The Effect of Lignin Composition on Ruminal Fiber Fractions Degradation from Different Roughage Sources in Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

Abstract

The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is known for its unique utilization of low-quality fibrous feeds and outstanding digestion performance, highlighting its role as an animal model in studying fiber fractions degradation. Among roughage, lignin attracted wide attention in ruminant nutrition studies, which affects animal digestibility. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the functional relation between three lignin monomeric compositions of coniferyl alcohol (G), ρ-coumaryl alcohol (H) and sinapyl alcohol (S) and ruminal fiber degradation in water buffalo. Hence, three female water buffaloes (Nili-Ravi × Mediterranean, five years old, 480 ± 20 kg) were assigned for an in vivo study by utilizing the nylon-bag method, examining eight kinds of roughage. All the experimental roughage types were analyzed for the effective degradability (ED) of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), cellulose (CEL) and hemicellulose (HC) fractions. Then, prediction models for the roughage fiber degradation were established based on the characteristics of lignin monomer content. The results showed that S, S/G and S/(G+S+H) were positively correlated with the ED of NDF, ADF, CEL and HC; H/S was negatively correlated. For the effective degradability of ADL (ADLD), S and S/(G+S+H) were positively correlated with it; H, H/G, H/S and H/(G+S+H) were negatively correlated. The model with the highest fitting degree was ADLD = 0.161 − 1.918 × H + 3.152 × S (R2 = 0.758, p < 0.01). These results indicated that the lignin monomer composition is closely related to the utilization rate of roughage fiber. S-type lignin monomer plays a vital role in the fiber degradation of roughage. The experiment found the effect of lignin monomer composition on the degradation of fiber fractions using buffalo as the experimental animal and constructed prediction models, providing a scientific basis for building a new technological method using lignin composition to evaluate buffalo roughage. Furthermore, the capacity of ADL degradation of buffalo was proved in this experiment. In order to further explore the ability of lignin degradation by the buffalo, the DNA of rumen microorganisms was extracted for sequencing. The top three composition of rumen microorganisms at the genus level were Prevotella_1, 226, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-011. Six strains with lignin degradation ability were screened from buffalo rumen contents. This experiment also revealed that the buffalos possess rumen microorganisms with lignin degradation potential.

Isolation and identification of ligninolytic bacterium (Bacillus cereus) from buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) rumen and its effects on the fermentation quality, nutrient composition, and bacterial community of rape silage

“…The degradation of structural carbohydrates during the ensiling to produce corresponding sugars could be attributed to acidolysis, enzymatic action, and microbial activity (Dewar et al, 1963 ). Lignin fills in the gap between cellulose and hemicellulose to limit the utilization of cellulose and hemicellulose (Zakzeski et al, 2010 ; Zhong et al, 2021 ). B. cereus AH7-7 could degrade lignin and expose readily hydrolyzable fiber fractions in silage, which were hydrolyzed by organic acids to yield more sugars.…”

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Sericea Lespedeza Hay on Feed Intake, Digestion, Nutrient Utilization, Growth Performance, and Ruminal Fermentation and Methane Emission of Alpine Doelings and Katahdin Ewe Lambs

“…The reduced NDF digestibility of diets with lespedeza can be attributed to the relatively greater lignin content compared with this source of alfalfa. Lignin is responsible for the reduced digestibility of forages due to bonding with other fiber fractions as well as providing a physical barrier (i.e., encrusting) that retards or prevents microbial access to potentially degradable cellulose and hemicellulose [ 49 ]. Furthermore, diets rich in CT have antimicrobial properties that can inhibit the growth and activity of fibrolytic bacteria and(or) reduce enzyme activity [ 18 , 50 , 51 ].…”

The inclusion of detoxified castor bean meal in sugarcane silage increases the carcass weight and the content of unsaturated fatty acids in lamb meat

“…In this context, it is likely that the improvement provided by DCBM in the quality of sugarcane silage, mainly due to the decrease of up to 50% acetic acid in the ensiled mass (Oliveira et al, 2015), has reduced silage rejection by animals and contributed to the increase in DM intake (Grant & Ferraretto, 2018). On the other hand, the reduction in DM intake from the level of 182.2 g/kg of castor bean meal may be related to the intake of lignin-which increased by 132% between the level 0 g/kg and 21 g/kg DCBM-resulting in a drop in the speed of ruminal emptying (Zhong et al, 2021) and therefore limiting the intake of sheep by ruminal repletion.…”