Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-tsvsl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-28T13:28:59.683Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Preliminary study on the use of different methods for determining the proportion of bacterial nitrogen in the total nitrogen of rumen contents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. Anna Nikolić  and
M. Jovanović
J. Anna Nikolić
Affiliation:
Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and Forestry, Zemun 11080, Yugoslavia
M. Jovanović
Affiliation:
Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and Forestry, Zemun 11080, Yugoslavia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Three different methods have been used to estimate the contribution of bacterial nitrogen to the total nitrogen in rumen digesta from calves receiving ground diets containing different levels of digestible energy and in which part of the nitrogen was supplied as urea. The method based on the ratio of 2, 6-diaminopimelic acid (DAP)-N to total N for rumen contents and rumen bacteria was not successful because the bacterial fraction isolated from pooled rumen contents contained a similar concentration of DAP to whole rumen digesta. The main source of error in the method based on the nucleic acid N/total non-NH3-N ratio for whole rumen contents and bacteria was probably the variability in the ratio for bacteria growing under different conditions. The method utilizing differences in the amino acid composition of the diets, a bacterial fraction and rumen content estimates bacterial protein rather than bacterial nitrogen. The chief limitation is the different rate of degradation of different dietary proteins. Bearing in mind these limitations calculations by the nucleic acid method gave mean values of 61–94 % bacterial nitrogen in the total nitrogen of rumen contents 3 h after feeding four different diets. Values recorded by the amino acid composition method varied between 66 % and 82 % bacterial protein N in the total protein N of rumen contents. The proportional contribution of bacteria increased as the digestible energy content of the diet was decreased in both cases. However, since the ruminal total protein N concentration fell as the digestible energy content of the diet was reduced, the actual concentration of bacterial protein N decreased with decrease in dietary digestible energy.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 81 , Issue 1 , August 1973 , pp. 1 - 7
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdo, K. M., King, K. W. & Engel, R. W. (1964). Protein quality of rumen microorganisms. J. Anim. Sci. 23, 734.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Abou, Akkada A. R. & Howabd, B. A. (1960). The biochemistry of rumen protozoa. (3) The carbohydrate metabolism of Entodinium. Biochem. J. 76, 445.Google Scholar
Bauman, D. E., Davis, C. L., Frobish, R. A. & Sachan, D. S. (1971). Evaluation of polyethylene glycol method in determining rumen fluid volume in dairy cows fed different diets. J. Dairy Sci. 54, 928.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergen, W. G., Purser, D. B. & Cltne, J. H. (1968). Determination of limiting amino acids of rumen isolated microbial proteins fed to rats. J. Dairy Sci. 51, 1968.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eadie, J. M., Hyldgaard-Jensen, J., Mann, S. O., Reid, R. S. & Whitelaw, F. G. (1970). Observations on the microbiology and biochemistry of the rumen in cattle given different quantities of a pelleted barley ration. Br. J. Ntitr. 24, 157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ellis, W. C. & Pfander, W. H. (1965). Rumen microbial polynucleotide synthesis and its possible role in ruminant nitrogen utilization. Nature, Lond. 205, 974.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ely, D. G., Little, C. O., Woolfolk, P. G. & Mitchell, G. E. (1967). Estimation of the extent of conversion of dietary zein to microbial protein in the rumen of lambs. J. Nutr. 91, 314.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderickx, H. K., Demeyer, D. I. & Van Nevel, C. J. (1972). Problems in estimating microbial protein synthesis in. the rumen. In Tracer Studies on Nonprotein Nitrogen for Ruminants, p. 57. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency.Google Scholar
Hoogeneaad, N. J. & Hird, F. J. R. (1970). The chemical composition of rumen bacteria and cell walls from rumen bacteria. Br. J. Nutr. 24, 119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hutton, K., Bailey, F. J. & Annison, E. F. (1971). Measurement of the bacterial nitrogen entering the duodenum of the ruminant using diaminopimelic acid as a marker. Br. J. Nutr. 25, 165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McAllan, A. B. & Smith, R. H. (1969). Nucleic acid metabolism in the ruminant. Determination of nucleic acid in digesta. Br. J. Nutr. 23, 671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDonald, I. W. (1954). The extent of conversion of food protein to microbial protein in the rumen of sheep. Biochem. J. 56, 120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, I. W. & Hall, R. J. (1957). The conversion of casein into microbial protein in the rumen. Biochem. J. 67, 400.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Munro, H. N. & Fleck, A. (1969). Analysis of tissues and body fluids for nitrogenous constituents. In Mammalian Protein Metabolism, vol. III, p. 423, ed. Munro, H. N.. New York: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neidhardt, F. C. (1963). Effects of environment on the composition of bacterial cells. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 17, 61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nikolić, J. A., Jovanović, M., Stošić, D. & Pavli-čević, A. (1971). The effect of dietary content of plant protein on the utilization of urea in the bovine rumen. Br. J. Nutr. 26, 237.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nikolić, J. A. (1972). The influence of urea supplementation of maize/dried sugar beet pulp diets on metabolism in the rumen of growing beef cattle. Ada Vet., Beogr. 22, 223.Google Scholar
Nikolić, J. A., Jovanović, M., Panić, B. & Bezbradica, Lj. (1972). The effect of dietary content of digestible energy on the utilization of urea in the bovine rumen. Acta Vet., Beogr. 22, 99.Google Scholar
Nikolić, J. A., Jovanović, M., Djordjević, D., Stošić, D., Cmiljanić, R. & Bezbradica, L. J. (1972). Some effects of dietary composition on the utilization of urea in the bovine rumen. In Tracer Studies on Non-protein Nitrogen for Ruminants, p. 119. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency.Google Scholar
Purser, D. R. & Buechler, S. M. (1966). Amino acid composition of rumen organisms. J. Dairy Sci. 49, 81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rhuland, L. E. (1960). α,ε-Diaminopimelic acid: its distribution, synthesis and metabolism. Nature, Lond. 185, 224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwartz, H. M., Shoeman, C. A. & Farber, M. S. (1964). Utilization of urea by sheep. (1) Rates of breakdown of urea and carbohydrates in vivo and in vitro. J. agric. Sci., Oamh. 63, 289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
El Shazly, K. & Hungate, R. E. (1966). Method for measuring diaminopimelic acid in total rumen contents and its application to the estimation of bacterial growth. Appl. Microbiol. 14, 27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. H. (1969). Nitrogen metabolism and the rumen. J. Dairy Res. 36, 313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. H. & McAllan, A. B. (1970). Nucleic acid metabolism in the ruminant. Formation of microbial nucleic acids in the rumen in relation to the digestion of food nitrogen and the fate of dietary nucleic acids. Br. J. Nutr. 24, 545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. H. & McAllan, A. B. (1971). Nucleic acid metabolism in the ruminant. Amounts of nucleic acids and total and ammonia nitrogen in digesta from the rumen, duodenum and ileum of calves. Br. J. Nutr. 25, 181.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stošić, D. & ČuperloviĆ, M. (1967). Dependence of the results of examining amino acid content in livestock feed on the analytical method employed. Savremena poljoprivreda, 15, 197.Google Scholar
Warner, A. C. I. (1962). Enumeration of rumen microorganisms. J. Gen. Microbiol. 28, 119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weller, R. A., Gray, F. V. & Pilgrim, A. F. (1958). The conversion of plant nitrogen to microbial nitrogen in the rumen of the sheep. Br. J. Nutr. 12, 421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Work, E. (1951). The isolation of α,ε-diaminopimelic acid from Corynebacterium diphtheriae and My cobacterium tuberculosis. Biochem. J. 49, 17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar