The nylon bag technique in the determination of ruminal feed protein degradation

Authors

• Jouko Setälä Department of Animal Husbandry University of Helsinki SF - 00710 Helsinki 71, Finland

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.72120

Abstract

The investigation included experiments in which factors affecting the reliability of the nylon bag method were studied. The possibility of applying the feed protein degradabilities to practical feeding conditions was also examined. In the experiments concerning reliability, such factors as bag porosity, sample weight, sample treatment, washing procedure, diets, and differences between animals and incubation days were studied. The feed protein degradabilities were also determined by using as incubation periods the ruminal retention times for particulate matter of different feeds, evaluated as a function of DM intake/100 kg liveweight in different diets. A nylon bag, with a pore size of 40 µm and internal dimensions of 6 X 12 cm was selected for the degradability determinations. The sample weight used in incubations was 57 —60  mg DM/cm2. In the determination of feed protein degradability, when sheep are used as experimental animals, it is recommended that for routine determinations only one animal be used, analyzing the contents of two bags for each incubation period during two successive days. A control sample of which degradability is determined in advance in many sheep, should be used in all incubations in order to control the digestive processes in the rumen of the experimental sheep. The actual degradabilities analyzed by the bag method are applicable in practise, if they are determined using animals at similar feeding levels and on diets similar to those prevailing under the conditions in which the degradabilities are going to be used.