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Relative contribution of ruminal buffering systems to pH regulation in feedlot cattle fed either low- or high-forage diets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2016

G. E. Chibisa ,
K. A. Beauchemin  and
G. B. Penner
G. E. Chibisa
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, Lethbridge, Canada, AB T1J 4B1
K. A. Beauchemin*
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, Lethbridge, Canada, AB T1J 4B1
G. B. Penner
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, SK S7N 5A8
*
†E-mail: Karen.Beauchemin@AGR.GC.CA
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Abstract

The relative contribution of ruminal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) absorption and salivary buffering to pH regulation could potentially change under different dietary conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of altering the ruminal supply of rapidly fermentable carbohydrate (CHO) on absorptive function and salivation in beef cattle. Eight heifers (mean BW±SD=410±14 kg) were randomly allocated to two treatments in a crossover design with 37-day periods. Dietary treatments were barley silage at 30% low forage (LF) or 70% high forage (HF) of dietary dry matter (DM), with the remainder of the diet consisting of barley grain (65% or 25% on a DM basis) and a constant level (5%) of supplement. The LF and HF diets contained 45.3% and 30.9% starch, and 4.1% and 14.0% physically effective fiber (DM basis), respectively. Ruminal pH was continuously measured from day 17 to day 23, whereas ruminal fluid was collected on day 23 to determine SCFA concentration. Ruminal liquid passage rate was determined on day 23 using Cr-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Eating or resting salivation was measured by collecting masticate (days 28 and 29) or saliva samples (days 30 and 31) at the cardia, respectively. On days 30 and 31, the temporarily isolated and washed reticulo-rumen technique was used to measure total, and Cl−-competitive (an indirect measure of protein-mediated transport) absorption of acetate, propionate and butyrate. As a result of the higher dietary starch content and DM intake, the ruminal supply of rapidly fermentable CHO, total ruminal SCFA concentration (118 v. 95 mM; P<0.001) and osmolality (330 v. 306 mOsm/kg; P=0.018) were greater in cattle fed LF compared with HF. In addition, feeding LF resulted in a longer duration (2.50 v. 0.09 h/day; P=0.02) and a larger area (0.44 v. 0.01 (pH×h)/day; P=0.050) that pH was below 5.5. There was no diet effect on total and Cl−-competitive absorption (mmol/h and %/h) of acetate, propionate, butyrate and total SCFA (acetate+propionate+butyrate), but eating salivation was less (131 v. 152 ml/min; P=0.02), and resting salivation tended to be less (87 v. 104 ml/min; P=0.10) in cattle fed an LF diet. In summary, lower ruminal pH in cattle with greater rapidly fermentable CHO intake was attributed to an increase in SCFA production and decrease in salivation, which were not compensated for by an increase in epithelial permeability.

Keywords

beef cattleruminal fermentable carbohydrate supplyshort-chain fatty acid absorptionsaliva productionruminal pH
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 10 , Issue 7 , July 2016 , pp. 1164 - 1172
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2016 

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