Effects of replacing dietary starch with neutral detergent-soluble fibre on ruminal fermentation, microbial synthesis and populations of ruminal cellulolytic bacteria using the rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC).

A rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC) apparatus with eight 800 ml fermenters was used to investigate the effects of replacing dietary starch with neutral detergent-soluble fibre (NDSF) by inclusion of sugar beet pulp in diets on ruminal fermentation, microbial synthesis and populations of ruminal cellulolytic bacteria. Experimental diets contained 12.7, 16.4, 20.1 or 23.8% NDSF substituted for starch on a dry matter basis. The experiment was conducted over two independent 15-day incubation periods with the last 8 days used for data collection. There was a tendency that 16.4% NDSF in the diet increased the apparent disappearance of organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF). Increasing dietary NDSF level increased carboxymethylcellulase and xylanase activity in the solid fraction and apparent disappearance of acid detergent fibre (ADF) but reduced the 16S rDNA copy numbers of Ruminococcus albus in both liquid and solid fractions and R. flavefaciens in the solid fraction. The apparent disappearance of dietary nitrogen (N) was reduced by 29.6% with increased dietary NDSF. Substituting NDSF for starch appeared to increase the ratios of acetate/propionate and methane/volatile fatty acids (VFA) (mol/mol). Replacing dietary starch with NDSF reduced the daily production of ammonia-N and increased the growth of the solid-associated microbial pellets (SAM). Total microbial N flow and efficiency of microbial synthesis (EMS), expressed as g microbial N/kg OM fermented, tended to increase with increased dietary NDSF, but the numerical increase did not continue as dietary NDSF exceeded 20.1% of diet DM. Results suggested that substituting NDSF for starch up to 16.4% of diet DM increased digestion of nutrients (except for N) and microbial synthesis, and further increases (from 16.4% to 23.8%) in dietary NDSF did not repress microbial synthesis but did significantly reduce digestion of dietary N.