The effect of dietary energy source in nitrogen metabolism in the rumen of sheep

Estimating Microbial Protein Synthesis in the Rumen-Can 'Omics' Methods Provide New Insights into a Long-Standing Question?

Rumen microbial protein synthesis (MPS) provides at least half of the amino acids for the synthesis of milk and meat protein in ruminants. As such, it is fundamental to global food protein security. Estimating microbial protein is central to diet formulation, maximising nitrogen (N)-use efficiency and reducing N losses to the environment. Whilst factors influencing MPS are well established in vitro, techniques for in vivo estimates, including older techniques with cannulated animals and the more recent technique based on urinary purine derivative (UPD) excretion, are subject to large experimental errors. Consequently, models of MPS used in protein rationing are imprecise, resulting in wasted feed protein and unnecessary N losses to the environment. Newer 'omics' techniques are used to characterise microbial communities, their genes and resultant proteins and metabolites. An analysis of microbial communities and genes has recently been used successfully to model complex rumen-related traits, including feed conversion efficiency and methane emissions. Since microbial proteins are more directly related to microbial genes, we expect a strong relationship between rumen metataxonomics/metagenomics and MPS. The main aims of this review are to gauge the understanding of factors affecting MPS, including the use of the UPD technique, and explore whether omics-focused studies could improve the predictability of MPS, with a focus on beef cattle.

Nitrogen recycling and feed efficiency of cattle fed protein-restricted diets

The ability of cattle to grow and reproduce when ingesting low-protein diets is a crucial attribute for productive beef cattle systems in the seasonally dry tropics and subtropics. Nitrogen (N) recycling to the rumen is an important and known physiological mechanism allowing ruminants to efficiently grow in low-protein diets, but is usually disregarded in the nutritional models. This review discusses the role and magnitude of N recycling to provide additional N as microbial substrate in the rumen and in determining the efficiency of ruminants ingesting low-protein diets, to better understand the major factors regulating N recycling to the rumen. In addition to a review of the literature, study-adjusted regressions were used to evaluate various aspects of crude protein (CP) intake and availability, N recycling and excretion. There is large variation in N excretion and N-use efficiency among diets and among individuals, illustrating the opportunity for improvement in overall efficiency of cattle production. These data indicated that N recycling to the entire gastrointestinal tract supplies from half to twice as much N available for microbial growth as does the diet. Addition of rumen-degradable protein can increase rumen efficiency in using the available energy, as, conversely, the addition of fermentable energy can increase rumen efficiency in using the available CP. The present review has demonstrated that both are possible because of greater N recycling. Also, the importance of preserving the available N for determining individual variation in feed efficiency and the implications for selection are discussed. Nitrogen recycling can be controlled at both the epithelial wall of compartments of the gastrointestinal tract and at the liver, where ureagenesis occurs. Addition of fermentable energy can increase N recycling to the rumen and to post-ruminal tract by acting at both sites, and the mechanisms for this are discussed in the text. Although the effect of altering CP concentration in the diet has been substantially investigated, other factors potentially modulating N recycling, such as total fermentable energy, sources of protein and energy, hormonal modulation, and genetic variance, remain poorly understood. The selection of more efficient animals and development of diets with a lower environmental impact inescapably means further elucidation of the N-recycling mechanism.

1.1 Nitrogen Metabolism in the Rumen

The concept that the protein reaching the duodenum of a ruminant comprises of two major components, feed and microbial, has been accepted for many years but recently there has been considerable interest in attempts to define and quantify those processes which have an influence on the quantity and quality of this protein. The main reason for this is the desire to predict accurately the total flow of protein to the duodenum when a particular diet is fed. The ability to do this, coupled with a refinement of knowledge on the needs of the animal, are essential steps in improving the efficiency with which ruminants are fed. This review examines some of the factors which control the breakdown of dietary protein and the synthesis of microbial protein in the rumen. The lack of space has prevented discussion of many important topics, for example, the contribution of endogenous proteins to the total protein entering the duodenum. Many reviews have been published in this area (see Egan, 1980; Demeyer and Van Nevel, 1980; others are referred to in the text).

4.1 The Nitrogen Needs of Ruminants

The organizers of this symposium invited me to review factors which influence the N needs of ruminants. Such a request seems to imply that, for each class of ruminant, e.g. cattle or sheep, growing or lactating, there is a definitive N or amino acid requirement. If this is known, then diets may be formulated to provide that amount of N or amino acid and the expected level of production should be achieved. As a corollary of this approach, the determination of the nutritional characteristics of the diet, its metabolizable energy (ME), rumen degradable protein (RDP) or undegraded protein (UDP), appears to be a separate issue. While such a simplistic view has advantages for ease of diet formulation, it is unlikely to be entirely correct. In general, animal responses to increasing nutrient supply are curvilinear and do not show sharp break points defining a minimum amount of nutrient to give maximum production. Secondly, animal responses are not independent of diet and, conversely, the energy and protein values of the diet depend on the physiological state of the animal, e.g. the level of food intake influences rate of passage of digesta, the extent and site of digestion and the form of metabolites absorbed.

[The effect of starch sources barley, maize and potatoes and their ration portions on the nutrient digestibility and energy utilization in ruminants. 4. Nitrogen metabolism in the rumen]

In 9 experimental periods on four adult bulls (LW 550 kg) fitted with re-entrant cannulae in the proximal duodenum isoenergetic rations were used on feeding level 1.7 with ground barley, ground maize or fresh potatoes as starch sources. The net energy parts of these concentrates in the ration amounted to 50, 25 and 10%. 50 to 80% of the ration DM consisted of dried grass and about 10% of sugar beet pulp. The dried grass supplied on an average 87, 79 and 62% of the feed crude protein. The intake of DM was 7.74 +/- 0.42 (mean +/- SD) kg/d. The energetic efficiency of microbial N synthesis in the rumen (g N/kg organic matter true fermented in the rumen, TFOM) was averaged 16.4 with a range of 10.6 to 21.4. The microbial efficiency achieved a maximum when the ratio of nitrogen-free extract to crude fibre in the diet was 1.7 and 2.1 with barley, 1.8 with potatoes and 2.1 and 3.3 with corn as starch source. Changes in the microbial efficiency were positively correlated with the rate of passage of non-microbial organic matter from the rumen (g/d) and with the duodenal flow rate (kg digesta/kg DM intake). The relation to the rate of carbohydrate fermentation in the rumen (in %) and to the amount of TFOM (g/d) was negative. The duodenal flow of microbial N and non-ammonia N (g/d) correlated negatively with the organic matter apparently fermented in the rumen (AFOM) and positively with the non AFOM. The amino acid (AA) profile of the duodenal protein was affected by the starch source. It was concluded that the metabolism of nitrogen in the forestomachs of cattle is affected by the source of starch and the ratio of forage to concentrate. There exists a relationship between both factors. The net synthesis of microbial protein in the rumen is not only the result of substrate fermentation. The passage of non-AFOM from the rumen significantly affects the energetic efficiency of microbial nitrogen synthesis and the duodenal supply of AA.

[The effect of starch sources barley, corn and potatoes and their ration proportions on nutrient digestibility and energy utilization in ruminants. 2. Fractions of ruminally and postruminally digested nutrients in cattle]

The investigations of this paper are part of a complex research project to develop energetic feed evaluation within the Net Energy Fat System. The aim was to obtain new results to estimate the relation between place as well as kind of nutrient digestion and energetic utilization of rations in cattle. The ruminal nutrient digestibility was measured in adult oxen on feeding level 1.7 by means of duodenal reentrant cannula for 9 rations including the starch sources barley, maize and potatoes and with their energy parts of 50, 25 and 10%. The intake of starch ranged from 484 to 2573 g/animal.d and the amounts of ruminal and postruminal digested starch from 444 to 2336 as well as 10 to 284 g/animal.d. For the organic matter, starch, water soluble carbohydrates and N free residual substances high relative parts of ruminal digested from apparent digested nutrients were measured with values between 78 and 88, 83 and 98, 93 and 97 as well as 88 and 100% respectively.

[Effect of the starch sources barley, corn and potatoes and their ration portions on nutrient digestibility and energy utilization in ruminants. 3. Energy utilization in cattle]

With investigations on the influence of different starch origins (barley, maize and raw potatoes) and different portions of the starch origins in the rations (50, 25 and 10% of the net energy fat, cattle (NEFr) content of the rations) on the energy utilization of rations a contribution was made to the development of the energetic feed evaluation within Rostock NEF-system. The experiments were carried out with fattened oxen using the methods of total metabolism technique and duodenal passage measurement by means of reentrant fistula. The nutrition levels amounted to 1.7 and 1.1 of energy maintenance requirement. The utilization of metabolizable energy for deposition of the 9 rations-including 3 variants of starch origins barley, maize and raw potatoes with parts in the rations of 50, 25 and 10%--was measured as 65, 61 and 59%, 61, 60 and 58% as well as 59, 61 and 55%. The energy maintenance requirement amounted to 526 kJ ME/kg LM 0.75.d. The gradations of energy utilization are caused by the connection between energy concentration and utilization of rations in ruminants. With comparable parts of the rations the different starch sources had no relevant influence on the energy utilization of the rations. Despite a wide range of starch plus water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) intake between 896 and 3426 g/animal.d no correlation between the kind of digestion (fermentative or enzymatic) of starch and WSC and the energy utilization of the rations was measurable, because the part of the ruminal digestion amounted to 86.0 and 97.2%. The result presented for the energy and nitrogen metabolism measurements are in good agreement with results of former experiments with 92 rations.

The effects of intraruminal infusions of urea, casein, glucose syrup and a mixture of casein and glucose syrup on nitrogen digestion in the rumen of cattle receiving grass-silage diets

In an incomplete 5 X 5 Latin square experiment, four cattle were given grass silage in two meals per d to satisfy 1.15 maintenance energy requirements. In addition, water or casein (21 g nitrogen and 0.17 kg organic matter (OM)/d) or urea (U; 28 g N/d) or a glucose syrup (G; 0.87 kg OM/d) or casein and glucose syrup (CG; 17 g N and 0.93 kg OM/d) were infused intraruminally at a constant rate. A 24 h collection of duodenal digesta was made using chromic oxide for flow estimation and 35S as a marker of microbial N entering the small intestine. Samples of rumen fluid were also taken for estimation of rumen pH, and concentrations of ammonia-N and volatile fatty acids. The intraruminal infusions had no significant effects on rumen pH, concentrations of volatile fatty acids or their molar proportions. Infusion of either C or U significantly (P less than 0.05) increased rumen NH3-N concentrations whereas infusions of either G or CG lowered rumen NH3-N concentrations. Infusions of C or U had no significant effect on the quantities of OM, acid-detergent fibre (ADF) or N constituents which entered the small intestine. Infusions of G or CG increased the quantities of OM (G P less than 0.05, CG P less than 0.01), ADF (CG P less than 0.05), non-NH3-N (G P less than 0.05, CG P less than 0.01), amino acid N (G P less than 0.05, CG P less than 0.01) and microbial N (G P less than 0.05, CG P less than 0.01) which entered the small intestine. The efficiency of rumen microbial N synthesis was unchanged by the infusion of C, U or G (P greater than 0.05) but increased significantly (P less than 0.05) when CG were infused.

[Protein and amino acid metabolism in the digestive tract of growing bull calves. 5. The amino acid flow into the duodenum]

The flow of the individual amino acids (AA) into the duodenum was determined after the feeding of 28 different rations to young bulls supplied with duodenal re-entrant cannulae in the live weight range between 140 and 460 kg. The distribution of AA into AA of bacterial origin and AA from the feed was made by difference calculation between the AA at the duodenum (corrected by the endogenous AA quota) and the AA from the bacteria crude protein, with our own results based on a constant AA composition of the bacteria crude protein; by the regression analysis from relative values according to AAD/app. dig. org. m. = a + b AAF/app. dig. org. m. and by the regression analysis of the absolute values according to AAD = b1 app. dig. org. m. + b2 AAF showed the same results from the regression methods but deviating ones from the difference method. The calculation of the flow of the individual AA into the duodenum from the AA content of the ration and the content of app. dig. org. m. of the ration is possible. The equations derived for this purpose of the individual AA are given.

[Protein and amino acid metabolism in the digestive tract growing young bulls. 1. Flow of bacterial raw protein in the duodenum determined by 2,6-diaminopimelic acid as a marker]

The influence of the composition of the rations on the content of diamino pimelic acid (DAP) and N in the bacteria dry matter and on the flow of bacteria crude protein into the duodenum, determined with DAP as marker, was determined on the basis of experimental investigations with young bulls provided with duodenal cannulae and with 28 different rations whose details are described. At a production level corresponding to dry matter intake and a variation range of the crude fibre content of between 11.3 and 29.1% in the DM, a content of N-free extractives between 50.9 and 77.4% in the DM, a content of soluble carbohydrates ibetween 5.3 and 6.4% in the DM, a crude protein content of between 6.4 and 17.1% in the DM and a pure protein content of between 4.9 and 15.5% in the DM, the DAP content of the bacteria DM amounts the 0.350 g 100 g DM +/- 0.090 the N-content of the bacteria DM amounts to 7.37 +/- 1.08 g/100 g DM, there are no relations between DAP- and N-content in the bacteria DM and the content of the individual carbohydrate fractions of the ration, there are positive relations between DAP- and N-content of the bacteria DM, the flow of bacterial crude protein into the duodenum amounts to 133 +/- 14 g/kg truly fermentable organic matter or 130 +/- 14 g/kg apparently digestible organic matter, there is a negative relation between bacteria crude protein at the duodenum (BCPD)/kg truly fermentable organic matter and the crude fibre content of the ration, there is a positive relation between BCPD/kg truly fermentable organic matter and N-free extractives and soluble carbohydrate content as well as the digestibility of the organic matter of the ration, there is no specific influence of the flow rate (kg digesta/kg intake of org. matter) or the dilution rate (g bacteriafree org. matter D/kg LW075/b) on BCPD/kg truly fermentable org. matter, there is a dependence of BCPD/kg truly fermentable org. matter on crude protein concentration in the ration in the concentration range of 6.4-9.0% crude protein in the ration (provided endogenous CP equivalents are used).

The simultaneous estimation of the amounts of protozoal, bacterial and dietary nitrogen entering the duodenum of steers

Four steers were given straw and tapioca diets, twice daily, in a 4 X 4 Latin-square design. These diets, containing 4.2 g nitrogen/kg dry matter (DM), were further supplemented with either urea, decorticated groundnut meal (DCGM), untreated (UT) casein or formaldehyde-treated (FT) casein to give a total of 19.7 g N/kg DM and 10.5 MJ/kg DM daily. Concurrent samples of rumen bacteria and protozoa and abomasal digesta were collected for each period of the experiment and the concentrations of 2-aminoethyl phosphonic acid (AEPA), diaminopimelic acid (DAPA), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), amino acids and hexosamines were determined in the dried preparations. The nature of the dietary supplements had little effect on the concentrations of most of these constituents or on the total protozoal numbers. Abomasal digesta samples marked with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and chromic oxide for flow estimation were collected over 24 h, and the proportions of protozoal-N, bacterial-N and microbial-N estimated simultaneously using the markers AEPA, DAPA and RNA respectively. These digesta-N components were also estimated using an amino acid profiling (AAP) method which gave, in addition, estimates of the dietary and endogenous components. For the diets containing casein, the proportion of dietary casein was estimated directly using casein-P as a marker. Estimates of the respective mean proportions of microbial-N in abomasal digesta non-ammonia-N (NAN) for the diets containing urea, DCGM, UT casein or FT casein were: AEPA 0.56, 0.32, 0.27 and 0.16; DAPA 0.88, 0.70, 0.81 and 0.57; RNA 0.98, 0.85, 0.92 and 0.53. Giving FT casein significantly (P less than 0.001) increased the flow of casein-N at the abomasum and a significantly (P less than 0.001) greater proportion of casein-N was found in abomasal NAN (0.51 v. 0.09) where FT rather than UT casein was given. The AAP method gave results for the proportions of microbial- and dietary-N (where casein was given) which were, in general, slightly lower than those obtained using RNA and casein-P as markers. Agreement with estimates of bacterial protein (from DAPA) and of protozoal protein (from AEPA) was less satisfactory. Comparisons of the various estimates of the proportions of microbial-N in abomasal digesta suggested that the results obtained for protozoal-N by AEPA were overestimates. AEPA was found in mixed rumen bacteria which may have accounted in part for these overestimates. However, AEPA was not detected in any of the dietary ingredients.

Flow of endogenous and exogenous amino acids along the gut of pigs

Digesta were collected from 5 pigs of 33 kg live weight fitted with re-entrant cannulas in the duodenum (within 20-30 cm of the pylorus) and terminal ileum. The pigs received a diet of barley, soya bean oilmeal and a vitamin and mineral mixture. The flow rates of digesta, total nitrogen and the individual amino acids were measured at different time after feeding and during two 24 h periods. A marked increase in the flow of digesta, nitrogen and amino acids was seen in the duodenum after feeding. Total flow during 24 h of nitrogen and amino acids except His, Val, Leu, Phe and Met exceeded intake. Output of nitrogen and amino acids from the duodenal cannula was 117 and 108% of intake, respectively. A method to calculate the ratio of endogenous amino acids in digesta based on the amino acid composition of digesta, diet and endogenous secretions was developed. The calculated amounts of endogenous amino acids passing the proximal duodenum and terminal ileum were 32.2 and 21.9 g per 24 h, respectively. The greatest amount of endogenous amino acids passed through the duodenal cannula in the first two hours after feeding (2-3 g/h) and then gradually decreased to 1 g per hour. The results are discussed in relation to other studies on the secretion of endogenous protein and its amino acid composition.

Quantitative studies of food protein degradation and the energetic efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in the rumen of sheep given chopped lucerne and rolled barley

1. In a randomized block design, four sheep were given 800 g daily of diets containing: chopped lucerne (L), chopped lucerne-rolled barley (2:1; LB), rolled barley-chopped lucerne (2:1; BL), rolled barley (B); each diet was supplemented with minerals, vitamins and urea as considered necessary. Chronic oxide was included in the diets as a flow marker. 2. Flows of organic matter (OM) and non-ammonia-nitrogen (NAN) to the small intestine (SI) were measured and microbial protein was identified by a 35S-incorporation procedure. 3. OM disappearance in the rumen increased linearly with increasing inclusion of barley in the diet but there was no significant change in microbial NAN flow to the SI so that the yield of microbial NAN (g)/kg fermented OM (FOM) decreased from 29.6 (diet L) to 22.7 (diet B). Changes in the energetic efficiency of microbial protein synthesis appeared to be unrelated to alterations in rumen fluid volatile fatty acid (VFA) proportions or in rumen fluid dilution rate (D). 4. The degradability of dietary protein (non-urea-N), estimated using the 35S procedure, was 0.72, 0.76, 0.86 and 0.86 for diets L, LB, BL and B respectively. Similar values were obtained from concurrent polyester-bag experiments when the fractional outflow rate of undegraded protein from the rumen (k) was assumed to be 0.046.

The digestibility of amino acids in the small intestine of the sheep

1. The digestibilities of microbial and food proteins in the small intestine were studied in three sheep fitted with re-entrant cannulas in the proximal duodenum and terminal ileum. 2. The quantities of microbial and food proteins at the small intestine were varied by infusion of a microbial isolate or by dietary manipulation and the balance of amino acids along the small intestine was determined. 3. A mean value of 0.69 for the apparent digestibility and 0.86 for the true digestibility of total amino acids was obtained. 4. From the composition of digesta at the duodenum the daily flows of microbial and food proteins were estimated. Their true digestibilities in the small intestine were calculated by regression and found to be: microbial protein 0.87 and food protein 0.82. The mean endogenous loss of amino acids secreted into the small intestine was estimated to be 13.3 g/d.