The effect of excessive elemental sulfur addition on feed intake, digestibility, rumen characteristics, blood metabolites and nitrogen balance in Thai native beef cattle fed a diet containing high fresh cassava root

This study aimed to study the effect of excessive elemental sulfur addition on intake, digestibility, rumen characteristics, blood metabolites and nitrogen balance in Thai native beef cattle fed diets containing high fresh cassava root (FCR) supplementation. Four Thai native beef cattle with an initial body weight (BW) of 100 ± 10.0 kg were used and randomly assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Two levels of FCR supplementation at 15 (FCR-1.5) and 20 g/kg of BW (FCR-2) and two levels of sulfur supplementation in concentrate at 10 (Sulfur-1) and 20 g/kg dry matter concentrate (Sulfur-2) were evaluated. This study showed that sulfur and FCR in combination (p < 0.05) increased dry matter and organic matter digestibility and bacterial population. Sulfur-2 resulted in higher (p < 0.05) sulfur intake and serum thiocyanate concentration than Sulfur-1. FCR-2 had a greater (p < 0.05) FCR intake, total volatile fatty acids and propionate concentration than FCR-1.5. In conclusion, excessive elemental sulfur addition with high FCR supplementation showed no negative effect in Thai native beef cattle.

Diversity of growth performance and rumen microbiota vary with feed types

Diet is a major factor in influencing the growth performance and the microbial community of lambs. This study aimed to investigate how diverse diets influence their growth performance and rumen microbiota. Ninety male lambs were randomly allocated into three groups in a completely randomized design with equal lambs: non-pelleted native grass hay (HA) as the control diet and pelleted native grass hay (GP) and pelleted native grass hay with concentrate (GPC) as experimental diets. The rumen fluid samples of the lambs in the HA, GP, and GPC groups were used to study rumen microbiota diversity through 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. In the present study, the final body weight, dry matter intake, and average daily gain differed significantly (p &lt; 0.05) among the HA, GP, and GPC groups. Compared to the HA group, higher final body weight, dry matter intake, and average daily gain were found in the GP group. Similarly, better animal performance was observed in the GPC group than in the GP group. The principal coordinates analysis displayed that the composition of the rumen microbiota in the three groups was distinctly separated from each other. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the dominant members of the community in the HA and GP groups, while Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria became the predominant members in the GPC group. The comparison among these groups showed significant (p &lt; 0.05) differences in Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Prevotella_1, Ruminococcaceae_NK4A214_group, and Succiniclasticum. These results suggest that the GP and GPC diets are more beneficial for growth performance than the HA diet and also indicate that the rumen microbiota varied in response to different feed types. In conclusion, these results could provide strategies to influence rumen microbiota for better growth and a healthier ecosystem on the Mongolian Plateau and lay the theoretical groundwork for feeding the pelleted native grass diet.

Effect of Cyanide-Utilizing Bacteria and Sulfur Supplementation on Reducing Cyanide Concentration and In Vitro Degradability Using In Vitro Gas Production Technique

The objective of this research was to supplement the cyanide-utilizing bacteria and sulfur in the HCN-rich diet, affecting the gas production and fermentation of rumen in vitro, and lowering the HCN content and the digestion of nutrients. A 2 × 2 × 3 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design was applied during the test. In the experiments, three factors were used. Factor A was the level of CUB at 0 and 108 CFU/mL. Factor B was the level of sulfur in the diet at 0% and 3% of dry matter (DM). Factor C was the three levels of potassium cyanide (KCN) at 0, 300, and 600 ppm. The interaction of CUB × sulfur × KCN affected gas production from the immediately soluble fraction (a) (p < 0.05). However, the greatest ruminal cyanide concentration was found when CUB (with and without), sulfur (3%), and KCN (600 ppm) were introduced at 0 h (p < 0.05). It revealed that the addition of CUB and sulfur had a significant impact on gas accumulation at 96 h (p < 0.05). The addition of CUB with sulfur had an effect on pH at 2 h and ruminal cyanide levels at 6 h (p < 0.05). At 2 h, sulfur supplementation with KCN had an effect on NH3-N (p < 0.01). The addition of sulfur (3%) and KCN (300 ppm) produced the highest ammonia nitrogen. However, the combination of sulfur (3%) and KCN (600 ppm) produced the lowest level of ammonia nitrogen (p < 0.01). CUB supplementation increased the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) by 11.16% compared to the without-CUB supplemented group (p < 0.05). Supplementation with 3% sulfur increased the in vitro neutral detergent fiber (IVNDFD) by 16.87% but had no effect on IVDMD or in vitro acid detergent fiber (IVADFD) (p < 0.05). The volatile fatty acid (VFA) such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate were not different when CUB, sulfur, and KCN were added. Doses above 600 ppm had the lowest concentrations of TVFA and propionate (p < 0.01). Based on the results of this investigation, supplementing with CUB and sulfur (3%) may improve cumulative gas, digestibility, and TVAF. Supplementing with CUB, on the other hand, reduced HCN the most, by 54.6%.

Fresh cassava root replacing cassava chip could enhance milk production of lactating dairy cows fed diets based on high sulfur-containing pellet

The experiment objective was to assess the shifting effect from cassava chip (CC) to fresh cassava root (FC) affected feed utilization, rumen metabolism, cyanide-using bacteria, and milk quality in lactating Thai Friesian dairy cows fed diets based on high sulfur-containing pellet (PS). Four lactating Thai Friesian dairy cows of 481.5 ± 31.3 kg BW (about 4 years old were allocated with four treatments in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The four treatments were: replacement FC for CC at 0%, 60%, 80%, and 100% dry matter (DM), respectively. Feed intakes for four diets in terms of total dry matter intake (kg/day and % BW) was linearly correlated with levels of replacement of FC (p < 0.01). Digestibilities of crude protein (CP), DM, organic matter (OM), amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) did not change with increasing levels of FC in the diet (p > 0.05). Moreover, the total bacterial counts and cyanide population utilizing bacteria cubically increased with an increase of FC replacement (p < 0.01). The effect of CC substitution with FC in the PS diet was cubically increased on blood thiocyanate concentrations (p < 0.01). In addition, the propionate (C3) concentration at 0 and 4 h post-feeding changed significantly among treatments (p < 0.01), which were linearly improved with an increasing dose of replacement FC and were highest when FC was replaced at 100%. The yield of 3.5% fat-corrected milk was high in the treatment with the replacement of FC as compared to the control (p < 0.01). The yield of fat and milk fat percentages was high (p < 0.01) in the group with the replacement of FC as compared to feed with no diet replaced. The milk thiocyanate concentration was cubically enhanced when levels of FC replacement increased (p < 0.01) and was the highest when FC was replaced at 100%. As the amount of FC replacement was raised, the somatic cell count in the milk decreased linearly (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the replacement of FC at 100% in PS could enhance the feed intake, microbial populations, total volatile fatty acid (VFA), C3 concentration, milk yield, and milk quality.

Sulfur, fresh cassava root and urea independently enhanced gas production, ruminal characteristics and in vitro degradability

BACKGROUND

Total fresh cassava root (FCR) production was 275 million tonnes in 2018 which equals 61.1 % of the total production, and Thailand produced 10.7 % FCR of the total production. FCR is one of the main energy source for ruminant. The limitation of FCR utilization is due to the presence of hydrogen cyanide (HCN). The study aimed to evaluate the effect of sulfur, urea and FCR at various levels on in vitro gas production, ruminal fermentation and in vitro degradability. The study hypothesized that: (1) sulfur, urea and FCR have no interaction effect and (2) effect of FCR and urea is related to sulfur addition.

RESULTS

The study aimed to elucidate the optimum level of elemental sulfur, fresh cassava root (FCR) and urea and their effect on in vitro gas production, ruminal fermentation, thiocyanate concentration, and in vitro degradability. A 3 × 2 × 4 in a completely randomized design were conducted. Factor A was level of sulfur at 0 %, 1 and 2 % of concentrate dry matter (DM), factor B was level of urea at 2 and 4 % of concentrate DM, and factor C was level of the FCR at 0, 200, 300 and 400 mg DM of the total substrate. The study found that elemental sulfur, urea and FCR had no interaction effect on the kinetics of in vitro gas, ruminal fermentation, HCN and in vitro degradability. Elemental sulfur supplementation (P < 0.05) significantly increased the in vitro gas produced from an insoluble fraction (b), in vitro DM degradability and either neutral detergent fiber (NDF) or acid detergent fiber (ADF) degradability and propionate (C3) concentration while decreased the ruminal HCN concentration. Urea levels showed a (P < 0.05) significant increase of the potential extent of in vitro gas production, ruminal ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) and total volatile fatty acid (TVFA). Fresh cassava root supplementation (P < 0.05) significantly increased the in vitro gas produced from an immediate soluble fraction (a), in vitro gas produced from insoluble fraction, in vitro gas production rate constant, total VFA, C3 concentration and HCN while decreased ruminal pH, acetate and butyrate concentration. It could be concluded that 2 % elemental sulfur, 4 % urea and 300 mg FCR showed a greater effect on in vitro gas production, ruminal fermentation and HCN reduction.

CONCLUSIONS

The study found that elemental sulfur, urea, and FCR had no interaction effect on the kinetics of in vitro gas, total in vitro gas, ruminal fermentation, and HCN concentration. It could be concluded that 2 % elemental sulfur, 4 % urea, and 300 mg FCR showed a greater effect on in vitro gas production, ruminal fermentation, and HCN reduction.

Ruminal Fermentation, Milk Production Efficiency, and Nutrient Digestibility of Lactating Dairy Cows Receiving Fresh Cassava Root and Solid Feed-Block Containing High Sulfur

This study evaluates the effects of fresh cassava root (CR) and a solid feed-block containing sulfur (S-FB) on fermentation in the rumen, feed utilization, milk yield, and milk composition in lactating dairy cows. Four Holstein-Friesian cows with 470 ± 50.0 kg body weight (BW), 10 ± 2 kg day−1 average milk yield, and 112 ± 15 days-in-milk were studied. A 2 × 2 factorial combination was arranged in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to evaluate the treatment-related effects. The treatments were obtained from a combination of two factors: (1) levels of CR at 10 g kg−1 BW (CR-1) and 15 g kg−1 (CR-1.5) and (2) levels of sulfur supplementation in solid feed-block at 20 g kg−1 (S-FB-2) and 40 g kg−1 (S-FB-4). The results showed that CR and S-FB had no interaction effect on feed intake, digestibility, fermentation, blood metabolites, milk yield, or its composition. Feeding CR up to 15 g kg−1 of the BW significantly increased (p < 0.05) the milk fat concentration while it decreased (p < 0.05) the somatic cell count. The S-FB-4 of the sulfur significantly (p < 0.05) increased the acid detergent fiber when compared with the S-FB-2 of the sulfur. CR could be fed up to 15 g kg−1 of BW with S-FB containing high sulfur (40 g kg−1) in dairy cows without a negative impact.

Effect of feeding a pellet diet containing high sulphur with fresh cassava root supplementation on feed use efficiency, ruminal characteristics and blood metabolites in Thai native beef cattle

The objective of this experiment was to study the effect of feeding pellet containing high sulphur (PELFUR) diet and fresh cassava root (FCR) to Thai native beef cattle on feed use efficiency, ruminal characteristics and blood metabolites. Four male purebred Thai native beef cattle (1.5-2.0 years old) with initial body weight (BW) of 150 ± 15.0 kg were allocated with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Factor A was FCR supplementation at 15 and 20 g/kg of BW. Factor B was the sulphur level in the PELFUR ration at 15 and 30 g/kg of dry matter (DM). No interaction effect was found among FCR supplementation and PELFUR in terms of feed intake and nutrient intake (p > 0.05). Cyanide intake was significantly increased based on FCR supplementation (p < 0.05), whereas sulphur intake was increased by level addition of PELFUR levels (p < 0.05). There were interaction effects among FCR supplementation and PELFUR on digestibility coefficients of DM and organic matter (OM) (p < 0.05). FCR supplementation at 20 g/kg BW with PELFUR 30 g/kg demonstrated the highest digestibility of DM and OM. Moreover, interactions were observed between FCR and PELFUR for bacterial populations (p < 0.01). The populations of bacteria were highest in FCR supplementation at 20 g/kg BW with PELFUR 30 g/kg at various feeding times. An interaction effect from among feeding FCR with PELFUR was found on blood thiocyanate concentrations at various feeding times (p < 0.01). The highest mean values of blood thiocyanate were observed when feeding FCR at 20 g/kg BW with PELFUR at 30 g/kg. No interaction effect was found between FCR and PELFUR on total volatile fatty acids (VFA) and their profiles (p > 0.05). However, the proportions of the total VFA at 0 and 4 h post-feeding were increased when FCR at 20 g/kg BW was supplemented (p < 0.01). FCR at 20 g/kg BW could enhance propionate (C3) at 4 h post-feeding when compared with FCR at 15 g/kg BW (p < 0.01). Moreover, supplementation of PELFUR at 30 g/kg increased the total VFA at 0 and 4 h post-feeding, whereas the concentration of C3 at 4 h post-feeding was enhanced (p < 0.05). However, no significant changes were found for any parameters among treatments and between the main effect of FCR and PELFUR supplementation (p > 0.05). In conclusion, feeding of two combinations (FCR 20 g/kg BW with PELFUR 30 g/kg) could promote the nutrient digestibility, the bacterial populations and the rate of disappearance of cyanide without having any adverse effect on rumen fermentation.

Screening of Cyanide-Utilizing Bacteria from Rumen and In Vitro Evaluation of Fresh Cassava Root Utilization with Pellet Containing High Sulfur Diet

Two experiments were undertaken to screen for ruminal cyanide-utilizing bacteria (Experiment 1), and to evaluate the influence of fresh cassava root (FCR) and pellets containing high sulfur (PELFUR) on cyanide content, gas production parameters, in vitro degradability, and ruminal fermentation (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) for the screening of cyanide-utilizing bacteria and the dietary treatments consisted of cyanide at 0, 150, 300, and 450 ppm. In Experiment 2, a 5 × 3 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design was used for the in vitro study. Factor A was the level of FCR at 0, 260, 350, 440, and 530 g/kg of dry matter (DM) substrate, and factor B was the level of PELFUR at 0, 15, and 30 g/kg DM substrate. In Experiment 1, adding different doses of cyanide significantly affected cyanide-utilizing rumen bacterial growth (p < 0.05). Increasing the concentration of cyanide from 0 to 150 and 150 to 300 ppm resulted in increases in cyanide-utilizing rumen bacteria of 38.2% and 15.0%, respectively. In Experiment 2, no interaction effects were found between FCR and PELFUR doses on gas production parameters (p > 0.05). Increasing the FCR level to more than 260 g/kg of DM substrate could increase cumulative gas production (p < 0.05). Increasing doses of PELFUR from 15 to 30 g/kg increased the cumulative gas production when compared with that of 0 g PELFUR/kg of DM substrate (p < 0.05). The cyanide concentration in rumen fluid decreased with PELFUR (p < 0.05) supplementation. Degradability of in vitro DM and organic matter following incubation increased at 12 and 24 h due to PELFUR supplementation with FCR and increased additionally with 15 g PELFUR/kg of DM substrate (p < 0.05) in 440 g FCR/kg of DM substrate. Proportions of the total volatile fatty acids, acetic acid (C2), propionic acid (C3), and butyric acid among supplementations with FCR (p < 0.05) were significantly different. In conclusion, the present results represent the first finding of bacteria in the rumen that are capable of utilizing cyanide, and suggests that cyanide might function as a nitrogen source for bacterial cell synthesis. The inclusion of FCR of 530 g/kg with 30 g PELFUR/kg of DM substrate could increase the cumulative gas production, the bacterial population, the in vitro degradability, the proportion of C3, and the rate of the disappearance of cyanide.

Techno-economic evaluation of biogas production from food waste via anaerobic digestion

Food waste is a major constituent in municipal solid wastes and its accumulation or disposal of in landfills is problematic, causing environmental issues. Herein, a techno-economic study is carried out on the potential of biogas production from different types of food waste generated locally. The biogas production tests were at two-time sets; 24-h and 21-day intervals and results showed a good correlation between those two-time sets. Thus, we propose to use the 24-h time set to evaluate feedstock fermentation capacity that is intended for longer periods. Our approach could potentially be applied within industry as the 24-h test can give a good indication of the potential substrate gas production as a quick test that saves time, with minimal effort required. Furthermore, polynomial models were used to predict the production of total gas and methane during the fermentation periods, which showed good matching between the theoretical and practical values with a coefficient of determination R2 = 0.99. At day 21, the accumulative gas production value from mixed food waste samples was 1550 mL per 1 g of dry matter. An economic evaluation was conducted and showed that the case study breaks-even at $0.2944 per cubic metre. Any prices above this rate yield a positive net present value (NPV); at $0.39/m3 a discounted payback period of six years and a positive NPV of $3108 were calculated. If waste management fee savings are to be incorporated, the total savings would be higher, increasing annual cash flows and enhancing financial results. This economic evaluation serves as a preliminary guide to assess the economic feasibility based on the fluctuating value of methane when producing biogas from food waste via anaerobic digestion, thus could help biogas project developers investigate similar scale scenarios .

Effect of Sulfur and Urea Fortification of Fresh Cassava Root in Fermented Total Mixed Ration on the Improvement Milk Quality of Tropical Lactating Cows

The aim of the present research was to determine the influence of sulfur and urea combined with fresh cassava root in fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) on digestibility, fermentation in the rumen, blood metabolite, milk yield, and milk quality in tropical lactating dairy cows. Four mid-lactation Thai Holstein-Friesian crossbred cows were studied. Pre-experiment milk yield was 12.7 ± 0.30 kg/day, and the body weight was 495 ± 40.0 kg. Animals were evaluated in a 2 × 2 factorial in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to receive diets followed by: factor A, which was a dose of sulfur inclusion at 1.0% and 2.0%, and factor B, which was level of urea inclusion at 1.25% and 2.5% DM in FTMR. The hydrogen cyanide (HCN) concentrations reduced 99.3% to 99.4% compared with fresh cassava root when FTMR was supplemented with 1.0% and 2.0% sulfur, respectively. Intake of crude protein was increased based on urea level addition (p < 0.05). Blood thiocyanate concentration was increased by 21.6% when sulfur was supplemented at 2.0% compared to 1.0% (p < 0.05). There was no difference in protozoal concentration, whereas bacterial populations at 4 h after feeding were significantly greater by 6.1% with the FTMR supplemented with 2.0% sulfur and 2.5% urea (p < 0.01). Allantoin concentrations, excretion, absorption, and microbial crude protein showed significant interactions between sulfur levels and urea levels in cows fed diets supplemented with 2.0% sulfur and 2.5% urea (p < 0.05). The molar ratios of the volatile fatty acid (VFA) profile were affected by dietary FTMR (p < 0.01). Furthermore, propionic acid increased by 4.6% when diets were supplemented by 2.5% sulfur (p < 0.01). Milk fat and total solids increased when feed was supplemented with 2.0% sulfur and 2.5% urea (p < 0.05). The diets supplemented with 2.0% sulfur levels resulted in greater concentrations of milk thiocyanate (p < 0.05). The somatic cell count was significantly reduced throughout the experiment with increasing sulfur supplementation (p < 0.05). Animals fed diets supplemented with 2.0% sulfur exhibited a decreased somatic cell count by 18.3% compared with those fed diets supplemented with 1.0% sulfur. Thus, inclusion of 2.0% sulfur with 2.5% urea in FTMR containing fresh cassava root improved digestibility, ruminal fermentation, microbial crude protein synthesis, and milk qualities in dairy cows.