Innovation Rumen Microbial Degradation of Tropical Legume Seeds in a Consecutive Batch Culture System In-vitro

An experiment was conducted to examine rumen microbial degradation of selected tropical legume seeds incubated in a consecutive batch culture (CBC) system. The oilseeds are generally lower in their dry matter (DM) loss, gas production and volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration compared to legume seeds showing that legume seeds are more readily degradable and fermentable by rumen microorganisms. Compared to whole cottonseed (WCS) all legume seeds are better in their DM loss, gas production and VFA concentrations. These suggest that the relatively high protein content and low oil content of legume seeds compared to those of oilseeds might contributed to their better fermentation. The reasons for the poor degradability and fermentability of WCS might involve the presence of antinutrient compounds such as gossypol. Other factors limiting the fermentation of WCS could include the structure and composition of fibre, fat content, and possibly other antinutrient compounds such as tannin.