Lyophilized rumen fluid as a ruminal fermentation modifier in high grain-fed acidotic goats

Rumen cud transfaunation re-establishes rumen micro environment and improves fermentation in recipient animals affected with digestive disorders. Preserving rumen cud or fluid will increase its availability for the treatment of rumen fermentation disorders, without having to maintain donor animals. Rumen fluid collected from healthy goats, fed standard ration having roughage 70% and concentrate 30%, was lyophilized (prefreezing -80 °C, 48 h; lyophilization -45 °C, 32 h) using 5% glycerol as cryoprotectant. The 16 S metagenome analysis of the lyophilized rumen fluid (LRF) revealed an abundance of Prevotella (33.2%). Selenomonas ruminantium (1.87%) and Megasphaera elsdenii (0.23%) were also present. Twenty-four goats having history of high grain feeding and exhibiting clinical symptoms of rumen fermentation disorders were randomly distributed into either one of the two treatment groups viz., T₁ = oral administration of LRF 31 g/animal/day and T₂ = oral administration of sodium bicarbonate (SB) 15 g/animal/day. Post intervention LRF and SB, improved animal body condition, feed intake, fecal consistency, elevated the ruminal pH at 48 h, reduced propionate and lactate at 48 h, reduced total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and ammonia nitrogen at 24 h. Significant reduction in serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and urea levels were observed even from 24 h post intervention irrespective of the treatments. LRF significantly improved acetate and decreased propionate production compared to SB. LRF at 7.5% (v/v) can thus be used to counteract ruminal fermentation disorders in goats sequel to high grain ration.