Profiles of Odd- and Branched-Chain Fatty Acids and Their Correlations With Rumen Fermentation Parameters, Microbial Protein Synthesis and Bacterial Populations Based on Pure Carbohydrate Incubation in Vitro

Abstract Background: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the profiles of odd- and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFA; including C15:0, iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0, C17:0, iso-C17:0 and anteiso-C17:0) during pure carbohydrates incubation in vitro and whether they correlated with ruminal fermentation parameters, microbial crude protein (MCP) synthesis, and bacterial populations. The pure substrates containing five different ratios of fiber and starch (F:S; 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0) were incubated for 6 h, 12 h, 18 h and 24 h. Results: Except iso-C17:0, OBCFA concentrations were interacted by F:S and incubation time. The highest concentration of total OBCFA was found in the fermented mixture after 24 h of incubation when the F:S = 0:100; while the lowest level was 1.65 mg/g DM produced after 6 h of incubation with F:S = 50:50. The concentrations of total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and MCP remarkably decreased linearly as the inclusion of fiber in the substrates increased, as expected. The proportions of investigated cellulolytic bacteria in our study were increased linearly (or linearly and quadratically) while those of R. amylophilus and S. bovis were decreased as fiber inclusion increased. The correlation analysis indicated that iso-C16:0 concentration might have potential as a marker of productions of TVFA and MCP with ρ being 0.78 and 0.82 respectively. Compared to starch degrading bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria had more correlations with OBCFA profiles, and the strongest association was found on the population of R. flavefaciens with C15:0 concentration (ρ = 0.70). Conclusions: Our study shows there might be scope for iso-C16:0 to predict rumen productions of VFA and MCP. Notedly, this is the first paper reporting linkage of OBCFA with rumen function based on pure carbohydrate in vitro incubation, which would avoid confounding interference from dietary protein and fat presence. However, more in-depth experiments are needed to substantiate the current findings.