The use of Reading Pressure Technique to estimate cumulative and rate of gas production for a range of commercially available buffalo feeds

The objective of this study is to examine the fermentation and degradation characteristics of seven substrates (alfalfa hay, soybean flour, wheat by-product, flaked barley, ryegrass, maize silage and straw) typically used in a commercial buffalo dairy farm, using the in vitro Reading Pressure Technique [RPT] according to Mauricio et al. (1999). This feed evaluation system is designed to examine the rate and extent of both fermentation [gas release] and substrate degradation simultaneously. With regards to measurements, standard parameters will be evaluated i.e. dry matter (DMD) and organic matter degradation (OMD) and fermentation gas release over a 96 h incubation period.The obtained results show that, 96 h post-inoculation, the fastest degradable feeds are soybean flour (952.28 OMD), barley flakes (894.38 OMD), ryegrass (871.04 OMD) but soybean flour produce less gas (245.54 ml v 301.07 ml (barley flakes) and 250.44 ml (ryegrass)) because of its higher content of crude protein. Also wheat by-product is highly degradable (839.44 OMD) while straw is the least degradable (667.31 OMD) because of its high content of ash and lignin that restrict degradation.These data demonstrate that this system is useful for a rapid and efficient evaluation of different feedstuffs. Moreover is a strong research tool to predict optimal plant in animal nutrition.