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Biomedical subjects

E C Titgemeyer

Publications and source records attributed to E C Titgemeyer.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Design and interpretation of nutrient digestion studies.

A variety of factors influence the results of digestion studies designed to measure ruminal disappearance of nutrients and flow of nutrients to the intestine. Feed intake, marker usage, sample collection, statistical design, and computation methods are among the factors discussed in this review. Guidelines are provided for presentation and interpretation of data from digesta flow studies. The scientific value of such studies often is limited because 1) replication, relative to expected variation, is inadequate and 2) experimental animals are not maintained under conditions similar to those used in normal production. Because studies conducted with inappropriate methods or inadequate replication are of little value and waste resources, validation of techniques is critical, and individual researchers should strive to verify their techniques.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Effect of processed grain sorghum and expeller soybean meal on performance of lactating cows.

Forty-four Holstein cows were used to measure milk production responses to dry-rolled versus pelleted grain sorghum and expeller versus solvent soybean meal in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Pelleted grain sorghum was processed by grinding, increasing moisture to 31%, extruding, and drying to an exist temperature of 93 degrees C. Grain sorghum was included in the diets at 27% of dry matter, and soybean meal was the primary source of supplemental protein. Few interactions were observed between the methods of processing grain sorghum and sources of soybean meal. Pelleting of grain sorghum decreased dry matter intake 5%, but increased milk production 3%, protein yield 4%, and efficiency 7%; fat yield was unaffected. Replacement of solvent soybean meal with expeller soybean meal had little effect on intake, but increased milk production 3%, fat yield 5%, and efficiency 4%; protein yield was unaffected. Plasma concentrations of amino acids (AA) were increased by pelleted grain sorghum and by expeller soybean meal at 5 and 10 wk after initiation of treatment, indicating that both of these treatments increased the supply of AA to the intestine. Pelleting improved the nutritive value of grain sorghum for lactating cows. Although total milk production and fat yield increased in response to expeller soybean meal, the lack of response in protein yield to this increased supply of RUP indicated that the effect was not solely due to an increased supply of AA to the intestine.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1997

A new method of measuring diet abrasion and its effect on the development of the forestomach.

Twelve newborn Holstein bull calves were used to evaluate the effects of dietary abrasiveness, determined by a new method, on ruminal development. Calves were blocked by age and body weight and were assigned to one of three different diets. Each diet had the same ingredients but different particle sizes, which resulted in different abrasive values. No differences were detected in molar percentages of volatile fatty acids in ruminal fluid or in plasma concentrations of urea, glucose, or beta-hydroxybutyrate. The pH of ruminal fluid was lower for calves fed the fine and intermediate diets than for those fed the coarse diet. Digesta-free weights of the stomach and stomach compartments were similar among calves fed the three diets, except that omasum weights were heavier for calves fed the fine diet. Length of the ruminal papillae increased as the abrasive value of the diet decreased. Measurements of ruminal tissue layers from the ventral floor of the cranial sac were not different among diets, but the keratin portion represented more of the epithelial layer for calves fed the diet with the lowest abrasive value, thus decreasing the percentage of metabolically active tissue for those calves.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗
PubMed1997

Using dry feed intake as a percentage of initial body weight as a weaning criterion.

Newborn Holstein heifers (n = 32) and bulls (n = 12) were used to investigate the use of dry feed intake as a percentage of birth weight as a weaning criterion. Three different percentages (1, 1.5, and 2%) were used. Calves in the 1% treatment group met the weaning criterion earlier than did those in the 1.5 and 2% treatment groups; no difference was detected between the latter two groups. Total dry feed intake at 8 wk was higher for calves in the 1% treatment group than for calves in the other treatment groups; no difference was detected between the 1.5 and 2% treatment groups. Weights for all calves at 8 wk and weights of heifer calves at 12, 16, and 20 wk were not different among groups. Using dry feed intake at 1% of birth weight as a weaning criterion reduced days to weaning, increased dry feed intake from birth to 8 wk, decreased variation in weaning age, and had no apparent negative effect on growth at 20 wk of age. Using dry feed intake as a percentage of birth weight appears to be a suitable criterion to determine when to wean dairy calves.

Aging↗
PubMed1996

Hemicellulose does not affect iron bioavailability in chicks.

Two iron repletion experiments using hemoglobin as a response criterion were conducted to assess effects of hemicelluloses on iron bioavailability to chicks. In Experiment 1, iron bioavailability from intact fiber sources was determined by adding tomato pomace (14.6% hemicelluloses), soybean hulls (20.6% hemicelluloses), beet pulp (21.5% hemicelluloses), orchard grass (24.1% hemicelluloses) and corn fiber (55.2% hemicelluloses) to a casein dextrose basal diet providing 0.4-4.1% hemicelluloses to the diet. Test foods were analyzed for iron, total dietary fiber, neutral detergent residue, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, pectins and uronic acids. Hemicelluloses were determined by the difference of neutral detergent residue minus acid detergent fiber. Iron bioavailability was determined by the standard curve method to be (percent relative to ferrous sulfate using hemoglobin as the response criterion) as follows: tomato pomace, 82.0; soybean hulls, 94.0; beet pulp, 26.5; orchard grass, 68.9; corn fiber, 69.4. Iron bioavailability was not related to hemicellulose content of test foods or diets. In Experiment 2, the effect of psyllium husk (a fiber source that contains predominantly hemicelluloses) on iron bioavailability from ferrous sulfate was assessed. Bioavailability was determined by the slope ratio method where treatments consisted of graded levels of ferrous sulfate in the presence and absence of 5% dietary psyllium. Although iron intrinsic to psyllium was unavailable, bioavailability of ferrous sulfate iron was not affected (P > 0.05) by the presence of psyllium. Thus, there was no clear effect of hemicelluloses on iron bioavailability. However, some feeds that contained high levels of hemicelluloses had low intrinsic iron bioavailabilities, suggesting that other dietary factors are primarily responsible for determining iron bioavailability from these feed components.

Aging↗
PubMed1996

Effect of increasing degradable intake protein on intake and digestion of low-quality, tallgrass-prairie forage by beef cows.

Five ruminally and duodenally fistulated Angus x Hereford cows were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square to monitor intake, ruminal fermentation responses, and site and extent of digestion associated with providing increasing amounts of supplemental degradable intake protein (DIP). Cows had ad libitum access to low-quality, tallgrass-prairie forage (1.9% CP, 77% NDF) that was fed twice daily. The supplemental DIP (sodium caseinate; 90% CP) was infused intraruminally at 0630 and 1830 immediately before feeding forage. Levels of DIP were 0, 180, 360, 540, and 720 g/d. Each period consisted of 14 d of adaptation and 6 d of sampling. Forage OM intake increased quadratically (P < .01) with increasing supplemental DIP reaching a peak at the 540 g/d level. True ruminal OM and NDF digestion increased with the addition of 180 g/d supplemental DIP, but exhibited only moderate and somewhat variable responses when greater amounts of supplemental DIP were infused (cubic, P < or = .03). Microbial N flow and efficiency increased linearly (P < .01) with increasing supplemental DIP. However, a quadratic effect (P < .01) was observed for total duodenal N flow, which was maximized at 540 g/d supplemental DIP. A linear (P = .02) treatment effect was observed for ruminal fluid dilution rate. Total ruminal VFA and ammonia concentrations increased (P < .01) in response to DIP supplementation. In conclusion, increasing supplemental DIP generally improved forage utilization; intake of digestible OM was maximized when it contained approximately 11% DIP.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Efficiency of D- vs L-methionine utilization by growing steers.

Five ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (180 kg) were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the efficiency of D- vs L-methionine (Met) utilization in growing steers. Treatments were continuous abomasal infusions of water or water with 2 or 4 g.steer-1.d-1 L-Met or 2 or 4 g.steer-1.d-1 D-Met. All steers were fed 2.7 kg/d (DM basis) of a soyhull-based diet to minimize basal Met flow to the small intestine to create a paradigm by which responses to Met supplementation could be measured easily. To ensure that amino acids other than Met did not limit animal performance, an essential amino acid mixture simulating the nonsulfur amino acid profile of ruminal bacteria was infused abomasally. Energy supply to the steers was increased by continuously infusing acetate, propionate, and butyrate into the rumen at rates of 150, 150, and 37.5 g.steer-1.d-1, respectively. Abomasal infusions of dextrose (300 g/d) also provided an additional energy source. Nitrogen retention increased linearly (P < .05) in response to both L-Met and D-Met infusions, with responses being similar between the two Met isomers. Regression of N retention against Met supplementation yielded: Nitrogen retention (g/d) = 19.2 + 1.81 D-Met (g/d) + 1.90 L-Met (g/d). By slope ratio analysis, the efficiency of D-Met utilization relative to L-Met was 95.5%. In a concurrent study using intestinally cannulated steers, both D- and L-Met were absorbed essentially completely from the small intestine. These results show that D-Met can be utilized efficiently as a Met source by cattle.

Acetates↗
PubMed1996

In vivo and in situ measurements of forage protein degradation in beef cattle.

In vivo and in situ protein degradation measurements were compared using alfalfa (2.62% N) and prairie hay (.88% N) fed to six cannulated cows in a two-period crossover experiment. Additionally, two in situ procedures were evaluated: in P1 samples were ruminally incubated in cows fed the same forage as incubated; in P2 samples were incubated in the rumens of two steers fed a "standard" brome hay (1.38% N). Duplicate bags were incubated for 0, 2, 6, 10, 16, 24, 48, and 72 h. Protein degradability was estimated using residual N from all incubation times fit to a nonlinear, least squares model (full time-series), from the 16-h incubation alone (single-point) and from a combination of the 0-h and 16-h values (double-point). Protein degradability estimates from in vivo, in situ P1, in situ P2, single-point P1 and P2, and double-point P1 and P2 were 83.4 +/- 4.3, 91.5 +/- .6, 87.2 +/- .6, 94.0 +/- .2, 92.4 +/- .8, 90.4 +/- .4, and 88.3 +/- .5, respectively, for alfalfa, and 55.5 +/- 3.5, 58.3 +/- 1.3, 57.2 +/- .4, 50.0 +/- 1.7, 52.0 +/- 2.2, 55.5 +/- 2.1, and 60.0 +/- 2.3, respectively, for prairie hay. Although relatively large differences in rates of degradation and sizes of protein fractions were measured between P1 and P2, differences between procedures for protein degradability estimates were small relative to errors of in vivo measurement. Furthermore, differences in protein degradation using single-point values as compared with full time-series analysis were overcome with the double-point approach.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1996

Elucidation of factors associated with the maturity-related decline in degradability of big bluestem cell wall.

Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) forage samples were collected from three ungrazed, annually burned pastures at 38, 58, and 97 d after burning. Cell wall material received five treatments: chlorite delignification, chlorite delignification plus alkali extraction, NaOH, NaOCH3 in methanol, or NaBH4. Untreated and treated cell walls were analyzed for carbohydrate composition (glucose, xylose, arabinose, galactose, and uronic acids), acetyl bromide lignin, acid detergent lignin, alkali-labile phenolics (p-coumaric and ferulic acids), acetyl groups, and 24- and 72-h in vitro degradabilities of neutral monosaccharides. A number of compositional features, notably concentrations of xylose, core lignin as measured by acetyl bromide lignin, alkali-labile phenolics, and acetyl groups, were well related to the decline in cell wall degradability that occurred with increasing maturity of big bluestem. p-Coumaric acid increased with increasing maturity to a greater extent than did ferulic acid. Acid detergent lignin was not well related to degradability of the cell wall for either the untreated or chemically treated cell walls. Chemical treatments failed to identify any particular cell wall component as being most inhibitory. However, all treatments improved in vitro degradability of the carbohydrate fraction, indicating that components contributing to the undegradability of big bluestem cell wall are sensitive to chemical alteration. Treatments involving alkali were most effective for improving degradability of big bluestem cell walls.

Aging↗
PubMed1996

Lasalocid effects on ruminal degradation of protein and postruminal supply of amino acids in Holstein steers.

Five ruminally and duodenally cannulated Holstein steers (305 kg) were used in a switchback experiment with three periods to evaluate two experimental treatments: a basal diet with or without 45 ppm of lasalocid. The basal diet contained approximately 43% rolled corn, 45% alfalfa hay, and 10% soybean meal (DM basis). Lasalocid did not affect feed intake or ruminal digestion of OM and NDF. Ruminal digestion of ADF tended to increase with supplemental lasalocid. Total tract digestion of OM, NDF, ADF, and N and intestinal flow of amino acids were not affected by lasalocid. Also, the ratio of microbial to nonmicrobial N fractions at the duodenum remained unchanged. Ruminal pH and concentrations of NH3, VFA, peptides, and amino acids were not affected by lasalocid. Ruminal protease activity decreased with supplemental lasalocid, but this decrease was not reflected in other variables, such as ruminal concentrations of peptides and amino acids. Ruminal deaminase activity remained unchanged. Thus, we concluded that dietary lasalocid did not alter ruminal protein degradation or postruminal flow of amino acids.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1995

Alteration of the fiber and lipid components of a defined-formula diet: effects on stool characteristics, nutrient digestibility, mineral balance, and energy metabolism in humans.

Eighteen healthy males with a body weight of 70.0 +/- 3.1 kg consumed three defined-formula diets that varied only in their fiber and/or lipid components: 1) 6.4% fiber (100% soy polysaccharides) and 13.1% lipid [50% medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCTs), 40% corn oil, and 10% soy oil]; 2) 3.4% fiber (75% oat fiber, 17.5% gum arabic, and 7.5% carboxymethylcellulose) and 15.6% lipid (20% MCTs, 50% canola oil, and 30% high oleic acid safflower oil); and 3) 4.4% fiber (same as diet 2) and 14.5% lipid (same as diet 1). Consumption of diet 2 resulted in slightly firmer stools and provided the greatest amount of fecal output per unit fiber intake. Total dietary fiber (TDF) digestibility was lowest for men fed diets 2 and 3, but nitrogen and lipid digestibilities and energy metabolism criteria were not different among diets. Although mineral excretion patterns differed among treatments, fiber and lipid components of the diets appeared not to be responsible for these differences. Results indicate that fecal output can be maintained with a lower intake of a blend of oat fiber, gum arabic, and carboxymethylcellulose compared with soy polysaccharides. Except for TDF digestibility, alteration of amounts and/or sources of fiber and lipid components of defined-formula diets used in this experiment did not alter nutrient digestibility, energy metabolism, or mineral retention.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Dietary fiber for dogs: IV. In vitro fermentation of selected fiber sources by dog fecal inoculum and in vivo digestion and metabolism of fiber-supplemented diets.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate single sources and blends of dietary fiber in dog food. In Exp. 1, 14 fibrous substrates were fermented in vitro using dog feces as the source of inoculum. Organic matter disappearance was lowest (P < .05; < 10%) for Solka Floc and oat fiber and greatest (P < .05; > 80%) for fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and lactulose. Solka Floc, oat fiber, gum karaya, and xanthan gum produced the least (P < .05; < 1 mmol/g of substrate OM) total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Lactulose, citrus pectin, and guar gum produced the greatest (P < .05; > 6.8 mmol/g of substrate OM) total SCFA. In Exp. 2, six diets were formulated based on results obtained in Exp. 1. Treatments included 1) beet pulp (BP), 2) Solka Floc (SF), 3) citrus pulp (CP), 4) stool blend (SB), 5) SCFA blend (SC), and 6) combination blend (CB). Digestibility of DM and total dietary fiber (TDF) was greatest (P < .05; 87.3 and 60.8%, respectively) for dogs consuming the SC diet. Feces from dogs fed SC were scored as more unformed and liquid in consistency than feces from dogs fed the other diets. Dogs consuming the SF and SB diets had the lowest (P < .05; 11.0 and 4.1%, respectively) TDF digestibilities. Organic matter disappearance values derived from substrates fermented in vitro reasonably predicted the fiber digestibility of diets fed to dogs. Moderately fermentable dietary fiber sources, such as BP, promote excellent stool characteristics without compromising nutrient digestibility, and may promote gastrointestinal tract health by optimizing SCFA production.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Dietary fiber for cats: in vitro fermentation of selected fiber sources by cat fecal inoculum and in vivo utilization of diets containing selected fiber sources and their blends.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the addition of single sources and blends of dietary fibers to cat diets. In Exp. 1, fermentability of selected fibrous substrates by cat fecal microflora was evaluated. After 24 h of fermentation, OM disappearance (OMD) and total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production were greatest (P < .05) for citrus pectin, guar gum, and locust bean gum, whereas Solka Floc resulted in the least (P < .05) OMD and total SCFA production. In Exp. 2, six diets were formulated based on results of Exp. 1. The highest (P < .05) digestibilities of DM and OM occurred when cats consumed the diet with no supplemental fiber, and the lowest (P < .05) digestibilities occurred when cats consumed the SCFA blend (SC) diet. Nitrogen and lipid digestibilities also were lowest (P < .05) for cats consuming the SC diet, whereas total dietary fiber (TDF) digestibility (P < .05) was greatest for cats consuming the beet pulp, SC, and combination blend diets. Fecal consistency scores were highest (P < .05) for cats consuming the SC diet, indicating liquid, unformed stools. In conclusion, the in vitro fermentation technique was reasonably accurate in predicting in vivo digestion of fiber. The SC diet, which contained the most fermentable fibers, severely decreased nutrient digestibility and resulted in poor stool characteristics. Diets that contain moderately fermentable fiber provide fermentation end products that may be important in maintaining the health of the gastrointestinal tract of the cat.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1994

Forage level and particle size effects on orchardgrass digestion by steers: I. Site and extent of organic matter, nitrogen, and cell wall digestion.

Four steers (502 +/- 49 kg) with ruminal, duodenal, and ileal cannulas were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square experimental design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to determine the effects of dietary forage:concentrate ratio (96:4 [96F] and 60:40 [60F]) and forage particle size (long hay [L] and coarsely ground hay [G]) on site and extent of digestion of OM, N, and plant cell wall monomeric components. Orchardgrass hay was the forage source used and was the sole source of cell wall material fed to steers (DMI = 88.6 g/kg BW.75). Diurnal variation in ruminal pH was greater when steers consumed 60F vs 96F (P < .01) and greater for G vs L (P < .10). Ruminal fluid volumes (liters) and daily outflows (liters/day) were greater (P < .05) when steers consumed 96F or L. True ruminal OM digestion (percentage of intake) was greater (P < .05) when steers consumed 60F (69.0) vs 96F (59.5) or L (65.8) vs G (62.7). Efficiency of net bacterial CP synthesis (grams of N/kilogram of true ruminal OM disappearance) was greater (P < .05) when steers consumed 60F (33.8) vs 96F (30.8). Total tract digestibilities of NDF and ADF were 63.3 and 53.0% when steers consumed 96F and were decreased (P < .05) to 52.3 and 43.8% when steers consumed 60F. Total tract digestibilities of plant cell wall arabinose, galactose, glucose, xylose, and uronic acids were 78.7, 69.7, 70.8, 67.6, and 79.7% when steers consumed 96F and were decreased (P < .05) when steers consumed 60F. Ruminal digestion accounted for greater than 90% of total tract digestion of all cell wall monosaccharide components when steers consumed 96F but accounted for 6 to 20 percentage units less of total digestion when steers consumed 60F. Total tract disappearances of cell wall acetyl groups, ferulic acid, and p-coumaric acid were 62.4, 79.4, and 50.6% when steers consumed 96F and were decreased (P < .05) to 49.7, 73.2, and 42.2% when steers consumed 60F. Addition of concentrate to diets, but not forage processing, decreased total tract digestibilities of cell wall components and shifted site of digestion to the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1994

Forage level and particle size effects on orchardgrass digestion by steers: II. Ruminal digestion kinetics of cell wall components.

Four steers (502 +/- 49 kg) with ruminal cannulas were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square experimental design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to determine the effects of the dietary forage:concentrate ratio (96:4 and 60:40) and forage particle size (long hay and coarsely ground hay) on in situ ruminal digestion kinetics of orchardgrass hay DM and cell wall neutral monosaccharides, uronic acids, acetyl groups, and hydroxycinnamic acids. Dacron in situ bags containing orchardgrass hay were fermented for 0, 4, 8, 12, 18, 24, 48, and 96 h. Digestion profiles of DM and cell wall monomers in undigested residues recovered from the rumen were analyzed using a first-order, exponential equation to estimate the indigestible fraction (fi), the insoluble, potentially digestible fraction (fd), and the fractional rate constant (kd) of digestion of fd. Initial results indicated that fi was not consistently influenced by diet fed to the steers; thus, in situ digestion profiles were analyzed to estimate single fi and fd values common to all steers and diets and different estimates of kd for each steer x diet combination (16 total). Estimates of fi (percentage of original) for cell wall components were ranked in the following order: galactose (12.6), ferulic acid (13.9), arabinose (14.5), total uronic acids (15.4), glucose (19.8), xylose (28.4), p-coumaric acid (34.6), and acetyl groups (35.8).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1994

Effects of chemically treated, recycled newsprint on feed intake and nutrient digestibility by growing lambs.

In situ experiments and two lamb digestion trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of chemically treating recycled newsprint (NP). Treatment of NP with 2% HCl (percentage of NP DM) followed by autoclaving for 4 h was most efficacious and was used in an in vivo digestion trial with 25 ram and wether lambs in a randomized complete block design (RCB). On a DM basis treatment diets were: 1) control, 95% alfalfa hay (AH); 2) 75% AH, 20% HCl-treated NP (HCl-NP); 3) 55% AH, 40% HCl-NP; 4) 75% AH, 20% untreated NP; and 5) 55% AH, 40% untreated NP on a DM basis. Lambs fed Treatments 2 and 3 had ad libitum DMI (1,043 and 1,036 g/d, respectively) similar to the DMI of those fed the control treatment (1,024 g/d); however, lambs fed Treatments 4 and 5 had lower (P < .05) ad libitum DMI (578 and 426 g/d, respectively) than lambs fed Treatments 1, 2, and 3. Apparent DM digestibilities were lower (P < .05) by lambs consuming Treatments 2, 3, 4, and 5 (52.6, 44.5, 52.0, and 48.2%, respectively) than by those consuming Treatment 1 (60.7%). Apparent OM, CP, NDF, and ADF digestibilities followed trends similar to DM. In the second digestion trial, 15 ram and wether lambs were used in a RCB to compare Treatments 1, 2, and 3. For this second digestion study, NP was treated with 4% HCl (percentage of NP DM), autoclaved for 4 h, and diets were fed at 2% of BW. As in Trial 1, apparent nutrient digestibilities decreased (P < .05) with increasing amounts of HCl-NP. Our results suggest that HCl-NP can be fed to sheep at 40% of the diet without a decrease in DMI; however, apparent nutrient digestibility decreases with increasing levels of HCl-NP.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1993

Vegetable fiber fermentation by human fecal bacteria: cell wall polysaccharide disappearance and short-chain fatty acid production during in vitro fermentation and water-holding capacity of unfermented residues.

Dietary fiber from eight vegetables (broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, lettuce, onion and radish) was analyzed for chemical composition and potential in vitro fermentation by human fecal bacteria. Total dietary fiber concentration of substrates ranged from 34.9 (broccoli) to 5.8 (cucumber) g/kg edible matter. Substrate fiber fractions were composed primarily of pectic substances and cellulose with smaller concentrations of hemicelluloses and lignin. Total dietary fiber residues isolated from substrates were fermented in vitro for 24 h with fecal bacteria obtained from each of three human volunteers. Substrate dry matter disappearance during fermentation was highest for carrot (63.7%) and lowest for cucumber (49.4%). Averaged across all substrates, disappearances of arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, xylose and uronic acids during fermentation were 96, 90, 54, 68, 51 and 97%, respectively. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production during substrate fermentation averaged 10.5 mmol SCFA/g dry matter fermented. Averaged across all substrates, production of the major SCFA, acetate, propionate and butyrate, occurred in the molar ratio 76:14:10. Potential water-holding capacity of substrates was not influenced by fiber source and averaged 2.04 g H2O/g original substrate dry matter. Extent of substrate fermentation, SCFA production and substrate potential water-holding capacity were significantly different among inoculum donors, indicating that considerable inter-individual variation exists in the potential in vivo fermentation of vegetable fiber.

Adult↗