Premium
Proteolytic activity of ruminal digesta during the feeding cycle in sheep receiving grass hay/concentrate or maize silage/concentrate diets
Author(s) -
Wallace R.J.,
Wallace S.J.A.,
McKain N.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1046/j.1472-765x.2000.00721.x
Subject(s) - hay , silage , rumen , digestion (alchemy) , casein , biology , zoology , forage , agronomy , proteolytic enzymes , food science , chemistry , biochemistry , fermentation , enzyme , chromatography
Proteolytic activity was measured by the digestion of 14 C‐labelled casein in digesta removed from the rumen of four sheep receiving a grass hay/concentrate diet and four sheep receiving a maize silage/concentrate diet. Samples were removed immediately before feeding and at 2‐h intervals after feeding up to 12 h. Animals on both diets produced similar proteolytic activities (1·83 ( s . d . 0·41) and 2·14 ( s . d . 0·61) mg 14 C‐casein hydrolysed (ml ruminal fluid) −1 h −1 with the maize silage‐ and grass hay‐based diets, respectively). Time after feeding had no effect on proteolytic activity, but between‐animal variation was consistent and highly significant, with the highest‐activity animals having activities 64 and 74% higher than the lowest‐activity animals on the two diets, respectively.