In vitro gas production provides effective method for assessing ruminant feeds

Abstract

An animal’s feed intake, and how well that feed is digested, determine the feed’s production performance. The in vitro gas production technique is a relatively simple method for evaluating feeds, as large numbers of samples can be incubated and ana- lyzed at the same time. This method has been applied successfully at UC Davis for a variety of purposes in feed evaluation, including calculat- ing organic matter digestibility, the metabolizable energy of feeds and kinetics of their fermentation; deter- mining how feed value is affected by added fat, antinutritive factors and rumen modifiers; quantifying the en- ergy value of feed mixtures (rations); monitoring microbial change in the rumen; synchronizing nutrient diges- tion; and selecting forage nutrient targets for agricultural biotechnol- ogy. More than half of the nutrients consumed by ruminant animals leave the animal unutilized and undigested, and are excreted in feces, urine and gases. The in vitro gas production method can be used to examine ani- mal waste components that impact the environment and develop appro- priate mitigations.