Polysaccharide synthesis and degradation by rumen micro-organismsin vitro

Abstract

SUMMARYMicro-organisms from the rumen of a hay-fed sheep rapidly synthesized an intracellular polysaccharide (starch) when growing or resting suspensions of cells were incubatedin vitrowith easily metabolized sugars.In 30 min incubation periods the optimum pH for the synthesis of starch by resting cultures was about 6·0 when glucose or fructose were substrates. Relative to glucose (as 100%) in ability to form the polysaccharide were, fructose, 75%; sucrose, 80%; soluble starch, 18·6%; maltose, 6·9%; cellobiose, 4%; and xylose, 2·1%. No starch was formed from galacturonic, acetic, propionic, butyric, lactic or succinic acids. A bacterial fraction of the microbes was reponsible for about 80% of the starch formed from glucose, fructose or sucrose.In incubations of 24 h, resting cultures formed more starch per unit of microbial protein than growing cultures. The utilization of microbial starch and lactic acid, formation of which often accompanied starch synthesis, gave rise to volatile fatty acids. Acid production was maintained from these substrates at rates similar to those obtained from the fermentation of glucose. The acids were in molar proportions of 65–70% acetic, 20–27% propionic and 8–15% butyric. The maximum starch calculated to be synthesized by the microbes from 100 ml of rumen liquor, in media containing excess sugar, amounted to over 250 mg from glucose, 200 mg from fructose, 200 mg from cellobiose and 50 mg from xylose. It is calculated that under optimum conditions for synthesis about 25 g of starch would pass daily from the rumen of a sheep.