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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1485688
This article is part of the Research Topic Unravelling the Unknown of the Rumen Microbiome: Implications for Animal Health, Productivity, and Beyond View all 15 articles

Evaluating the potential of fermented bakery by-products as a replacement for corn gluten feed in cattle diets to suppress methanogenesis and alter rumen fermentation in growing Holstein bulls

Provisionally accepted
Xuanxuan Pu Xuanxuan Pu 1Wanqian Zhang Wanqian Zhang 2Fan Yang Fan Yang 3Xiumin Zhang Xiumin Zhang 2Rong Wang Rong Wang 2Qiushuang Li Qiushuang Li 2Xingze Yang Xingze Yang 3Daliang Cai Daliang Cai 4Jiabin Huo Jiabin Huo 2Xuezhao Sun Xuezhao Sun 5Zhiliang Tan Zhiliang Tan 2Bo Lin Bo Lin 3Min Wang Min Wang 2*
  • 1 Tarim University, Aral, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China
  • 2 Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Changsha, Hunan Province, China
  • 3 Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
  • 4 The Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Yeast Function, Yichang 443003, Hubei, Yichang, China
  • 5 AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand, New Zealand, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Both corn gluten feed and bakery by-products are important alternative concentrate feedstuff for ruminants. Bakery by-products, which are rich in ether extract (EE) and starch, have the potential to be utilized as concentrate feedstuffs for ruminants, with a capacity to reduce ruminal methanogenesis. In the study, fermented corn gluten feed (FCG) and fermented bakery by-products (FBP) were mixed with other feedstuffs to formulate FCG and FBP diets, respectively. Twenty growing Holstein bulls, weighing 241 ± 10.5 kg, were randomly assigned to one of two dietary treatments: FCG or FBP diet. The aim was to investigate effects of replacing FCG with FBP feedstuff on nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation, ruminal microbiota, and methanogenesis. Results showed that the bulls feeding FBP diet had greater starch intake (P < 0.01) and digestibility (P = 0.04), EE intake (P < 0.01) and digestibility (P = 0.01), molar proportion of ruminal propionate (P < 0.01), while lower crude protein (CP) (P < 0.01) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (P = 0.01), ruminal dissolved methane concentration (P = 0.02), percentage of ruminal acetate (P < 0.01) and butyrate (P < 0.01), and the ratio of acetate to propionate (P < 0.01), in comparison with those feeding FCG diet. Further investigation on the bacterial community indicated that feeding FBP diet had greater abundance of Succiniclasticum (P = 0.02), Megasphaera (P < 0.01), Lachnospiraceae_unclassified (P < 0.01) and Lachnospira (P < 0.01), while lower abundance of Christensenellaceae_R-7_group (P < 0.01), Ruminococcus (P < 0.01) and NK4A214_group (P = 0.01). The increases in EE and starch intakes after the substitution of FCG by FBP feedstuff alter fermentation rumen pathway from acetate to propionate production through enriching the propionate producers with net hydrogen incorporation, and reduced ruminal methanogenesis.By-products that are high in ether extract (EE) and starch offer strategies to meet the nutrient requirements of growing ruminants, while reducing food competition with humans (Humer et al., 2018;Kaltenegger et al., 2020). Bakery by-products, which are

    Keywords: fermented bakery by-products, Nutrient digestibility, Dissolved methane, Rumen fermentation, Bacteria

    Received: 27 Aug 2024; Accepted: 03 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Pu, Zhang, Yang, Zhang, Wang, Li, Yang, Cai, Huo, Sun, Tan, Lin and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Min Wang, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Changsha, 410125, Hunan Province, China

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