Table 6.
Results of ruminal pH and ruminal fluid metabolites
| Control diet | SARA diet | SED | P values | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruminal pH | ||||
| Mean | 6.31 | 6.06 | 0.07 | 0.01 |
| Minimum | 5.79 | 5.36 | 0.07 | 0.001 |
| Maximum | 6.73 | 6.77 | 0.10 | 0.77 |
| Minutes < pH 5.8 | 77.6 | 490.7 | 112.9 | 0.01 |
| Minutes < pH 5.6 | 11.0 | 294.5 | 93.4 | 0.02 |
| Area under the curve < pH 5.8 | 11.3 | 143.6 | 34.0 | 0.02 |
| Area under the curve < pH 5.6 | 0 | 66.5 | 24.6 | 0.04 |
| Volatile fatty acids (VFA) | ||||
| Total (mM) | 129.6 | 123.6 | 10.1 | 0.73 |
| Acetate (mM) | 81.9 | 69.0 | 6.4 | 0.02 |
| Propionate (mM) | 26.7 | 30.4 | 4.4 | 0.50 |
| Butyrate (mM) | 16.3 | 19.5 | 1.7 | 0.25 |
| Valerate (mM) | 1.89 | 2.27 | 0.44 | 0.42 |
| Isovalerate (mM) | 1.79 | 1.72 | 0.20 | 0.62 |
| Isobutyrate (mM) | 1.04 | 0.76 | 0.06 | <.0001 |
| Caproate (mM) | 0.60 | 0.45 | 0.16 | 0.37 |
| l-Lactate (mM) | 0.19 | 0.28 | 0.15 | 0.57 |
| Acetate:propionate | 3.23 | 2.52 | 0.41 | 0.09 |
SED standard error of difference.
Ruminal pH parameters and concentration of ruminal fluid metabolites from cows fed regular TMR diet (control) and TMR + wheat-barley pellets (SARA). Estimates are given as least squares means from the repeated measurements model. Acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate, isovalarete, and lactate concentrations were transformed back to the original scale.