Rumen protein degradation and biosynthesis. I. A new method for determination of protein degradation in rumen fluid in vitro.
A method is described for the determination of protein degradation based on measurements of ammonia concentration and gas production (Menke et al. 1979) when a feedingstuff was incubated with rumen fluid in vitro. NH3 liberated during incubation is in part used for microbial protein synthesis. Production of carbon dioxide and methane can be regarded as a measure of energy available for protein synthesis. The ratio, gas production: incorporation of NH3-nitrogen was estimated by addition of starch to the substrate. The response in gas production was linear in the range 0-200 mg starch, when starch was added to 0-200 mg feedingstuff dry matter and 30 ml rumen fluid-medium mixture. Linear regression between NH3-N concentration (y, mg) and gas production (x, ml) yielded an intercept (bo) representing that amount of NH3-N which would be released when no fermentable carbohydrates were available and consequently no bacterial protein synthesis took place. The difference between this intercept bo and NH3-N content in the blank (rumen fluid without substrate added) indicated the amount of NH3 liberated from protein and other N-containing compounds of the feeding-stuff incubated. In vitro-degradable N (IVDN) was calculated as a proportion of total N by the equation: (formula; see text).
D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000378:metabolism; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004063:Digestion; D005260:Female; D005740:Gases / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008722:Methods; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D012417:Rumen / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D005740:Gases; D000641:Ammonia; D009584:Nitrogen