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Effect of refiner defibrizing on the fermentability of ryegrass straw
Author(s) -
Han Y. W.,
Chen W. P.,
Miles T. R.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260200408
Subject(s) - straw , sugar , rumen , materials science , fiber , hammer , chemistry , scanning electron microscope , agronomy , pulp and paper industry , food science , composite material , fermentation , biology , metallurgy , engineering
The effects of two grinding methods, hammer milling and defibrizing by disk refining, on the fermentability of ryegrass straw were investigated. Disk refined or defibrized straw produced more sugar than hammer milled straw. Release of sugar was especially pronounced when H 2 SO 4 was added to the straw during the defibrizing process. In vitro rumen digestibility was significantly higher ( P < 0.1) for defibrized than for hammer milled straw. With semisolid culture the level of yeast growth was about three times as high on the defibrized as on hammer milled straw. A scanning electron micrograph revealed that defibrizing removed the waxy surface of the straw as well as separating fiber bundles, so that the surface area of the exposed fiber structure was increased.