• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.1215-1221
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• 1999

Twelve rumen fistulated cross-bred calves were divided into three groups and fed wheat straw and concentrate mixture according to their maintenance requirement. Animals in group II and III were fed 50 and 100mg rumensin per day, in addition to basal feed. Supplementation of rumensin in the diet decreased the dry matter intake significantly (p<0.05) along with a significant decrease in the straw intake. Digestibility coefficients of all the nutrients were not affected significantly except that of CF digestibility which was lower (p<0.05) in groups II and III as compared to group I. Among N-parameters in the rumen fluid, mean $NH_3-N$ was significantly lower in groups II and III (19.13 and 18.63 mg N/100 ml respectively) than in group I (22.68); total-N and TCA-ppt-N did not differ among the three groups. Total VFA concentration did also not differ among the three groups, however, propionate increased from 24.33 molar % to 32.73 while acetate and butyrate decreased respectively from 65.85 to 58.81% and 9.79 to 8.46%. Total VFA, bacteria and protozoa production rates were not affected significantly due to rumensin in diet. Methane production per kg DDM as well as % of methane in total gas were reduced at both the levels of rumensin on different concentrate ratios with wheat straw as roughage. Similar trend was also observed with rice straw and concentrate mixture as substrate with rumensin addition.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.221-225
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• 2005

An in vitro study was conducted to examine the effect of monensin or fish oil addition on bio-hydrogenation of $C_{18^-} unsaturated fatty acids and CLA production by mixed ruminal bacteria when incubated with safflower oil. Commercially manufactured concentrate (1%, w/v) with safflower oil (0.2%, w/v) were added to mixed solution (600 ml) of strained rumen fluid and McDougalls artificial saliva (control). Monensin $Rumensin^{(R)}$, 10 ppm, w/v, MO), mixed fish oil (0.02%, w/v, absorbed to 0.2 g alfalfa hay, FO) or similar amounts of monensin and fish oil (MO+FO) to MO and FO was also added into the control solution. All the culture solutions prepared were incubated in the culture jar anaerobically at $39^{\circ}C$ up to 12 h. Higher pH (p<0.047) and ammonia concentration (p<0.042) were observed from the culture solution containing MO at 12 h incubation than those from the culture solutions of control or FO. The MO supplementation increased (p<0.0001-0.007) propionate proportion of culture solution but reduced butyrate proportion at 6 h (p<0.018) and 12 h (p<0.001) of incubations. Supplementation of MO or MO+FO increased (p<0.001) the proportions of $C_{18:2}$. The MO alone reduced (p<0.022-0.025) the proportion of c9,t11-CLA compared to FO in all incubation times. The FO supplementation increased the proportion of c9,t11-CLA. An additive effect of MO to FO in the production of c9,t11-CLA was observed at 6 h incubation. In vitro supplementation of monensin reduced hydrogenation of $C_{18^-}$UFAs while fish oil supplementation increased the production of CLA.