The present in vitro study was conducted to examine the effect of buffer solubility of eight protein feeds (coconut meal, distillers grain, sesame meal, perilla meal, soy source cake, rape seed meal, soybean meal and lupine) on the fermentation characteristics, degradability of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP), and methane (CH4) production by rumen microbes. Buffer extraction increased pH (P<0.05 ~ p<0.001) of the culture solution but tended to lower ammonia- N concentration for all protein feeds. Total volatile fatty acids(VFAs) and each VFAs concentrations in all incubation was decreased by buffer extraction (P<0.01 ~ P<0.001). Also, molar proportion of acetate in 1h (P<0.001), 3h (P<0.01) and 12h (P<0.05) incubations and molar proportion of propionate in 1h (P<0.001), 3h (P<0.01), 6h (P<0.05) and 12h (P<0.05) were decreased by buffer extraction. But molar proportion of butyrate in 1h (P<0.001), 3h (P<0.01) and 6h (P<0.05) were increased by buffer extraction. The in vitro effective degradability of dry matter (P<0.001) and CP (P<0.001) was decreased by buffer extraction. The methane production (P<0.01~P<0.001) in all incubation was decreased by buffer extraction. The results from in the current study might be useful for diet formulation to improve the feed efficiency of the ruminant animals without massive loss of major nutrients.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of defaunation (removal of live protozoa) on fermentation characteristics, degradation of ryegrass hay and CH4 (methane) production by rumen microbes when incubated with plant oils (SO, sunflower oil and LO, linseed oil) in vitro. Sodium lauryl sulfate (0.000375 g/ml) as a defaunation reagent was added into the culture solution and incubated anaerobically up to 24 h at 39℃. pH from defaunation was increased for all treatments from 6 h incubation times (p<0.01-0.001) compared with those from fauantion. Concentration of ammonia-N from defaunation is higher than that from faunation at 3 h (p<0.001), 12 h (p<0.05) and 24 h (p<0.001) incubation times. Defaunation decreased (p<0.01-0.001) total volatile fatty acid concentration at all incubation times. Molar proportions of C2 (acetate, p<0.05-0.001) and butyrate (p<0.01-0.001) were also decreased by defaunation at all incubation times. Molar proportion of C3 (propionate), however, was increased by defaunation at all incubation times (p<0.001). Thus the rate of C2 to C3 was decreased by defaunation at all incubation times (p<0.001). Defaunation decreased ED (effective degradability) of dry matter (p<0.001) and ED of neutral detergent fiber (p<0.001) of ryegrass hay. Defaunation decreased total gas, CH4 production, CH4 % in total gas and CH4/CO2 at all incubation times (p<0.001). Oil supplementation decreased total gas (p<0.05-0.001), CH4 production (p<0.001) and CH4 % in total gas (p<0.001) compared with control at all incubation times. The result of this study showed that defaunation combined with oil supplementation may cause an alteration of microbial communities and further medicate the fermentation pattern, resulting in both reduction of degradation of ryegrass hay and CH4 production. No difference, however, was observed in all the examinations between SO and LO.

An in vitro study was conducted to investigate the effect of propionate precursor (malate or fumarate) on fermentation characteristics, production of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and methane (CH₄) by rumen microbes when incubated with linoleic acid (C18:2) as a CLA precursor. Total CH₄ production for 12h incubation, however, was greatly reduced (P＜0.0001) by all the supplements compared to that of control, and its production from M-LA or F-LA treatment was smaller than that from LA treatment. Supplementation of M-LA or F-LA also increased concentrations of cis9, trans11-CLA (P＜0.039 - P＜0.001) for all incubation times and trans10,cis 12-CLA at 1h (P＜0.013), 3h(P＜0.036) and 12h (P＜0.025) incubation times compared to LA supplementation.

This study aimed to estimate the effects of replacing Mushroom By-Product (MBP) with Tofu By-Product (TBP) on the chemical composition, microbes, and rumen fermentation indices of Fermented Diets (FDs). The basal diet was formulated using MBP, TBP, rice bran, molasses, and inoculants. The MBP in the basal diet was replaced with TBP at 0, 5, and 10% on Dry Matter (DM) basis for the experimental diets. The experimental diets were fermented at 39°C for 144 h. Chemical composition, pH, microbes, and rumen fermentation indices of the FDs were analyzed. With increasing TBP replacement, crude protein content of FDs increased (L, P < 0.001), whereas crude ash content decreased (L, P = 0.002). Lactic acid bacteria and Bacillus subtilis contents in the TBP-replaced FDs were higher than those in the control (P < 0.05), whereas pH level and mold count were lower (P < 0.05). With increasing TBP replacement, in vitro rumen digestibility of DM (L, P = 0.053) and neutral detergent fiber (L, P = 0.024) increased, wheres rumen pH changed (P = 0.026) quadratically. Rumen total volatile fatty acid (L, P = 0.001) and iso-butyrate contents (Q, P = 0.003) increased with increasing TBP replacement. In conclusion, this study indicates that the replacement of MBP with TBP could improve the quality of FD.