Gas-liquid chromatography for evaluating polysaccharide degradation by Ruminococcus flavefaciens C94 and Bacteroides succinogenes S85.

Two predominant rumen cellulolytic bacteria, Ruminococcus flavefaciens C94 and Bacteroides succinogenes S85, were incubated with ground filter paper (Whatman no. 1), cattle manure fiber, wheat straw, Kentucky bluegrass, alfalfa, and corn silage as substrates. Analyses of the initial substrate and the recovered residue after 48 h of static incubation showed that R. flavefaciens C94 was quantitatively more effective than B. succinogenes S85 in degrading total dry matter (32.3% versus 16.1%). However, B. succinogenes S85 demonstrated a qualitative advantage in degrading the hemicellulose and hemicellulosic sugars of particular substrates. R. flavefaciens degraded a mean 29.7% of the cellulose and 35.6% of the hemicellulose in the various substrates, whereas B. succinogenes degraded a mean 17.9 and 31.6% of these fractions, respectively. Gas-liquid chromatography was an important aid in characterizing the polysaccharide-degrading capabilities of these rumen species.