Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
A non-invasive method is proposed for determining the extent of degradation in the rumen, based on the gas production technique and mathematical modelling. The exercise involves developing both a statistical model and a kinetic model (France et al., 2000). The statistical model shifts (or maps) the gas accumulation profile obtained using a faecal inoculum to a rumen gas profile, thus obviating the need for rumen sampling. The kinetic model determines the extent of degradation in the rumen from the shifted profile. It is presented as a generalised mathematical function, allowing any one of a number of alternative equation forms to be selected.