Kinetics of hydration and functional specific gravity of fibrous feed by-products

Five studies were conducted to evaluate the kinetics of digestion, hydration, and functional specific gravity (FSG) of various feed by-products (FBP) in vitro. The water-holding capacity (WHC) of alfalfa and orchardgrass (1.428 and 1.005 g/g of insoluble DM [IDM], respectively) was higher (P < .05) than the WHC of FBP, which ranged from .175 for distillers grains to .481 g/g of IDM for brewers grains pellets. Rate of hydration was the highest in brewers grains pellets and beet pulp (.215 and .252 min-1, respectively), whereas the lowest hydration rates were observed in orchardgrass, corn cob pellets, and soyhulls (.055 to .066 min-1). Loss of associated gasses from feed particles fermented in vitro increased (P < .05) their FSG when the contents of incubation tubes were transferred to pycnometers, compared with that when the incubation was carried out directly in the pycnometers (1.17 vs 1.13) to determine their FSG. Gas produced during fermentation delayed the increase in the FSG of all sources of brewers grains and beet pulp, corn gluten feed, distillers grains, orchardgrass, alfalfa, and wheat middlings but not of corn cob pellets, cottonseed hulls, and soyhulls. Averaged across hours of incubation, the FSG of FBP (except beet pulp) was either higher (P < .05) or tended to be higher than that of alfalfa and orchardgrass. Particle size of FBP did not influence FSG during fermentation in vitro. The WHC and FSG of feeds may be helpful in predicting the rate of passage of feeds through the rumen.