title: Effect of plant oils and aspartate on rumen fermentation in vitro.
abstract: The effect of plant oils and aspartate (ASP) on rumen fermentation in vitro. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of plant oils (rapeseed - RO, sunflower - SO; linseed - LO; 10% wt/wt) and 8 mmol sodium aspartate on rumen fermentation of a diet (250 mg) consisting of hay, barley and sugar beet molasses (60 : 30 : 10). Rumen fluid was collected from two Slovak Merino sheep fed the same diet twice daily. Mixed ruminal micro-organisms were incubated in fermentation fluid (40 ml) containing rumen fluid and McDougall's buffer (1 : 4). Incubations were carried out in batch cultures for 72 h at 39 degrees C two times in a 3-week intervals. When compared to the control, all supplemented diets (RO, SO, LO, ASP) significantly increased the pH, the mol% of propionate (LO + 8.7%; SO + 10.12%; RO + 8.65%; ASP + 5.86%) and the acetate : propionate ratio and numerically decreased methane production (SO -32.8%; LO, RO -30.08%; ASP -21.56%). Lactate production was also significantly decreased. Addition of plant oils to aspartate-treated incubations partly inhibited the decrease of n-butyrate, lactate and the increase of pH and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) caused by ASP treatment. The effect of combined additives (RO + ASP, SO + ASP, LO + ASP) on methane production SO + ASP (-19.23%) and mol% propionate SO + ASP (+2.66%), LO + ASP (+4.28%) was less effective. All combined additives caused a significant decrease in digestibility of the given feeds. No effect of plant oils and ASP could be observed on the parameters of rumen fermentation (mainly methane and propionate).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Physiology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Kosice, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jalc
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ceresnáková
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005285:Fermentation / Q000187:drug effects; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012417:Rumen / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D012756:Sheep / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010938:Plant Oils; D001224:Aspartic Acid