Effect of beta‐glucan supplementation on feed intake, digestibility of nutrients and ruminal fermentation in Thai native beef cattle

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ß‐glucan on feed intake, digestibility of nutrients and ruminal fermentation in Thai native beef cattle that were fed low‐quality roughage. Four, Thai native beef cattle with initial body weight (BW) of 100 ± 20.0 kg were randomly assigned according to a 4 × 4 Latin square design to receive four treatment by ß‐glucan at 0, 1.6, 3.1 and 4.7 g/day respectively. Supplementation of ß‐glucan at 0–4.7 g in cattle did not affect the intake of DM, OM, CP, NDF or ADF. However, supplementation with ß‐glucan significantly improved rice straw intake (g/kg BW0.75), compared to the nonsupplemented group (p < 0.05), so rice straw intake was higher than in the group without ß‐glucan supplementation. In addition, total feed intake increased with the higher level of ß‐glucan supplementation. The estimated energy intake was not altered by ß‐glucan supplementation (p > 0.05). The experimental diet had no effect (p > 0.05) on the apparent digestibility of DM, OM, NDF or ADF. However, the digestibility of CP was significantly different among treatment and supplementation at 4.7 g/day ß‐glucan which was the highest level (63.2%) among all diets. ß‐glucan supplementation did not affect rumen pH, temperature or ruminal NH3‐N concentration. In addition, blood urea‐N levels were similar among experimental groups. The population of protozoa at 4 hr post‐feeding increased along with ß‐glucan supplementation and was highest at 4.7 g of ß‐glucan. Based on this experiment, it could be concluded that supplementation of ß‐glucan at 4.7 g improved rice straw intake, as well as total intake and digestibility of CP in Thai native beef cattle.

Dectin-1-Mediated Production of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Induced by Yeast β-Glucans in Bovine Monocytes

“…It is therefore conceivable that bovine monocytes, such as those of mice (68), humans (28), dogs (69), and chicken (70) may be prone to induction of trained immunity. That would provide a plausible explanation for the beneficial effects of b-glucancontaining dietary supplements observed in vivo in cattle (23,(45)(46)(47). The in vitro results obtained in this study may help clarify b-glucan recognition by bovine monocytes and lend support to further studies addressing trained immunity events in this species.…”

“…The effects of b-glucans or b-glucan-containing products have been explored in ruminants, either in vitro (42)(43)(44) or in vivo, by oral administration (23,24,(44)(45)(46)(47), with the purpose of increasing immunity or response to stressors. However, the immunostimulatory effect of b-glucan-containing products, such as Zymosan, on bovine cells mostly involved the analysis of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species production by neutrophils and monocyte-derived macrophages (48)(49)(50).…”

Effect of Oral Administration of 1,3-1,6 β-Glucans in DWV Naturally Infected Newly Emerged Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

“…In conclusion, the role of β-glucans as immune-modulator molecules has been reported for several species such as poultry, swine, and fish [42][43][44]. This research indicates that 1,3-1,6 β-glucans administered as supplementary food have a role on modulating the honeybee's defense pathways.…”