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Fate of Lactic Acid in Rumen Ingesta

Departments of Biochemistry and Nutrition and of Veterinary Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg

ABSTRACT

The production of lactic acid in ruminal ingesta in vitro was stimulated by commercial alfalfa meal, heated and unheated alfalfa, glucose, and heated starch. The heating of starch and alfalfa increased production although no substrate, at levels comparable to the amounts of similar material in commercial alfalfa meal, caused as much lactic acid to be produced as did alfalfa meal. Propionate production was stimulated by mixtures of peptone and glucose in the absence of lactic acid accumulation or by alfalfa meal in the presence of lactic acid. Product composition varied with fermentation pH. At pH 6.3, 35% of added uniformly labeled C-14 lactic acid was converted to acetic acid, whereas 33% was recovered in the ether-extracted aqueous residues and 9% in the propionate. The remainder was distributed in other fatty acids and fermentation gases.