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Modifying Wood to Increase its In Vitro Digestibility^{1, 2, 3, 4,}

Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin and The University of Wisconsin, Madison

Abstract

Wood residues, of 70 to 80% carbohydate, are a potential source of dietary energy for ruminants. However, only a minor percentage of this carbohydrate can be utilized by rumen microflora without some form of pretreatment (Scott, Millett and Hajny, 1969). The high lignin content and the low cell contents (Van Soest, 1964, 1967) are believed to be the controlling factors.

Delignification (Hvidsten, 1940; Edin, Helleday and Nordfeldt, 1941; Saarinen, Jensen and Alhojärvi, 1958) and saccharification (Forest Products Laboratory, 1960, 1964) provide highly digestible products, but they are too costly. Irradiation with high-energy electrons (Lawton et al., 1951), subdivision into micron-size particles (Virtanen and Koistenen, 1944; Virtanen and Nikkiläi, 1946; Pew, 1957; Pew and Weyna, 1962; Stranks, 1959; Dehority and Johnson, 1961), and steeping in dilute alkali (Saarinen et al., 1958; Stranks, 1961; Wilson and Pigden, 1964) provided enhanced utilization of wood or forage carbohydrate by bacteria, enzymes, or ruminants.

This investigation was undertaken to more fully define optimum conditions of treatment and to establish the relative effectiveness of various treatments to increase the in vitro rumen digestibility of wood-residue carbohydrate.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station, Madison.

² This study was supported in part by funds from the Graduate School Research Committee, University of Wisconsin, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, Division of Forestry Development, Norris, Tennessee.

³ The authors thank Miss Marilyn Effland and Mrs. Jeanne Wipperman of the Forest Products Laboratory for their technical assistance.

⁴ Trade names and company names are included for the benefit of the reader and do not imply any endorsement or preferential treatment of the product listed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

³ The authors thank Miss Marilyn Effland and Mrs. Jeanne Wipperman of the Forest Products Laboratory for their technical assistance.

⁵ Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service, U.S.D.A. The Laboratory is maintained at Madison (N. Walnut St., 53705) in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin.

⁶ Department of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.