EJPAU 2009. Miśta D. GASTRIC MICROBIAL FERMENTATION IN RABBIT UNDER INFLUENCE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENT

Electronic Journal of Polish Agricultural Universities (EJPAU) founded by all Polish Agriculture Universities presents original papers and review articles relevant to all aspects of agricultural sciences. It is target for persons working both in science and industry,regulatory agencies or teaching in agricultural sector. Covered by IFIS Publishing (Food Science and Technology Abstracts), ELSEVIER Science - Food Science and Technology Program, CAS USA (Chemical Abstracts), CABI Publishing UK and ALPSP (Association of Learned and Professional Society Publisher - full membership). Presented in the Master List of Thomson ISI.

2009
Volume 12
Issue 1

Topic:

Veterinary Medicine

ELECTRONIC
JOURNAL OF
POLISH
AGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITIES

Miśta D. 2009. GASTRIC MICROBIAL FERMENTATION IN RABBIT UNDER INFLUENCE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENT – HUMOBENTOFET AT IN VITRO STUDY, EJPAU 12(1), #02.
Available Online: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume12/issue1/abs-02.html

GASTRIC MICROBIAL FERMENTATION IN RABBIT UNDER INFLUENCE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENT – HUMOBENTOFET AT IN VITRO STUDY

Dorota Miśta
Department of Animal Physiology and Biostructure, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland

ABSTRACT

The aim of the dissertation
was to analyse the selected parameters of in vitro fermentation in the
rabbit's stomach and to determine the influence of Humobentofet, a humic-mineral-fatty
supplement, on them. The research was conducted on 54 rabbits of the Belgian
giant breed, aged 6 months. The samples of gastric content were taken directly
after slaughter and then diluted with a solution containing a buffer selection.
To the samples prepared in this way, Humobentofet (HBF) was added at the dose
of 10% (group D₁) and 15% (group D₂) of the taken chyme.
The controls consisted of samples that did not contain HBF. The samples were
then fermented in vitro in anaerobic conditions in bottles placed in a
shaker with a water bath. The samples to be analysed were taken from bottles before
the fermentation (0. h) and in the course of fermentation, i.e. after 4^th,
6^th, and 24^th hrs of fermentation, in order to determine
the concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in them by means of gas chromatography.
Additionally, the pH as well as the concentration of ammonia and lactic acid
were also determined. Subsequently, the percentage concentrations of three most
important acids (acetic acid C₂, propionic acid C₃, and
butyric acid C₄) in their total concentration, the C₃/C₄ ratio,
the fermentation efficiency, the ratio of energy regained in VFA to the energy
lost in methane as well as the VFA utilisation coefficient were calculated.
On the basis of the obtained results, it was concluded that the influence of
the humic-mineral-fatty supplement on the in vitro fermentation of the
rabbit's gastric content is manifested first of all in the increase of the content
of propionic acid in the total volume of VFA, the increase of the fermentation
efficiency and the lowering of the non-glycogenic VFA/glycogenic VFA ratio.
Besides, it was observed that the pH of the caecal content was lowered. The
changes enumerated above prove the favourable impact of Humobentofet on the bacterial
processes that take place in the rabbit's caecum, especially in the case of animals
bred for consumer purposes.

Key words: rabbit, stomach fermentation, humic-mineral-fatty supplement.

Dorota Miśta
Department of Animal Physiology and Biostructure, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
C.K. Norwida 31
50-375 Wrocław
Poland

Responses to this article, comments are invited and should be submitted within three months of the publication of the article. If accepted for publication, they will be published in the chapter headed 'Discussions' and hyperlinked to the article.