Chitin and chitosan as possible novel nitrogen sources for ruminants

To evaluate chitin (an acetamido-p-glucan) and chitosan (an N-deacetylated product of chitin) as a novel source of N and energy for rumen microbes, the degradabilities of chitin and chitosan were determined in the rumen of sheep fed Italian ryegrass hay as their sole diet. Chitin was degraded in the rumen of sheep, but the rate of degradation was very slow (0.014 h(-1)) with 18 h lag time for starting degradation. Chitosan was not degraded in the rumen. Results show that neither chitin nor chitosan are effective sources of ruminant feed. A possible utilization of chitosan may be to protect protein from degradation in the rumen.