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Dependence of the carbon-isotope contents of breath carbon dioxide, milk, serum and rumen fermentation products on the δ13C value of food in dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Cornelia Metges ,
Klaus Kempe  and
Hanns-Ludwig Schmidt
Cornelia Metges
Affiliation:
Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Chemie und Biochemie, TU München, D-8050 Freising-Weihenstephan, Federal Republic of Germany
Klaus Kempe
Affiliation:
Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Chemie und Biochemie, TU München, D-8050 Freising-Weihenstephan, Federal Republic of Germany
Hanns-Ludwig Schmidt
Affiliation:
Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Chemie und Biochemie, TU München, D-8050 Freising-Weihenstephan, Federal Republic of Germany
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Abstract

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Six dairy cows of two breeds were fed during three alternating periods with products from C3- and C4-plants to yield different natural 13C enrichments of the diet (δ13C range: -28.0 to -13.7‰). The resulting changes in the 13C enrichment of breath carbon dioxide, serum and milk of the animals followed the 13C: 12C of the food, in agreement with the individual biological half-lives of those products, and established isotope discriminations. Breath CO2 was more enriched in 13C than expected. This could be related to isotope discriminations during rumen fermentation. From these results an isotopic balance model for the breath CO2 could be established.

Keywords

Carbon isotope discriminationC3- and C4-plantsCow
Type
Rumen Digestion and Metabolism
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 63 , Issue 2 , March 1990 , pp. 187 - 196
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1990

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