• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.10
• /
• pp.1429-1433
• /
• 2001

This study provides electron microscopic evidence for the presence of cellulosome-like structures on the cell surface of Ruminococcus albus F-40. Electron microscopy showed that clusters of tightly packed spherical particles were located on the cell surface of R. albus. The protuberant structures present mainly on the bacterial surface and also bound to the cellulose substrate appeared to be the site of cellulosome-like structures. From the evidence presented, we suggest that the structures described here might be a characteristic feature of some ruminal cellulolytic bacteria.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.83-95
• /
• 1997

The degradation mode of lignocellulose by anaerobic ruminal cellulolytic bacterium Ruminococcus albus F-40 was investigated. Birchwood holocellulose and filter paper were incubated as the sole carbohydrate sources with using the Hungate techniques. After 2 or 4 days of incubation, samples were employed for chemical and electron microscopic evaluations. The degradation rate of cellulosic substrates and the adhesion rate of bacteria to the substrates increased proportionally with the decrease of relative crystallinity of cellulose, indicating the preferential breakdown of amorphous cellulose, by this bacterium. X-ray diffraction analyses and polarized light microscopy showed, however, that crystalline cellulose was also degraded by R. albus. FT-IR spectra indicated that not only cellulose but hemicellulose was also degraded by this bacterium. Electron microscopic investigations showed the protuberant structures on the surface of R. albus. These structures were much more significant when bacterial cells were grown in the media containing insoluble substrates, such as cellulose, indicating clearly that bacterial protuberant structures were induced by the substrates. Protuberant structures extended from the bacterial cells adhered tightly to the substrates and numerous vesicles covered the surface of cellulosic substrates affected. Cellulosome-like structures were distributed on the cellulose matrix. Electron microscopic works showed that diverse surface organells of R. albus were involved in the degradation of cellulosic materials. SEM examinations showed the breakdown of cellulose by R. albus was proceeded by severeal routes : short fiber formation, defibrillation and destrafication of cellulose microfibril.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.389-396
• /
• 1994

Effects of chemical treatments on in sacco and in vitro digestibility of barley straw by rumen fluid and pure cultures of cellulolytic bacteria were studied to evaluate the pretreatment and to improve the poor quality feed. Chemicals were applied by dissolving them in water equivalent to 40% of the weight of the straw (dry matter basis). Pretreatment with 5% NaOH yielded the largest increase in sacco digestion followed by pretreatment with 2% $(NH_4)_2SO_3$, 2.6% $NH_4OH$, 1.6% $NaHSO_3$ and untreated straw (control). In sacco dry matter digestibility of straw treated with NaOH and $(NH_4)_2SO_3$ continued to increase as the concentration of chemical increased (1 to 7.5%), as it was the in vitro dry matter loss by leaching. Treatment of barley straw with 5% NaOH enhanced significantly (p < 0.01) in vitro digestibility by rumen fluid, Fibrobacter suceinogenes and Ruminococcus albus though the fermentation products by cellulolytic bacteria were low, whereas the treatment with 5% $(NH_4)_2SO_3$ inhibited in vitro digestibility by F. succinogenes and R. albus together with lower fermentation products. Dry matter loss by leaching and bacterial digestion from barley straw treated with NaOH and $(NH_4)_2SO_3$ suggested the effect of pretreatment with these chemicals were based on leaching, and the cellulolytic bacteria had little to do with digestion.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.36-45
• /
• 2014

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of protein sources and roughage (R) to concentrate (C) ratio on in vitro fermentation parameters using a gas production technique. The experimental design was a $2{\times}5$ factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design (CRD). Factor A was 2 levels of protein sources yeast fermented cassava chip protein (YEFECAP) and soybean meal (SBM) and factor B was 5 levels of roughage to concentrate (R:C) ratio at 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80, and 0:100, respectively. Rice straw was used as a roughage source. It was found that gas production from the insoluble fraction (b) of YEFECAP supplemented group was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those in SBM supplemented group. Moreover, the intercept value (a), gas production from the insoluble fraction (b), gas production rate constants for the insoluble fraction (c), potential extent of gas production (a+b) and cumulative gas production at 96 h were influenced (p<0.01) by R:C ratio. In addition, protein source had no effect (p>0.05) on ether in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDMD) and organic (IVOMD) while R:C ratio affected the IVDMD and IVOMD (p<0.01). Moreover, YEFECAP supplanted group showed a significantly increased (p<0.05) total VFA and $C_3$ while $C_2$, $C_2:C_3$ and $CH_4$ production were decreased when compared with SBM supplemented group. In addition, a decreasing R:C ratio had a significant effect (p<0.05) on increasing total VFA, $C_3$ and $NH_3$-N, but decreasing the $C_2$, $C_2:C_3$ and CH4 production (p<0.01). Furthermore, total bacteria, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavefaciens and Ruminococcus albus populations in YEFECAP supplemented group were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those in the SBM supplemented group while fungal zoospores, methanogens and protozoal population remained unchanged (p>0.05) as compared between the two sources of protein. Moreover, fungal zoospores and total bacteria population were significantly increased (p<0.01) while, F. succinogenes, R. flavefaciens, R. albus, methanogens and protozoal population were decreased (p<0.01) with decreasing R:C ratio. In conclusion, YEFECAP has a potential for use as a protein source for improving rumen fermentation efficiency in ruminants.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.515-523
• /
• 2012

The study investigated the biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay of cellulose supplementing with mixed methanogens and cellulolytic bacteria to improve anaerobic digestion for methane production. For the BMP assay, 7 different microbial supplementation groups were consisted of the cultures of mixed methanogens (M), Fibrobacter succinogenes (FS), Ruminococcus flavefaciensn (RF), R. albus (RA), RA+FS and M+RA+FS including control. The cultures were added in the batch reactors with the increasing dose levels of 1% (0.5 mL), 3% (1.5 mL) and 5% (2.5 mL). Incubation for the BMP assay was carried out for 40 days at $38^{\circ}C$ and anaerobic digestate obtained from an anaerobic digester with pig slurry as inoculum was used. In results, 5% FS increased total biogas and methane production up to 10.4~22.7% and 17.4~27.5%, respectively, compared to other groups (p<0.05). Total solid (TS) digestion efficiency showed a similar trend to the total biogas and methane productions. Generally the TS digestion efficiency of the FS group was higher than that of other groups showing at the highest value of 64.2% in the 5% FS group. Volatile solid (VS) digestion efficiencies of 68.4 and 71.0% in the 5% FS and the 5% RF were higher than other groups. After incubation, pH values in all treatment groups were over 6.4 indicating that methanogensis was not inhibited during the incubation. In conclusion, the results indicated that the hydrolysis stage for methane production in anaerobic batch reactors was the late-limiting stage compared with the methanogenesis stage, and especially, as the supplementation levels of F. succinogenes supplementation increased, the methane production was increased in the BMP assay compared with other microbial culture addition.