Accuracy of Techniques for Predicting Gas Production by Ruminants Associated with Diet

The aim of this study was to compare the gas production profiles and nutrient degradability of two diets using automatic and semiautomatic in vitro gas production techniques. A randomized block design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was adopted, with two diets comprising different proportions of nonfiber carbohydrates (NFCs) (low-NFC vs. high-NFC diets), two gas production measurement techniques (automatic vs. semiautomatic) and four replicates. The blocks represent three in vitro runs. Gas production from the fermentation of fiber carbohydrates (Vf2) was 22% higher when measured with the automatic technique than with the semiautomatic technique. The Vt of the low-NFC diet differed between techniques and was 22.9% higher using the automatic technique. A highly positive correlation (r = 0.96) was observed between the techniques, with a high coefficient of determination between the techniques (R2 = 0.93). There was greater degradability of dry matter (DMD) and organic matter (OMD) with the automatic technique. In both diets, the degradability of crude protein (CPD) was greater with the semiautomatic technique (p < 0.0001). The high-NFC diet resulted in a lower pH and lower NH3-N in the incubation medium than in that of the low-NFC diet, whereas the degradability of DM, OM and CP increased. The automatic and semi-automatic techniques similarly estimated the kinetic parameters and the profiles of total gas production, demonstrating the potential of both techniques for assessing the nutritional value of diets with different proportions of NFCs.

[1]  G. M. Fagundes,et al.  Use of different carbohydrate sources associated with urea and implications for in vitro fermentation and rumen microbial populations , 2020 .

[2]  A. Zeyner,et al.  Estimation of gas production and post-ruminal crude protein from native or ensiled Pisum sativum and Vicia faba grains , 2020 .

[3]  J. Villalba,et al.  Gas production kinetics and in vitro degradability of tannin-containing legumes, alfalfa and their mixtures , 2019, Animal Feed Science and Technology.

[4]  J. Drouillard,et al.  Use of the Ankom RF Gas Production System for undergraduate research in equine nutrition , 2019, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

[5]  D. Casper,et al.  377 In vitro analysis of rumen microbial fermentation at different temperatures. , 2017 .

[6]  Sudhir Kumar,et al.  MEGA7: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 7.0 for Bigger Datasets. , 2016, Molecular biology and evolution.

[7]  Min Wang,et al.  Rumen methane output and fermentation characteristics of gramineous forage and leguminous forage at differing harvest dates determined using an in vitro gas production technique , 2016 .

[8]  Daniel Ribeiro Menezes,et al.  Cinética ruminal de dietas contendo farelo de mamona destoxificado , 2015 .

[9]  D. Menezes,et al.  In vitro rumen fermentation kinetics of diets containing oldman saltbush hay and forage cactus, using a cattle inoculum , 2015 .

[10]  S. Schiavon,et al.  Technical note: In vitro total gas and methane production measurements from closed or vented rumen batch culture systems. , 2014, Journal of dairy science.

[11]  Cécile Cornou,et al.  A ring test of a wireless in vitro gas production system , 2013 .

[12]  K. Südekum,et al.  Comparison of gas accumulation profiles of several feeds using manual or automated gas production methods , 2008 .

[13]  D. Givens,et al.  In vitro cumulative gas production techniques: History, methodological considerations and challenges , 2005 .

[14]  O Hammer-Muntz,et al.  PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis version 2.09 , 2001 .

[15]  Zoe S. Davies,et al.  An automated system for measuring gas production from forages inoculated with rumen fluid and its use in determining the effect of enzymes on grass silage , 2000 .

[16]  M. Theodorou,et al.  A semi-automated in vitro gas production technique for ruminant feedstuff evaluation , 1999 .

[17]  Michael Blümmel,et al.  In vitro gas measuring techniques for assessment of nutritional quality of feeds: a review , 1998 .

[18]  F. Schäfer,et al.  Impact of carbon dioxide evolution on the calorimetric monitoring of fermentations , 1995 .

[19]  A. Pell,et al.  Kinetics of fiber digestion from in vitro gas production. , 1994, Journal of animal science.

[20]  M. Theodorou,et al.  A simple gas production method using a pressure transducer to determine the fermentation kinetics of ruminant feeds. , 1994 .

[21]  U. Rönner,et al.  Determination of dissolved carbon dioxide by coulometric titration in modified atmosphere systems , 1994 .

[22]  A. Pell,et al.  Computerized monitoring of gas production to measure forage digestion in vitro. , 1993, Journal of dairy science.

[23]  J. Kogut,et al.  Modeling gas production kinetics of grass silages incubated with buffered ruminal fluid. , 1993, Journal of animal science.

[24]  E. Ørskov,et al.  Comparison of in vitro gas production and nylon bag degradability of roughages in predicting feed intake in cattle , 1993 .

[25]  P. V. Soest,et al.  A net carbohydrate and protein system for evaluating cattle diets: II. Carbohydrate and protein availability. , 1992, Journal of animal science.

[26]  P. V. Soest,et al.  Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. , 1991, Journal of dairy science.

[27]  L. Raab,et al.  The estimation of the digestibility and metabolizable energy content of ruminant feedingstuffs from the gas production when they are incubated with rumen liquor in vitro , 1979, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[28]  J. M. A. Tilley,et al.  A TWO-STAGE TECHNIQUE FOR THE IN VITRO DIGESTION OF FORAGE CROPS , 1963 .