Table 3. Total VFA, individual VFA proportions, acetic acid to propionic acid (A/P) ratio, lactic acid concentrations, and LPS activity in Japanese Black beef cattle during the Early, Middle, and Late fattening stages.
| Item | Stage | SEM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early | Middle | Late | ||
| Total VFA (mmol/dL) | 13.1a | 12.3a | 9.77b | 0.72 |
| Acetic acid (%) | 62.5 | 57.1 | 58.6 | 1.69 |
| Propionic acid (%) | 21.4 | 27.1 | 27.1 | 2.08 |
| Butyric acid (%) | 11.9 | 12.8 | 11.2 | 0.92 |
| Other (%) | 4.20 | 3.04 | 3.08 | 0.53 |
| A/P ratio | 3.06a | 2.24b | 2.34ab | 0.24 |
| Lactic acid (mmol/dL) | 0.75a | 0.28b | 1.57c | 0.10 |
| LPS (×104 EU/mL) | 1.34a | 4.29b | 6.62b | 1.49 |
a,b,cMean within a row, different superscripts significantly differ (P < 0.05)