Nutritional Implications Associated with Increasing the Fermentability of Straw by Chemical and Enzymatic Treatments

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Abstract
Effect of increasing fermentability of wheat straw by SO2 or by SO2 plus cellulase on several nutritional parameters was studied in sheep with ruminal and duodenal cannulae. Content of cell solubles in the straw was increased from 21.9 to 48.4% by the SO2 treatment and to 74.6% by the combined SO2 plus cellulase treatment. The increase in the content of rapidly fermentable sugars of the straw was associated with a gradual decrease in the proportionof acetic acid and a concomitant increase of butyric acid in the rumen. Calculated values of organic matter digestibility of wheat straw were 50.2, 65.3, and 68.4% for the untreated SO2, and SO2 plus cellulase treatments. Digestibility of the untreated straw cell walls was 55.6%; those of the SO2 and combined treatment diets were increased by 50 and 42% respectively. Amino acid profiles in the duodenal digesta were similar for all treatments despite differences in dietary N. The most intensive net synthesis of microbial amino acids occurred on the SO2 diet in which a net gain (10%) of N between feed and duodenum was obtained.

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