Feedlot Bloat Studies. III. Rumen Fatty Acids and Metabolic Activity of Rumen Bacteria of Animals Placed on a Bloat-Producing Diet

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Abstract
Four cattle received 5 lb. mixed grass hay and 6 lb. of bloat-producing concentrate mixture daily for 74 days following 8 weeks on a silage-hay ration and a 4 week changeover period. The proportion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in rumen fluid and in VFA produced by dissimilation of glucose and cellobiose by washed cell suspensions (WCS) of rumen bacteria, changed with diet and continued to change during the entire period the bloat-producing diet was fed. Changes in VFA in the WCS were of a similar nature but of greater magnitude than those in the rumen fluid.