scholarly journals Role of Volatile Fatty Acids in Development of the Cecal Microflora in Broiler Chickens during Growth

2000 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 2536-2540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul W. J. J. van der Wielen ◽  
Steef Biesterveld ◽  
Servé Notermans ◽  
Harm Hofstra ◽  
Bert A. P. Urlings ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT It is known that volatile fatty acids can inhibit growth of species of the family Enterobacteriaceae in vitro. However, whether these volatile fatty acids affect bacterial populations in the ceca of chickens is unknown. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate if changes in volatile fatty acids in ceca of broiler chickens during growth affect bacterial populations. Results showed that members of theEnterobacteriaceae and enterococci are present in large numbers in 3-day-old broilers and start to decrease when broilers grow older. Lactobacilli are present in large numbers as well in 3-day-old broilers, but they remain stable during the growth of broilers. Acetate, butyrate, and propionate increase from undetectable levels in 1-day-old broilers to high concentrations in 15-day-old broilers, after which they stabilize. Significant negative correlations could be calculated between numbers of Enterobacteriaceae and concentrations of undissociated acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Furthermore, pure cultures of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from the ceca were grown in the presence of volatile fatty acids. Growth rates and maximal optical density decreased when these strains grew in the presence of increasing volatile fatty acid concentrations. It is concluded that volatile fatty acids are responsible for the reduction in numbers of Enterobacteriaceae in the ceca of broiler chickens during growth.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hangshu Xin ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
Xin Jiang ◽  
Chunlong Liu ◽  
Shuzhi Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the profiles of odd- and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFA; including C15:0, iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0, C17:0, iso-C17:0 and anteiso-C17:0) during pure carbohydrates incubation in vitro and whether they correlated with ruminal fermentation parameters, microbial crude protein (MCP) synthesis, and bacterial populations. The pure substrates containing five different ratios of fiber and starch (F:S; 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0) were incubated for 6 h, 12 h, 18 h and 24 h. Results: Except iso-C17:0, OBCFA concentrations were interacted by F:S and incubation time. The highest concentration of total OBCFA was found in the fermented mixture after 24 h of incubation when the F:S = 0:100; while the lowest level was 1.65 mg/g DM produced after 6 h of incubation with F:S = 50:50. The concentrations of total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and MCP remarkably decreased linearly as the inclusion of fiber in the substrates increased, as expected. The proportions of investigated cellulolytic bacteria in our study were increased linearly (or linearly and quadratically) while those of R. amylophilus and S. bovis were decreased as fiber inclusion increased. The correlation analysis indicated that iso-C16:0 concentration might have potential as a marker of productions of TVFA and MCP with ρ being 0.78 and 0.82 respectively. Compared to starch degrading bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria had more correlations with OBCFA profiles, and the strongest association was found on the population of R. flavefaciens with C15:0 concentration (ρ = 0.70). Conclusions: Our study shows there might be scope for iso-C16:0 to predict rumen productions of VFA and MCP. Notedly, this is the first paper reporting linkage of OBCFA with rumen function based on pure carbohydrate in vitro incubation, which would avoid confounding interference from dietary protein and fat presence. However, more in-depth experiments are needed to substantiate the current findings.


1972 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan J. Henning ◽  
F. J. R. Hird

1. Wild rabbits were caught during both phases of the excretory cycle and their gut contents were analysed for volatile fatty acids (VFA).2. All rabbits were found to have high concentrations of VFA in the caecum and in the proximal colon. Acetic was the most abundant acid followed by n-butyric, then propionic.3. VFA concentrations in the caecum and in the proximal colon of rabbits caught during the day and during the night were similar. Hard pellets from the distal colon and rectum of rabbits caught during the night had considerably less VFA than did the soft pellets from rabbits caught during the day.4. Owing to the ingestion of soft faeces, the VFA content of stomach material was greater in rabbits caught during the day than in those caught at night.5. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanism of the diurnal excretion pattern and the role of coprophagy in the rabbit.


2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 1979-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul W. J. J. van der Wielen ◽  
Steef Biesterveld ◽  
Len J. A. Lipman ◽  
Frans van Knapen

ABSTRACT The effects of concentrations of volatile fatty acids on an anaerobic, glucose-limited, and pH-controlled growing culture ofSalmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis were studied. Suddenly increasing volatile fatty acids to the concentrations representative of the ceca of 15-day-old broiler chickens caused washout of serovar Enteritidis. In contrast, a sudden increase to the volatile fatty acid concentrations representative of the ceca of younger broiler chickens caused a reduction in the biomass but not washout. Gradually increasing volatile fatty acids caused a gradual decrease in the biomass of serovar Enteritidis. We conclude that the concentrations of volatile fatty acids present in the ceca of broilers with a mature microflora can cause washout of serovar Enteritidis in an in vitro system mimicking cecal ecophysiology.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Yichong Wang ◽  
Sijiong Yu ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Shuang Zhang ◽  
Xiaolong Qi ◽  
...  

Nutritional strategies can be employed to mitigate greenhouse emissions from ruminants. This article investigates the effects of polyphenols extracted from the involucres of Castanea mollissima Blume (PICB) on in vitro rumen fermentation. Three healthy Angus bulls (350 ± 50 kg), with permanent rumen fistula, were used as the donors of rumen fluids. A basic diet was supplemented with five doses of PICB (0%–0.5% dry matter (DM)), replicated thrice for each dose. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs), ammonia nitrogen concentration (NH3-N), and methane (CH4) yield were measured after 24 h of in vitro fermentation, and gas production was monitored for 96 h. The trial was carried out over three runs. The results showed that the addition of PICB significantly reduced NH3-N (p < 0.05) compared to control. The 0.1%–0.4% PICB significantly decreased acetic acid content (p < 0.05). Addition of 0.2% and 0.3% PICB significantly increased the propionic acid content (p < 0.05) and reduced the acetic acid/propionic acid ratio, CH4 content, and yield (p < 0.05). A highly significant quadratic response was shown, with increasing PICB levels for all the parameters abovementioned (p < 0.01). The increases in PICB concentration resulted in a highly significant linear and quadratic response by 96-h dynamic fermentation parameters (p < 0.01). Our results indicate that 0.2% PICB had the best effect on in-vitro rumen fermentation efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas production.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 761
Author(s):  
Olinda Guerreiro ◽  
Susana P. Alves ◽  
Mónica Costa ◽  
Maria F. Duarte ◽  
Eliana Jerónimo ◽  
...  

Cistus ladanifer (rockrose) is a perennial shrub quite abundant in the Mediterranean region, and it is a rich source in secondary compounds such as condensed tannins (CTs). Condensed tannins from C. ladanifer were able to change the ruminal biohydrogenation (BH), increasing the t11–18:1 and c9,t11–18:2 production. However, the adequate conditions of the C. ladanifer CTs used to optimize the production of t11–18:1 and c9,t11–18:2 is not yet known. Thus, we tested the effect of increasing the doses of C. ladanifer CT extract (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 g/kg dry matter (DM)) on in vitro rumen BH. Five in vitro batch incubations replicates were conducted using an oil supplemented high-concentrate substrate, incubated for 24 h with 6 mL of buffered ruminal fluid. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and long chain fatty acids (FA) were analyzed at 0 h and 24 h, and BH of c9–18:1, c9, c12–18:2 and c9, c12, c15–18:3, and BH products yield were computed. Increasing doses of C. ladanifer CTs led to a moderate linear decrease (p < 0.001) of the VFA production (a reduction of 27% with the highest dose compared to control). The disappearance of c9–18:1 and c9,c12–18:2 as well as the production of t11–18:1 and c9, t11:18:2 was not affected by increasing doses of C. ladanifer CTs, and only the disappearance of c9, c12, c15–18:3 suffered a mild linear decrease (a reduction of 24% with the highest dose compared to control). Nevertheless, increasing the C. ladanifer CT dose led to a strong depression of microbial odd and branched fatty acids and of dimethyl acetals production (less than 65% with the highest dose compared to control), which indicates that microbial growth was more inhibited than fermentative and biohydrogenation activities, in a possible adaptative response of microbial population to stress induced to CTs and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The ability of C. ladanifer to modulate the ruminal BH was not verified in the current in vitro experimental conditions, emphasizing the inconsistent BH response to CTs and highlighting the need to continue seeking the optimal conditions for using CTs to improve the fatty acid profile of ruminant fat.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 2634-2639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenming Zhou ◽  
Qingxiang Meng ◽  
Zhongtang Yu

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to systematically evaluate and compare the effects of select antimethanogen compounds on methane production, feed digestion and fermentation, and populations of ruminal bacteria and methanogens usingin vitrocultures. Seven compounds, including 2-bromoethanesulphonate (BES), propynoic acid (PA), nitroethane (NE), ethyltrans-2-butenoate (ETB), 2-nitroethanol (2NEOH), sodium nitrate (SN), and ethyl-2-butynote (EB), were tested at a final concentration of 12 mM. Ground alfalfa hay was included as the only substrate to simulate daily forage intake. Compared to no-inhibitor controls, PA, 2NEOH, and SN greatly reduced the production of methane (70 to 99%), volatile fatty acids (VFAs; 46 to 66%), acetate (30 to 60%), and propionate (79 to 82%), with 2NEOH reducing the most. EB reduced methane production by 23% without a significant effect on total VFAs, acetate, or propionate. BES significantly reduced the propionate concentration but not the production of methane, total VFAs, or acetate. ETB or NE had no significant effect on any of the above-mentioned measurements. Specific quantitative-PCR (qPCR) assays showed that none of the inhibitors significantly affected total bacterial populations but that they did reduce theFibrobacter succinogenespopulation. SN reduced theRuminococcus albuspopulation, while PA and 2NEOH increased the populations of bothR. albusandRuminococcus flavefaciens. Archaeon-specific PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that all the inhibitors affected the methanogen population structure, while archaeon-specific qPCR revealed a significant decrease in methanogen population in all treatments. These results showed that EB, ETB, NE, and BES can effectively reduce the total population of methanogens but that they reduce methane production to a lesser extent. The results may guide futureinvivostudies to develop effective mitigation of methane emission from ruminants.


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