One study using the rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC) investigated the changes in the ruminal microbiota and anaerobic fermentation in response to the addition of different lipid supplements to a ruminant diet. A basal diet with no oil added was the control, and the treated diets were supplemented with sunflower oil (2%) only, or sunflower oil (2%) in combination with fish oil (1%) or algae oil (1%). Four fermentation units were used per treatment. RUSITEC fermenters were inoculated with rumen digesta. Substrate degradation, fermentation end-products (volatile fatty acids, lactate, gas, methane and ammonia), and microbial protein synthesis were determined. Fatty acid profiles and microbial community composition were evaluated in digesta samples. Numbers of representative bacterial species and microbial groups were determined using qPCR. Composition of the microbial community and diversity were based on T-RFLP spectra. The addition of oils had not effects on substrate degradation or microbial protein synthesis. Differences among diets in NDF degradation were not significant (P = 0.132), but the contrast comparing oil–supplemented diets with the control was significant (P = 0.039). Methane production was reduced (P < 0.05) with all oil supplements. Propionate production was increased when diets containing oil were fermented. Compared with the control, the addition of algae oil decreased the percentage C18:3 c9c12c15 in rumen digesta, and that of C18:2 c9t11 was increased when the control diet was supplemented with any oil. Marine oils decreased the hydrogenation of C18 unsaturated fatty acids. Microbial diversity was not affected by oil supplementation. Cluster analysis showed that diets with additional fish or algae oils formed a group separated from the sunflower oil diet. Supplementation with marine oils decreased the numbers of Butyrivibrio producers of stearic acid, and affected the numbers of protozoa, methanogens, Selenomonas ruminantium and Streptococcus bovis, but not total bacteria. In conclusion, there is a potential to manipulate the rumen fermentation and microbiota with the addition of sunflower, fish or algae oils to ruminant diets at appropriate concentrations. Specifically, supplementation of ruminant mixed rations with marine oils will reduce methane production, the acetate to propionate ratio and the fatty acid hydrogenation in the rumen.

The aim of this study was to distinguish effects due to diet composition from those triggered by ruminal pH on fermentation patterns and microbial profiles in a continuous culture system (RUSITEC). The study followed a 2 × 2 factorial design, with two diets varying in the proportions of forage and concentrate and two pH levels in the culture medium. RUSITEC fermenters were used to simulate rumen fermentation and feed digestibility, fermentation end-products, microbial protein synthesis, microbial community, and long-chain fatty acid profiles in the digesta were determined. Multivariate analyses were applied to summarize the overall results. High concentrate (34% cereal grain, 32% hay) diets were more digestible (p < 0.05) than high forage (10% cereal grain, 78% hay) diets, resulting in a greater (p < 0.05) formation of most fermentation end-products and microbial protein in the rumen. However, there were no significant (p > 0.05) differences between diets in methane production. Ciliate protozoa, anaerobic fungi, some fibrolytic bacteria, hydrogenation of oleic acid, and relative proportion of conjugated linoleic acid were increased (p < 0.05) with high forage diets. A decline in rumen pH from 6.8 to 6.4 decreased (p < 0.05) feed digestibility, protein degradability, and the daily outputs of some fermentation end-products (gas, VFA, acetate, ammonia) but had no effect (p > 0.05) on the synthesis of microbial protein, and on the output of methane, propionate, butyrate or lactate. Minor changes in microbial community profile or the fatty acid relative proportions were observed within this pH range. The overall multivariate analysis revealed a clear discrimination between high-concentrate and high-forage diets, with subtler and less-defined pH effects on ruminal fermentation and microbial communities.

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue realizar una revisión sobre el efecto de la suplementación con lípidos sobre la concentración de ácido linoleico conjugado (ALC-c9t11) o ruménico y otros ácidos grasos insaturados en la leche bovina. Se abordó el concepto y origen del ALC-c9t11 en rumiantes. Existe una tendencia internacional en mejorar la calidad de la alimentación, lo que implica el incremento de consumo de proteína animal, dentro de lo cual están los productos lácteos saludables y ricos en ALC-c9t11, que ha mostrado efectos anticancerígenos en modelos animales. En la leche bovina ALC-c9t11, resulta del consumo de ácidos grasos insaturados y de la extensión de la biohidrogenación ruminal. La suplementación con ácidos grasos insaturados de origen vegetal permite aumentar la concentración de ALC-c9t11 y disminuir la proporción de ácidos grasos saturados en la leche, pero la respuesta varía de acuerdo con la fuente de grasa empleada, su nivel y la interacción con la dieta basal.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de la dieta, número de partos y tercio de lactancia sobre el porcentaje de grasa, la concentración de ácido linoleico conjugado (ALC-c9t11), transvaccénico (ATV-C18:1t11) y otros ácidos grasos (AG) insaturados en la leche de vacas pastoreando en cuatro sistemas de producción. El trabajo se realizó de mayo a diciembre del 2012 en diez ganaderías colombianas, representativas de los sistemas de producción lechería tropical (LT) y doble propósito (DP) con/sin sistema silvopastoril intensivo de leucaena (SSPi). En cada ganadería se tomaron tres muestras individuales de leche, de cinco vacas (día 62 ± 22, día 147 ± 22 y día 227 ± 22 de lactancia), conjuntamente se estimó el consumo de suplemento y de forraje, y se determinaron AG en estos. Cada sistema de producción se analizó independientemente. El contenido de grasa en leche fue afectado por el tercio de lactancia (p<0,05) en LTSSPi y DPSSPi, presentando el primer tercio el menor valor. ALC-c9t11 en la leche varió entre 1,02 a 2,22%, ATV entre 4,40 a 6,50% y el índice de aterogenicidad entre 1,69 a 2,89. La alta participación de la grasa de los suplementos (51 a 84%) en el total de grasa consumida y su composición, llevó a variaciones en el per l de AG de la leche en los sistemas LT, LTSSPi y DP. El número de parto y el tercio de lactancia presentaron menor efecto que la dieta.