Effects of preservation procedures of rumen inoculum on in vitro microbial diversity and fermentation

• Published in: Animal feed science and technology 2010-02, Vol.155 (2), p.186-193
• Main Authors: Prates, A., de Oliveira, J.A., Abecia, L., Fondevila, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation; Feed and pet food industries; Food industries; forage evaluation; forage quality; Freezing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas production; gas production (biological); glycerol; in vitro digestibility; in vitro digestion; inoculum; microbial activity; Microbial diversity; Microbial inoculum; new methods; nitrogen; optimization; preservatives; rumen bacteria; rumen fermentation; rumen fluids; sheep; viability
• ISSN: 0377-8401; 1873-2216
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2009.12.005

Sheep rumen contents were used as inoculum for an in vitro semi-continuous incubation system to study whether preservation method affects microbial fermentation pattern. Rumen fluid was filtered and either used immediately as inoculum (CTL) or dispensed into 110 mm × 16 mm tubes, that were stored refrigerated at 6 °C for 4 h (REF) or frozen at −20 °C (FRZ), frozen in liquid N (FLN) or added with 0.04 glycerol and frozen in liquid N (FGL) for 48 h. Frozen inocula were thawed at 39 °C for 2 min before use (16 ml per bottle). Two 24 h incubations with four bottles per treatment were completed. The microbial utilisation of added glycerol after thawing in FGL increased total gas production ( P