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Journal of Animal Science, Vol 74, Issue 5 1104-1115, Copyright © 1996 by American Society of Animal Science

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Effect of maturity on digestion kinetics of water-soluble and water-insoluble fractions of alfalfa and brome hay

B. Stefanon, A. N. Pell and P. Schofield
Dipartimento di Scienze della Produzione Animale, Universita degli Studi di Udine, Italy.

Alfalfa and bromegrass, each harvested at five different stages of maturity, were separated into water-insoluble and -soluble fractions. The NDF concentrations ranged from 19 to 43% for alfalfa and from 42 to 58% for brome. The rates of digestion, by mixed ruminal microflora, of the unfractionated forage and of the water-insoluble and -soluble fractions were measured in vitro using pressure sensors to monitor gas production. Both forages showed the expected decline in fiber digestibility with increasing maturity. A dual-pool logistic model gave pool sizes, specific rates, and a single lag time for both the faster- and slower-digesting fractions. The main difference between alfalfa and brome was in the soluble pool. This pool produced approximately 40% of the total gas in alfalfa, 25% in brome. The specific digestion rates of the brome soluble pool were approximately 50% higher than those for alfalfa. Net VFA production showed a somewhat higher acetate: propionate ratio for brome (3.2) compared with alfalfa (2.2), but there was little change with increasing maturity within a given forage. Gas production curves for the unfractionated forage showed a 0 to 10% positive deviation from curves created by adding data from separate digestion of the insoluble and soluble forage fractions. Gas measurements offer a promising approach to the study of the water-soluble extracts of forages and the interaction of the soluble- and insoluble-fractions during fermentation.


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A. Awati, B. A. Williams, M. W. Bosch, Y. C. Li, and M. W. A. Verstegen
Use of the in vitro cumulative gas production technique for pigs: An examination of alterations in fermentation products and substrate losses at various time points
J Anim Sci, May 1, 2006; 84(5): 1110 - 1118.
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Copyright © 1996 by the American Society of Animal Science.