Concentrate containing calcium salts of fatty acids rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids can change rumen fermentation in grazing goats

Abstract

Feeding goats with calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFA) can supply ruminants with lipids, with minimal effects on ruminal fermentation and fiber digestibility. However, there is a shortage of information on the effect of CSFA on characteristics of rumen fermentation in grassland goats. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the addition of CSFA to concentrate on the parameters of rumen fermentation of grazing goats. Five rumen cannulated goats were distributed in a Latin square 5x5 design (treatments: 0%, 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5% and 6.0% CSFA. The pH, ammonia N and volatile fatty acids (VFA) content were analyzed in the ruminal fluid at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours after concentrate supplementation. The pH and ammonia N concentration showed a linear effect with the addition of CSFA. There was no effect observed for the VFA molar concentration after grazing goats were fed with the experimental diet. In conclusion, further research is needed to investigate the addition of CSFA to goat diets because there is evidence that CSFA increases ruminal pH and decreases excess ruminal ammonia without changing the VFA concentration in the rumen fluid.

Nutrient intake, digestibility, and utilization in goats fed graded levels of hempseed cake finisher diets

“…Dietary fat deters proliferation of rumen protozoans thus limiting protozoal predation on rumen bacteria thereby reducing bacterial protein recycling (Bach et al 2005 ; Patra 2013 ; Nur Atikah et al 2018 ). The current study’s ruminal pH and ammonia are comparable to other goat studies that fed whole hempseed (Rapetti et al 2021 ) and SBM-based diets (Gomes et al 2018 ). However, the substitution of SBM with HSC up to 30% has been reported to decrease rumen fermentation parameters among goats and this was attributed to the reduction of NFC (Abrahamsen et al 2021 ).…”