Influence of combined yeast culture and enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast on in vitro ruminal fermentation in contrasting feed substrates.

BACKGROUND: Feed additives such as live yeast cultures have increasingly been used in ruminant feeds to improve animal performance and feeding efficiency. However, it is not clear how inactive combined yeast cultures affect ruminal gas production, fermentation kinetics and efficiency. Therefore, this study was done to determine the influence of incubating different substrates with a combined yeast culture + enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast (YC + EHY) on in vitro ruminal gas production, fermentation kinetics and metabolizable energy. Six contrasting substrates (Trichantera gigantea and Glircidia sepium leaves, Brachiaria hybrid (cv. Mulato II) leaf + stem and leaf only, Cynodon nlemfuensis and a commercial concentrate dairy feed) were incubated with and without YC + EHY in buffered rumen fluid and gas production measured at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 19, 24, 30, 36, 48 and 72 h post incubation. RESULTS: In vitro fermentation parameters (a, b, a + b and c) were unaffected by YC + EHY except for the lag phase in T. gigantea, which that reduced by 31.3% when it was incubated with YC + EHY. Supplementation with YC + EHY also did not affect metabolizable energy, 72 h organic matter digestibility, 24 h gas or CH4 production within substrate. However, cumulative gas and methane production at peak fermentation in the commercial concentrate feed was reduced by 20% when incubated with YC + EHY. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that YC + EHY has the potential to improve microbial colonization of T. gigantean substrates and reduce gas and methane production at peak fermentation in commercial concentrate feeds. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Accuracy of two optical chlorophyll meters in predicting chemical composition and in vitro ruminal organic matter degradability of Brachiaria hybrid, Megathyrsus maximus, and Paspalum atratum.

The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of 2 optical chlorophyll meters: FieldScout CM 1,000 NDVI and Yara N-Tester, in predicting neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) and in vitro ruminal organic matter degradability (IVOMD) of 3 tropical grasses. Optical chlorophyll measurements were taken at 3 stages (4, 8 and 12 weeks) of regrowth in Brachiaria hybrid, and Megathyrsus maximus and at 6 and 12 weeks of regrowth in Paspalum atratum (cv. Ubon). Optical chlorophyll measurements showed the highest correlation (r = 0.57 to 0.85) with NDF concentration. The FieldScout CM 1,000 NDVI was better than the Yara N-Tester in predicting NDF (R2 = 0.70) and ADF (R2 = 0.79) concentrations in Brachiaria hybrid and NDF (R2 = 0.79) in M. maximus. Similarly, FieldScout CM 1,000 NDVI produced better estimates of 24 h IVOMD (IVOMD24h) in Brachiaria hybrid (R2 = 0.81) and IVOMD48h in Brachiaria hybrid (R2 = 0.65) and M. maximus (R2 = 0.75). However, these prediction models had relatively low concordance correlation coefficients, i.e., CCC >0.90, but random errors were the main source of bias. It was, therefore, concluded that both optical chlorophyll meters were poor and unreliable predictors of ADIN and ADL concentrations. Overall, the FieldScout CM 1,000 NDVI shows potential to produce useful estimates of IVOMD24h and ADF in Brachiaria hybrid and IVOMD48h and NDF concentrations in M. maximus.