The Investigation of In Vitro Fermentation of Sugarcane Pith Treated with Low Temperature Steam and Sulfuric Acid by Isolated Rumen Microbial Fractions

The aim of this experiment was to determine the effect of low temperature steam (134°C, 120 min) with or without H₂SO₄ (0.0, 6, 12 and 18 g/kg DM) on fermentative activity and nutritive value of sugarcane pith in in vitro gas production by ruminal microbial fractions, total rumen microorganism (TM), bacterial (B), protozoal (P), fungal (F), bacterial plus protozoal (BP), bacterial plus fungal (BF), and protozoal plus fungal (PF). The results showed low temperature steam resulted in significant increase rate (c) and potential gas production (b) by all microbial groups, as the highest (b) (110.92 ml) was for condition 18 g/kg DM acid and lowest (78.4 ml) for 0.0 g/kg DM acid and occurred in TM group. The highest gas produced by total microorganism that followed by BF and BP fractions for both samples. In vitro cell wall degradation, organic matter digestibility and metabolisable energy of sugarcane pith treated with 18 g/kg acid was the highest and microbial biomass production was the lowest for all microbial groups. Therefore, it appears that the nutritive value, gas production and degradability of sugarcane pith by rumen microbial fractions are influenced by low temperature stream and H₂SO₄.