Rumen Flashcards
What makeup cell plant walls?
cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin
What is the function of plant cell walls?
provide structure
What’s significant about beta glycosidic bonds?
beta bonds are difficult to break
What happens to a plant as the plant matures?
a secondary cell wall is created, this make it increasingly harder for the animal to break down the cellulose
What do the microbes in the rumen do?
the microbes have the enzymes necessary to break down cellulose small enough for the cow to absorb the nutrients
What is the difference between a cow’s microbes in the rumen VS a horse’s microbes in their large intestine?
the rumen breaks food down before the food moves to the abomasum and the food in horses have already passed through the stomach and S.I. before it reaches the large intestine (cecum)
How are cellulose fibers structured?
cellulose fiber –> microfibril –> microfibril –> bundle of chains of cellulose (beta bonds linking glucose molecules together)
What holds cellulose fibers together?
hemicellulose
What procedure quantifies the amount of cell wall in a feed sample?
detergent fiber analysis
