Kansas State University. Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
Doi
Abstract
Acidosis is one of the more important maladies afflicting cattle fed significant amounts
of grain and has enormous economic impact for feedlots, dairies, and producers of
seed stock. The highest incidence of acidosis occurs when animals are being transitioned
from high-roughage diets to diets containing high levels of concentrates. When
grain-based diets are consumed in excess, consumed too quickly, or fed without proper
adaptation, digestive end products (organic acids) can accumulate within the rumen,
resulting in acidosis. Lactic acid is one of the key organic compounds that accumulates
under these conditions. Coupled with the animal’s limited ability to metabolize lactate,
accumulation of lactic acid in the rumen lowers ruminal pH and subsequently depresses
feed intake. One means of preventing acidosis is to directly populate the rumen with
lactate-utilizing bacteria. Alternatively, exposure to low levels of lactate (i.e., levels insufficient
to harm the animal) may stimulate development of a population of lactate-utilizing
bacteria. The objective of our study was to determine if supplementing low-moisture
blocks made of high fructose corn syrup could increase ruminal lactate concentrations
and subsequently stimulate growth of lactate-metabolizing bacteria. If successful, this
could prove useful for adapting forage-fed cattle to grain-based diets