Effects of lactic acid bacteria silage inoculation on methane emission and productivity of Holstein Friesian dairy cattle.

Inoculants of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are used to improve silage quality and prevent spoilage via increased production of lactic acid and other organic acids and a rapid decline in silage pH. The addition of LAB inoculants to silage has been associated with increases in silage digestibility, dry matter intake (DMI), and milk yield. Given the potential change in silage and rumen fermentation conditions accompanying these silage additives, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LAB silage inoculants on DMI, digestibility, milk yield, milk composition, and methane (CH4) production from dairy cows in vivo.

Efficacy of the direct-fed microbial Enterococcus faecium alone or in combination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Lactococcus lactis during induced subacute ruminal acidosis.

This study aimed at investigating Enterococcus faecium alone or E. faecium in combination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Lactococcus lactis during a subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) challenge. Four ruminally fistulated Holstein dairy cows were assigned to the following treatments in a 4×4 Latin square design: (1) control (CON); (2) E.

Use of a direct-fed microbial product as a supplement during the transition period in dairy cattle.

Two studies were conducted. The objective of the first study was to assess the effects of a direct-fed microbial (DFM) product on dry matter intake, milk yield, milk components, disease incidence, and blood metabolites in dairy cattle. The objective of the second study was to assess the effects of DFM on apparent total-tract nutrient digestibility (ATTD).

High methanogenic potential of sucrose compared with starch at high ruminal pH.

The role of ruminal pH with respect to the expression of a differentiation in the methanogenic potential of easily fermentable carbohydrates was determined using the rumen simulation technique. The target pH at 21 h after feed supply was set to 6.0 and 7.

Fiber and lignin analysis in concentrate, forage, and feces: detergent versus enzymatic-chemical method.

Hemicelluloses, cellulose, and lignin contents of contrasting feeds, with emphasis on concentrate ingredients and complete concentrates, were analyzed using the Van Soest detergent procedure (analyzing neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin) and the enzymatic-chemical procedure (analyzing cellulose, soluble and insoluble noncellulosic polysaccharides, and Klason lignin). Also, feces from cows fed concentrates differing in carbohydrate composition were analyzed by the 2 procedures. The correlation between acid detergent lignin and Klason lignin was significant, but not as close as the one between individual structural polysaccharides measured with the 2 procedures.