The digestion by cattle of silage-containing diets fed at two dry matter intakes

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Abstract
1. In a 4 x 4 Latin square experiment four cows were given, twice daily, diets consisting of (g/kg dry matter (DM)) 500 barley, 400 grass silage and 100 soya-bean meal. The diets were given at either 1.15 (L) or 2.3 (H) times maintenance energy requirements and the soya-bean meal was either untreated (U) or formaldehyde (HCH0)-treated (T).2. The passage of digesta to the duodenum was estimated using chromic oxide as a flow marker;35S was used to estimate the amount of microbial protein entering the small intestine. A microbial fraction was prepared by differential centrifugation from duodenal digesta. Samples of bacteria and of protozoa from rumen digesta were also prepared.3. The total amino acid contents of feedingstuffs, duodenal digesta, duodenal microbial material, rumen bacteria and rumen protozoa were determined by ion-exchange chromatography. The D-alanine and D-glutamic acid contents of the samples were determined by gas–liquid chromatography.4. The quantity of each amino acid entering the small intestine was significantly (P < 0,001) increased by increasing DM intake and tended to be increased by formaldehyde-treatment of the soya-bean meal. There were net losses of all amino acids across the forestomachs except for lysine, methione, o-alanine and D-glutamic acid for which there were net gains.5. There were significant (P < 0.05) differences in amino acid composition between rumen bacteria and duodenal microbial material; differences in amino acid composition between rumen bacteria and rumen protozoa were also observed.6. D-Alanine and D-glutamic acid were present in the silage but not in the barley or either of the soya-bean meals. All samples of microbes and digesta contained D-alanine and D-glutamic acid.7. The use of D-ahine and D-glUtamiC acid as markers for microbial nitrogen entering the small intestine was assessed. Estimates of the quantities of microbial N entering the small intestine based on the D-alanine or D-glutamic acid contents of rumen bacteria or duodenal microbes were significantly higher than those determined using 35S as a marker.