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Relationship Between Polyphenolics and the in Vitro Fermentability of Tropical Forage Legumes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2017

A.C. Longland
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Dyfed SY23 3EB
M.K. Theodorou
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Dyfed SY23 3EB
C Powell
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Institute, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB
M. Gill
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Institute, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB
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Extract

Forage legumes are a potentially important source of dietary energy and protein for ruminants in the tropics. However, the nutritive value of such legumes can be depressed by their polyphenolic content. The effects of these compounds include inhibition of fermentation in the rumen and complexing with enzymes, dietary protein and fibre.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the total polyphenolic (TP), total condensed tannin (TCT), bound condensed tannin (BCT) and soluble condensed tannin (SCT) contents of forage legumes and their fermentability in vitro.

Leaf samples from eleven species of tropical forage legume were collected from Colombia (six species) and Ethiopia (five species). Lyophilised, milled samples of each of the eleven species (1 g x 5 replicates) were placed in gas-tight culture bottles containing an anaerobic medium inoculated with bovine rumen fluid. The cultures were incubated under anaerobic conditions for a total of 7 d h at 39°C.

Type
Tropical Feeds
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1994

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References

Terrill, T.H., Rowan, A.M., Douglas, G.B. and Barry, T.N. (1992). The determination of extractable, protein-bound and fibre-bound condensed tannins in forage plants, protein concentrate meals and cereal grains. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 28: 10571064.Google Scholar
Theodorou, M.K. (1993). A new laboratory procedure for determining the fermentation kinetics of ruminant feeds. Ciencia E Investigacion Agraria, 20, pp. 332344. ISSN 0304-5609.Google Scholar