Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

The Use of an Automated System GreenFeed to Monitor Enteric Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Ruminant Animals
Published on: September 7, 2015
Comparison of rumen bacteria distribution in original rumen digesta, rumen liquid and solid fractions in lactating
Shoukun Ji1, Hongtao Zhang1, Hui Yan1
1State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Beijing Engineering Technology Research Center of Raw Milk Quality and Safety Control, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 China.
Background:
Original rumen digesta, rumen liquid and solid fractions have been frequently used to assess the rumen bacterial community. However, bacterial profiles in rumen original digesta, liquid and solid fractions vary from each other and need to be better established.
Methods:
To compare bacterial profiles in each fraction, samples of rumen digesta from six cows fed either a high fiber diet (HFD) or a high energy diet (HED) were collected via rumen fistulas. Rumen digesta was then squeezed through four layers of cheesecloth to separate liquid and solid fractions. The bacterial profiles of rumen original digesta, liquid and solid fractions were analyzed with High-throughput sequencing technique.
Results:
Rumen bacterial diversity was mainly affected by diet and individual cow (P > 0.05) rather than rumen fraction. Bias distributed bacteria were observed in solid and liquid fractions of rumen content using Venn diagram and LEfSe analysis. Fifteen out of 16 detected biomarkers (using LEfSe analysis) were found in liquid fraction, and these 15 biomarkers contributed the most to the bacterial differences among rumen content fractions.
Conclusions:
Similar results were found when using samples of original rumen digesta, rumen liquid or solid fractions to assess diversity of rumen bacteria; however, more attention should be draw onto bias distributed bacteria in different ruminal fractions, especially when liquid fraction has been used as a representative sample for rumen bacterial study.
Related Concept Videos
Development of Human Microbiota
Microbiota of the Stomach and Small Intestine
Microbiota of the Large Intestine

