Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T06:58:28.440Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The nutrition of the early-weaned calf IV. Ruminal ammonia formation from soluble and insoluble protein sources

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

T. R. Preston ,
F. G. Whitelaw  and
N. A. MacLeod
T. R. Preston
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
F. G. Whitelaw
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
N. A. MacLeod
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
Get access

Summary

1. Rumen-ammonia concentration, pH of rumen liquor and blood-urea concentration have been measured at intervals after feeding in six calves given diets containing ‘soluble’ groundnut meal, ‘soluble’ herring meal or ‘insoluble’ herring meal as the major protein source.

2. There were no significant differences between diets in any of the measurements examined. A difference approaching significance was, however, observed between ‘soluble’ herring meal and the other diets in the direction and extent of the change in rumen-ammonia concentration during the first hour after feeding.

3. On all diets, pH of rumen liquor fell to a value in the region of 5·5 immediately after feeding and increased gradually to around 6·5 during the following 8 hr. Rumen-ammonia concentrations were at all times very low.

4. There was no significant residual correlation between changes in blood-urea concentration and the corresponding changes in rumen-ammonia concentration.

5. Rumen-ammonia concentration increased markedly on the ‘soluble’ herring meal diet when the nitrogen intake of the animals was increased by 50%; under similar conditions, only slight increases in this measurement were observed on the other diets.

6. Thesefindingsare discussed in relation to the efficiency of utilisation of dietary nitrogen.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , June 1963 , pp. 147 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1963

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

REFERENCES

Annison, E. F., Chalmers, M. I., Marshall, S. B. M. & Synge, R. L. M., 1954. Ruminal ammonia formation in relation to the protein requirement of sheep. III. Ruminal ammonia formation with various diets. J. agric. Sci., 44: 270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Annison, E. F. & Lewis, D., 1959. Metabolism in the Rumen. Methuen and Co. Ltd., Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Balch, D. A. & Rowland, S. J., 1957. Volatile fatty acids and lactic acid in the rumen of dairy cows receiving a variety of diets. Brit. J. Nutr., 11: 288.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conway, E. J., 1957. Microdiffusion Analysis and Volumetric Error. 4th edition. Crosby Lockwood and Son Ltd., London.Google Scholar
Dinda, P. K., 1960. Some effects of chlortetracycline on the nutrition of the early-weaned calf. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Aberdeen.Google Scholar
Lewis, D., 1961. In Digestive Physiology andNutrition of the Ruminant. (Editor, D, Lewis.) Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
McDonald, I. W., 1952. The role of ammonia in ruminal digestion of protein. Biochem. J., 51: 86.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 proteins in the rumen. Biochem. J., 67: 400.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moore, S., Spackman, D. M. & Stein, W. M., 1958. Chromatography of amino acids on sulfonated polystyrene resins. An improved system. Analyt. Chem., 50: 1185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillipson, A. T., 1952. The fatty acids present in the rumen of lambs fed on a flaked maize ration. Brit. J. Nutr., 6: 190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Preston, T. R., 1956. Studies on the rearing of calves weaned from milk between two and four weeks of age. Proc. Brit. Soc. Anim. Prod., p. 67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preston, T. R. & Ndumbe, R. D., 1961. Diurnal variations in blood sugar concentration in ruminating calves. Brit. J. Nutr., 12: 281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitelaw, F. G. & Preston, T. R., 1963. The nutrition of the early-weaned calf. III. Solubility and amino acid composition as factors affecting protein utilisation. Anim. Prod., 5: 131.Google Scholar
Whitelaw, F. G., Preston, T. R. & Dawson, G. S., 1961. The nutrition of the early-weaned calf. II. A comparison of commercial groundnut meal, heat-treated groundnut meal and fish meal as the major protein source. Anim. Prod., 3: 127.Google Scholar
Whitelaw, F. G., Preston, T. R. & Ndumbe, R. D., 1961. The nutrition of the early-weaned calf. I. The effect on nitrogen retention of diets containing different levels of groundnut meal. Anim. Prod., 3: 121.Google Scholar