, WJ, Broderick, GA & Satter, LD (1968) Measurement of ruminal volatile fatty acid production from alfalfa hay or corn silage rations using a continuous infusion isotope dilution technique. Journal of Dairy Science 51, 1823–1830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
France, J & Siddons, RC, (1993) Volatile fatty acid production. In Quantitative Aspects of Ruminal Digestion and Metabolism pp. 107–121 [Forbes, JM and France, J, editors]. Cambridge: University Press.Google Scholar
Huhtanen, P & Jaakkola, S (1995) Intraruminal infusion technique for the estimation of ruminal VFA production. Annales de Zootechnie 44, Suppl., 168.Google Scholar
Huhtanen, P, Miettinen, H & Ylinen, M (1993) Effect of increasing ruminal butyrate on milk yield and blood constituents in dairy cows fed a grass silage-based diet. Journal of Dairy Science 76, 1114–1124.Google Scholar
Hogan, JP & Weston, RH (1967) The digestion of chopped and ground roughages by sheep. II. The digestion of nitrogen and some carbohydrates fractions in the stomach and intestines. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 18, 803–819.Google Scholar
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (1989) Ruminant Nutrition Recommended Allowances and Feed Tables [Jarrige, R, editor]. Paris: INRA/John Libbey Eurotext.Google Scholar
Jouany, JP & Senaud, J (1982) Influence des ciliés du rumen sur la digestion des différents glucides chez le mouton. I. Utilisation des glucides pariétaux (cellulose, hemicelluloses) et de l'amidon (Influence of rumen ciliate protozoa on digestion of difference carbohydrates in sheep. I. Utilisation of plant cell wall carbohydrates (cellulose, hemicellulose) and starch). Reproduction Nutrition Developement 22, 735–752.Google Scholar
Jouany, JP (1982) Volatile fatty acids and alcohol determination in digestive contents, silage juices, bacterial cultures and anaerobic fermentor contents. Sciences des Aliments 2, 131–144.Google Scholar
Kristensen, NB (2000) Technical note. Quantification of whole blood short-chain fatty acids by gas chromatographic determination of plasma 2-chloroethyl derivatives and correction for dilution space in erythrocytes. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 50, A231–A236.Google Scholar
Kristensen, NB & Danfaer, A (2000) The relationship between gastrointestinal production and portal absorption of short-chain fatty acids in ruminants. In Proceedings of the 15th Symposium Energy Metabolism in Animals, no. 103, pp. 277–280. Snekkersten, Denmark: EAAP.Google Scholar
Kristensen, NB, Danfaer, A, Tetens, V & Agergaard, N (1996) Portal recovery of intraruminally infused short-chain fatty acids in sheep. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 46, A26–A38.Google Scholar
Leng, RA & Brett, DJ (1966) Simultaneous measurements of the rates of production of acetic, propionic and butyric acids in the rumen of sheep on different diets and the correlation between production rates and concentrations of these acids in the rumen. British Journal of Nutrition 19, 541–552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leng, RA & Leonard, GJ (1965) Measurement of the rates of production of acetic, propionic and butyric acids in the rumen of sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 19, 469–484.Google Scholar
Leng, RA (1970) Formation and production of volatile fatty acids in the rumen. In Physiology of Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant, pp. 406–421. [Phillipson, AT, editor]. Newcastle upon Tyne: Oriel Press.Google Scholar
Miettinen, H & Huhtanen, P (1996) Effects of the ratio of ruminal propionate to butyrate on milk yield and blood metabolites in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 79, 851–861.Google Scholar
Noziè, P, Martin, C, Rémond, D, Kristensen, NB, Bernard, R & Doreau, M (2000) Effect of composition of ruminally-infused short-chain fatty acids on net fluxes of nutrients across portal-drained viscera in underfed ewes. British Journal of Nutrition 83, 521–531.Google Scholar
Oshio, S, Tahata, I, Kobayashi, H & Ami, T (1977) Volatile fatty acids production in the rumen of young heifers given diets containing a large proportion of concentrate. Japanese Journal of Zootechnical Science 48, 545–553.Google Scholar
Peters, JP, Shen, RYW, Robinson, JA & Chester, ST (1990) Disappearance and passage of propionic acid from the rumen of the beef steer. Journal of Animal Science 68, 3337–3349.Google Scholar
Réamond, B, Brugè, H, Poncet, C & Baumont, R, RJarrige, , 1995) Le contenu du réticulo-rumen (The reticulo-rumen content). In Nutrition des Ruminants Domestiques: Ingestion et Digestion, pp. 253–298 [Jarrige, R, Ruckebusch, Y, Demarquilly, C, Farce, MH and Journet, M, editors]. Paris: INRA.Google Scholar
Sharp, WM, Johnson, RR & Owens, FN (1982) Ruminal VFA production with steers fed whole or ground corn grain. Journal of Animal Science 55, 1505–1514.Google Scholar
Siciliano-Jones, J & Murphy, MR (1989) Production of volatile fatty acids in the rumen and cecum–colon of steers as affected by forage: concentrate and forage physical form. Journal of Dairy Science 72, 485–492.Google Scholar
Sutton, JD (1985) Digestion and absorption of energy substrates in the lactating cow. Journal of Dairy Science 68, 3376–3393.Google Scholar
Thomas, PC & Clapperton, JL (1972) Significance to the host of changes in fermentation activity. Proceedings of Nutrition Society 31, 165–177.Google Scholar
Weller, RA, Gray, FV, Pilgrim, AF & Jones, GB (1967) The rates of production of volatile fatty acids in the rumen. IV. Individual and total volatile fatty acids. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 18, 107–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar