Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Chromium and Yeast on in vitro Dry Matter Degradability and Rumen Fermentation Pattern

Background: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), widely used probiotics, was found to increase the utilization of fiber and improve the production in ruminants. The concept of chromium (Cr) supplementation has also received a great deal of attention since past decade, as Cr could have supra-physiological benefits for domestic livestock. The present in vitro experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary chromium and yeast supplementation on in-vitro dry matter degradability and rumen fermentation by rumen simulation technique. Methods: The yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) (Y) (5 x 109 CFU /kg) and chromium (Cr) (1.5 mg/kg) supplementation to sorghum stover based complete diets (Basal diet: 10.58% CP) either alone or in combination on in vitro nutrient degradability and rumen fermentation was assessed by rumen simulation technique.
Result: Chromium supplementation alone did not affect the cumulative degradability and effective dry matter degradability in vitro compared to BD. Yeast supplementation enhanced (P less than 0.01) in vitro DM degradability on 12, 24 and 48 h, effective DM degradability and lowered (P less than 0.01) ammonia nitrogen level in comparison to control. When compared to control, combination of yeast and Cr positively affected rumen fermentation pattern and in vitro nutrient degradability but no further improvement was observed compared to only yeast supplementation in diet.
