Research note:: Investigation on the metabolism of glycerol in the rumen of bulls

Two bulls, each fitted with rumen and duodenal cannulas, received (in addition to a hay-grain diet) twice daily an infusion of 200 g glycerol into the rumen over a period of six days. During this preliminary in vivo investigation, the influence of a glycerol application on the rumen environment over a six-day adaptation period was examined. Samples of rumen fluid were collected daily, two hours after glycerol infusion. An additional N-15-urea application into the rumen was given on days 1 (without glycerol infusion), 3 and 7 (with glycerol infusion). Extra samples of rumen fluid and blood plasma (from puncture of vena jungularis) were taken through the 17th hour following urea application. Rumen fluid pH was reduced due to glycerol intake from 6.3 (day 1, without glycerol) to 5.4 by day 7. Molar proportion of acetic acid to propionic acid decreased from 3.5 (day 1) to 2.1 (days 6 and 7). Average glycerol disappearance rate from the rumen was 4.7 gl(-1) h(-1) for the first hour. Only small amounts of glycerol could be detected in the duodenal digesta. Blood plasma glycerol content was significantly higher after glycerol application (0.061 mmol l(-1) vs. 0.019 mmol l(-1)). The incorporation of N-15 into the rumen bacteria and the proportion of bacterial N (as percent of TCA-precipitable N in the rumen fluid) were lower after glycerol influsion. These results, coupled with the lower concentration of iso-acids (isobutyric and isovaleric acids) in the rumen fluid, indicate that the high amount of glycerol infusion (10% of DMI) reduced protein metabolism of rumen bacteria throughout the experimental period.