Effects of water extracts from chicory and BHT on the in vitro rumen degradation of feeds

Effects of Butyl-Hydroxyl-Toluene (BHT) and of Red Chicory Extract (RCE) on kinetics of gas production (GP) and rumen degradability values (OMd, NDFd and in vitro true OM degradability - IVTOMD) of two feeds (meadow hay and corn meal) were evaluated using an in vitro automatic batch system. For each feed 2 increasing dosages (0.15 and 1.5 mg/g of feed) of BHT and RCE and a Control (C) were tested in 4 replications and 2 incubations. First incubation lasted 72h, the 2(nd) one was stopped at the times on which half of GP was produced (t(1/2)), which were 9 and 16 h for corn and hay, respectively. From the supernatants of the 2(nd) incubation, VFA, NH(3), N content of the residual NDF were analysed and the microbial N balance was computed. The 2 feeds significantly affected rumen fermentation parameters; BHT significantly increased asymptotic GP, t(1/2) and IVTOMD (P<0.01), decreased the proportion of butyrate (P<0.01) but did not affect microbial N balance; RCE did not influence any of the parameters measured with respect to C, except for a significant increase of the estimated N available for microbes at the higher dosage