Ruminal Microbial Degradation of Individual Amino Acids from Heat-Treated Soyabean Meal and Corn Gluten Meal in Continuous Culture

Abstract

Eight dual-flow continuous culture fermenters were used in three periods to study the effects of diets containing heat-treated soyabean meal (HSBM) or corn gluten meal (CGM) on ruminal microbial fermentation and the degradation of individual amino acids (AA). Treatments were a mix of non-protein nitrogen (N; urea and tryptone) that were progressively substituted (0, 33, 67 and 100%) for HSBM or CGM. Ruminal escape of AA was calculated with the slope ratio technique. Total volatile fatty acids (95.0 mM) and molar proportions (mol/100 mol) of acetate (59.3), propionate (21.8) and butyrate (10.5) were not affected by the treatments. As the level of HSBM or CGM increased, the concentration of ammonia-N and the degradation of protein decreased (p < 0.01), and the flows of nonammonia and dietary N increased (p < 0.01) quadratically. Compared with HSBM, CGM provided the highest flow (g/d) of total (20.6 vs. 18.3, p < 0.01), essential (9.04 vs. 8.25, p < 0.04) and nonessential (11.5 vs. 10.0, p < 0.01) AA, and increased linearly (p < 0.01) as the level of supplemental protein increased. Ruminal degradation of essential AA was higher (p < 0.04) than nonessential AA in CGM, but not in HSBM. Degradation of lysine was higher (p < 0.01) in both proteins, and degradation of methionine was higher in CGM. Ruminal degradation of individual AAs differ within and between protein sources and needs to be considered in precision feeding models.