WO2023120663A1 - Ruminant feed composition, ruminant feed, and method for manufacturing ruminant feed composition - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a ruminant feed composition that can be easily manufactured and is capable of reducing the amount of methane gas produced in the body, a ruminant feed and a method for manufacturing a ruminant feed composition. The method for manufacturing a ruminant feed composition according to the present invention comprises: a step for housing a persimmon material in a sealed space; a step for heating the sealed space; a step for heating and pressurizing the persimmon material by water vapor in the sealed space for 2-5 hours under a temperature of 120-134°C to decompose the material; and a step for cooling the sealed space. In the step for heating the sealed space, the sealed space is heated while allowing the water vapor pressure in the sealed space to follow the saturated water vapor pressure curve. In the step for cooling the sealed space, the sealed space is cooled while allowing the water vapor pressure in the sealed space to follow the saturated water vapor pressure curve.

Description

Ruminant feed composition, ruminant feed, and method for producing ruminant feed composition Cross-reference to related applications

This application claims the benefit of patent application number 2021-209066 filed in Japan on December 23, 2021, and the content of that application is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a ruminant feed composition, a ruminant feed, and a method for producing a ruminant feed composition.

Global warming is a problem that has become more and more serious in recent years, when abnormal weather has become a reality.

Methane (CH ₄ ), which is one of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, has a global warming potential of 20 times or more that of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ), and is urgently required to reduce its emissions. In the field of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, methane gas is mainly discharged from the bodies of paddy fields and livestock. Of these, methane gas emitted from the bodies of livestock is produced by fermentation in the digestive tracts of ruminant animals such as cows, sheep, and goats through belching or excrement such as manure. It is released into the atmosphere and becomes a big problem.

Here, it is known that feeding ruminant animals with feed containing polyphenols such as tannins and catechins reduces the amount of methane gas produced in the ruminant's body. However, when the polyphenol-containing food was mixed with feed without processing and fed to ruminants, the ruminants did not sufficiently eat the feed. The reason for this is thought to be that foods containing polyphenols have a unique flavor that ruminants dislike.

Therefore, for example, methods to reduce the amount of methane gas produced in the body by producing processed products containing polyphenols from unused resources such as crop residues and food residues and feeding them to ruminants are being investigated.

As an example, Patent Document 1 (International Publication No. 2018/003034) describes a method for suppressing methane gas production by reducing methanogenic bacteria in the rumen of ruminants. In this method, coffee ingredients (coffee polyphenols) such as coffee grounds are fermented with bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria and mixed with feed as a feed efficiency improving agent. The mixing ratio of the feed for livestock and the feed efficiency improving agent according to this method is preferably 100:0.1 to 10 by mass, from the viewpoints of improvement of the feed efficiency improving effect, economic efficiency, and palatability. More preferably 100:1-5.

WO2018/003034

However, the method described in Patent Document 1 requires culturing control of lactic acid bacteria, requires several days for the fermentation process, and requires temperature control during that time, which is laborious and time consuming. Thus, when it is intended to reduce the amount of methane gas produced in the body of a ruminant by means of feed, it is required that the feed be easier to handle.

In addition, methane-producing bacteria that produce methane gas in the body of ruminants have a nutritional symbiotic relationship with bacteria that produce volatile fatty acids, which serve as an energy source for the animals, for example. Therefore, when trying to reduce the amount of methane gas produced by suppressing the activity of methane-producing bacteria (or by reducing the number of bacteria), it is necessary to ensure that ruminant animals eat properly and have an adverse effect on the health of ruminants. It should be a feed that does not give

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a feed composition for ruminants that can be easily produced and that can be eaten with good palatability even by ruminants to reduce the amount of methane gas produced in the body. An object of the present invention is to provide a ruminant feed and a method for producing a ruminant feed composition.

The present invention solves the above problems by means of solutions as described below as one embodiment.

The feed composition for ruminants according to the present invention is a persimmon processed product in which the polyphenol-containing material is heated and pressurized in a closed space without boiling so that the water vapor pressure in the closed space follows the saturated water vapor pressure curve. It is a composition consisting of

In the above feed composition for ruminants, after the heating and pressurization, it may be further heated and pressurized with steam at a temperature of 120°C to 134°C for 2 to 5 hours at 2 to 3 atmospheres.

Further, the ruminant feed according to the present invention is a feed containing the above-described ruminant feed composition.

The ruminant feed may contain 1 part by mass of the powder of the ruminant feed composition per 100 parts by mass of the feed.

Further, the method for producing a ruminant feed composition according to the present invention includes the steps of housing a polyphenol-containing material in a closed space, heating and pressurizing the polyphenol-containing material with steam in the closed space, and and cooling the space, wherein the step of heating and pressurizing the sealed space heats and cools the sealed space so that the water vapor pressure in the sealed space follows a saturated water vapor pressure curve. In the step of cooling, the closed space is cooled such that the water vapor pressure in the closed space follows a saturated water vapor pressure curve.

In the above method, in the step of heating and pressurizing the closed space, the closed space is heated so that the water in the closed space does not boil, and in the step of cooling the closed space, It is preferable to cool the closed space by preventing the water from boiling.

According to the present invention, it can be easily produced, and even ruminant animals can eat it with good palatability to reduce the amount of methane gas produced in the body.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a processing apparatus used for producing a processed persimmon, which is a ruminant feed composition according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view of a processing apparatus. FIG. 1B is a plan view of the processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a manufacturing process for manufacturing a processed persimmon using a processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a graph representing a comparison of the means of routine measurements of rumen methane concentration. FIG. 3A is a graph of rumen methane concentration in dairy cattle. FIG. 3B is a graph of beef cattle rumen methane concentration. FIG. 4 is a graph depicting a comparison of mean diurnal variations in ruminal methane concentration. FIG. 4A is a graph of rumen methane concentration in dairy cows. FIG. 4B is a graph of beef cattle ruminal methane concentration. FIG. 5 is a graph showing a comparison of averages by feeding season reflecting diurnal variation in ruminal methane concentration. FIG. 5A is a graph of rumen methane concentration in dairy cattle. FIG. 5B is a graph of beef cattle ruminal methane concentration. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the results of measuring the daily milk yield of dairy cows. FIG. 7 shows the analysis results in the recovered liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat of dairy cattle. FIG. 8 shows the analysis results in the recovered liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat of dairy cattle. FIG. 9 shows the analysis results in the recovered liquid collected from the lower layer of the rumen mat of beef cattle. FIG. 10 shows the analysis results in the recovered liquid collected from the lower layer of the rumen mat of beef cattle.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The ruminant feed composition according to the present embodiment is obtained by heating and pressurizing the polyphenol-containing material in a closed space so that the water vapor pressure in the closed space follows the saturated water vapor pressure curve without boiling. It is a composition that The persimmon processed product includes a step of storing a polyphenol-containing material in a closed space, a step of heating and pressurizing the polyphenol-containing material with steam in the closed space, and a step of cooling the closed space. In the step of heating and pressurizing the space, the water vapor pressure in the sealed space is heated so that the water vapor pressure in the sealed space follows the saturated water vapor pressure curve, and in the step of cooling the sealed space, the water vapor pressure in the sealed space is It can be manufactured by a manufacturing method characterized by cooling the sealed space along a saturated water vapor pressure curve.

Polyphenol-containing materials are plants containing polyphenols. Specifically, it is a plant containing tannins and catechins, such as plants belonging to the genus Acacia, Persimmon, Chestnut, Pinus, Rheum, Grape, and Cinnamomum. More specifically, polyphenol-containing materials are persimmons, grapes, tea, coffee, and the like. Plants containing polyphenols also include seaweed containing tannins and catechins. In addition, in the present embodiment, persimmon is applied as an example of the polyphenol-containing material, and is hereinafter referred to as persimmon material.

The processed persimmon material according to the present embodiment is a processed persimmon material obtained by subjecting the persimmon material to color difference decomposition treatment. The color difference decomposition treatment is a known heat and pressure decomposition treatment of plant tissue components, and examples include Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-19713) and Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-42647). etc.

As will be described later in detail, the persimmon processed product can be easily manufactured from the persimmon material in several hours to half a day by using the color difference separation device 10 of the present embodiment, for example. It was also confirmed that the feed containing the processed persimmon was eaten by ruminant animals without disliking it, and that the amount of methane gas produced in the body of ruminant animals was reduced. For this reason, ruminant feed containing a composition produced by color-difference decomposition treatment using plants containing polyphenols such as tannins and catechins as materials and feeding them to ruminant animals also reduces the amount of methane gas produced. can.

In this color difference decomposition treatment of plant tissue components, the water vapor generated in the closed space penetrates into the plant tissue to hydrolyze the plant tissue, and the water vapor pressure in the closed space acts on the surface of the plant raw material, This is a heat and pressure decomposition method in which the plant tissue components produced by hydrolysis are squeezed out of the plant raw material. Specifically, in the color difference decomposition treatment, plant raw materials are housed in a closed container, and the water vapor pressure as the partial pressure in the closed container is controlled along the saturated water vapor pressure curve while the pressure and pressure required for hydrolyzing the plant tissue are Hold for a certain period of time within the temperature range. In the color difference decomposition process from the viewpoint of temperature control, the temperature inside the sealed container is raised along the saturated water vapor pressure curve, and the plant tissue is treated along the saturated water vapor pressure curve at a predetermined temperature and pressure for a predetermined time. Hydrolyze and cool down along the saturated vapor pressure curve.

In the chrominance decomposition process, by chromodynamically adjusting the direction and phase of the Brownian motion of water molecules, waves occur in the chain of water molecules. It uses a mechanism of dividing into What is important in this case is that the water molecules that are the structural water of these polymers (surrounding the polymers) work effectively under the condition of saturated water vapor pressure. As will be described in detail below, the color difference decomposition treatment is a heat and pressure decomposition method in which plant raw materials are placed in a closed container and the water vapor pressure in the closed container is controlled along an optimum saturated water vapor pressure curve. As described above, when color difference separation processing is performed while controlling along the saturated water vapor pressure curve, for example, the pressure or temperature inside the closed container rises and deviates from the optimum saturated water vapor pressure curve. When the saturated water vapor pressure in the closed container cannot be maintained, eventually even the structural water of the biopolymer vaporizes and separates from the biopolymer. It becomes impossible to act on molecules, and it becomes impossible to act on biopolymers with a strong destructive force that physically breaks glycosidic bonds. As a result, decomposition processing becomes impossible. Further, when the color difference separation process is performed while controlling along the saturated water vapor pressure curve, for example, if the pressure or temperature inside the closed container decreases and deviates from the optimum saturated water vapor pressure curve, the sealed container will be closed. Since the amount of water vapor vaporized in the container is reduced, the total amount of Brownian motion of water vapor acting on the structural water of biopolymers is reduced, resulting in a powerful destructive force that physically breaks glycosidic bonds. can no longer function. As a result, decomposition processing becomes impossible. The color difference decomposition may also be referred to as heat decomposition, steam decomposition, etc., in addition to heat and pressure decomposition.

In this embodiment, the apparatus described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 can be used to perform color difference separation processing on the persimmon material.

Specifically, for the production of persimmon processed products, a processing apparatus 10 (color difference decomposition apparatus, heating/pressure decomposition apparatus, steam decomposition apparatus, or any other name) as shown in FIG. 1 can be used. 1A is a longitudinal sectional view of processing apparatus 10, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of processing apparatus 10. FIG. The processing apparatus 10 includes a pressure vessel 12 provided with a lid 14 on the upper surface, a heater 16 for heating the inside of the pressure vessel 12, a temperature sensor 18 for detecting the temperature inside the pressure vessel 12, and a pressure sensor 18 for detecting the pressure inside the pressure vessel 12. and a pressure sensor 22 for detecting the pressure inside the pressure vessel 12 .

The pressure sensor 22 and the solenoid valve 20 are connected to the control section 24. The control unit 24 determines whether or not the pressure in the pressure vessel 12 detected by the pressure sensor 22 is within the set pressure range. adjust the pressure of The temperature sensor 18 and heater 16 are also connected to the controller 24 . The control unit 24 determines whether or not the temperature inside the pressure vessel 12 detected by the temperature sensor 18 is within the set temperature range. adjust the temperature of

As described above, in the color difference decomposition process, the water vapor generated in the closed space penetrates into the plant tissue to hydrolyze the plant tissue, and the water vapor pressure in the closed space acts on the surface of the plant raw material to hydrolyze it. This is a method of squeezing the plant tissue components generated by the method to the outside of the plant raw material. In the chrominance decomposition process, water molecules that are the structural water of the polymer (surrounding the polymer) work effectively under the condition of saturated water vapor pressure. Therefore, the processing apparatus 10 controls the water vapor pressure in the closed space so as to follow the saturated water vapor pressure curve. Also, when the water in the closed space boils, the water molecules separate from the macromolecular structure and move around freely, causing the macromolecules to stop moving, causing great damage to the plant tissue. Forces are no longer formed and color difference separation processing is no longer possible. Therefore, it is more preferable to control the processing apparatus 10 so that the water in the closed space does not boil.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of a manufacturing process for manufacturing a persimmon processed product using the processing apparatus 10. FIG. Each processing performed in the steps from step S2 to step S6 described below is automatically performed by the control unit 24 controlling the heater 16 and the electromagnetic valve 20 .

First, in step S<b>1 , the operator puts the persimmon material into the pressure vessel 12 . As used herein, "persimmon material" includes persimmon tree fruit, persimmon tree fruit skin, persimmon tree fruit calyx, persimmon tree leaves, and persimmon tree branches. Among these, for example, the skin, stem, etc. of the fruit are crop residues or food residues that are generally removed when ripe fruits are processed, and unripe picked fruit and the like are also crop residues. At least one of these materials may be used as the persimmon material. Thus, in this embodiment, persimmon materials as crop residues or food residues that have been discarded so far can be effectively utilized.

In step S1, an operator injects a predetermined amount of water into the pressure vessel 12 as necessary, stores the persimmon material in the basket 26, then stores the basket 26 in the pressure vessel 12, and closes the lid. Body 14 is closed and sealed. Thereby, the persimmon material is accommodated in the closed space.

Next, in steps S2 and S3, the inside of the pressure vessel 12 is heated by the heater 16 by pressing a process start button provided in the processing apparatus 10, for example. In step S2, the inside of the pressure vessel 12 is heated while the electromagnetic valve 20 is open. In step S3, the electromagnetic valve 20 is closed at a predetermined temperature (for example, 80° C.) before the water in the pressure vessel 12 reaches the boiling temperature, and heating is continued. According to step 2, as the water vapor pressure within the pressure vessel 12 increases, the air within the pressure vessel 12 is expelled. As a result, when the temperature inside the pressure vessel 12 reaches, for example, about 80° C., most of the air inside the pressure vessel 12 is eliminated, and the pressure (measured pressure value) detected by the pressure sensor 22 is almost the saturated water vapor pressure. becomes. Here, if the pressure vessel 12 is heated with the solenoid valve closed from the beginning (initial stage) of heating without performing the process of step 2, the air in the pressure vessel cannot be removed, so the pressure in the pressure vessel is is the sum of the saturated water vapor pressure and the air pressure, making it difficult to control along the saturated water vapor curve. Further, as in step 3, by sealing the inside of the pressure vessel 12 before the water inside the pressure vessel 12 reaches the temperature at which it boils, boiling of the water can be reliably prevented. Note that, instead of the solenoid valve 20, another pressure valve such as a pressure valve driven by a motor may be used.

Here, the control unit 24 substitutes the temperature value in the pressure vessel 12 detected at predetermined intervals by the pressure sensor 22 into an approximation formula of the saturated water vapor pressure curve input in advance, and based on the approximation formula Calculate the saturated water vapor pressure (calculated pressure value). As an approximation formula, the Tetens formula or the like can be used, but it is not limited to this. The control unit 24 also compares the pressure value (actually measured pressure value) in the pressure vessel 12 detected by the pressure sensor 22 with the calculated pressure value, and determines whether the difference is within the set range. As a result, if it is out of the set range, the control unit 24 controls the operation of the heater 16 to adjust the temperature in the pressure vessel 12 so that it approaches the calculated pressure value, or controls the operation of the solenoid valve 20. Adjust the pressure in the pressure vessel 12 so that it approaches the calculated pressure value. In this manner, the temperature and pressure in the pressure vessel 12 are controlled substantially along the saturated water vapor pressure curve from when the electromagnetic valve 20 is closed (step S3) to when it is opened (step S5, which will be described later). Note that the temperature and pressure in the pressure vessel 12 may be adjusted using the near-term equation before closing the solenoid valve 20 (step S2) and after opening it (step S6).

Next, in step S4, as described above, control is performed for a predetermined time at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined pressure along the saturated water vapor pressure curve. Specifically, for example, in the pressure vessel 12, the persimmon material is heated and pressurized with steam at a temperature of 120 ° C. to 134 ° C. for 2 to 5 hours to decompose (color difference decomposition, thermal decomposition, heat and pressure decomposition, The name is arbitrary, such as steam decomposition). The pressure at this time is approximately 2 to 3 atmospheres. By this treatment, the high-molecular compounds in the persimmon material are hydrolyzed to produce various kinds of lower-molecular-weight compounds, and the produced components are extracted from the destroyed cells. Also, in the case of persimmon material, the enzymes involved in the production of tannin are activated and the tannin content is greatly increased. Tannin is presumed to be one of the active ingredients in the ruminant feed composition according to the present embodiment. The reason why the temperature condition for the color difference decomposition is set to 134° C. or lower in this embodiment is that the activity of enzymes involved in the production of tannin gradually decreases at 135° C. or higher. If the temperature inside the pressure vessel 12 reaches 150° C. or higher, the persimmon material will be carbonized.

Next, in steps S5 and S6, a step of stopping heating and cooling the pressure vessel 12 is performed. In step S5, as an example, the heater 16 is stopped and the pressure vessel 12 is naturally cooled. According to this, the temperature and pressure in the pressure vessel 12 are lowered while remaining substantially along the saturated vapor pressure curve. Further, in step S6, after the water in the pressure vessel 12 reaches a temperature lower than the boiling temperature, the solenoid valve 20 is opened to continue cooling. According to this, boiling of water can be reliably prevented.

If the water does not boil, the controller 24 does not necessarily have to control the temperature and pressure inside the pressure vessel 12. For example, in the manufacturing process of this embodiment, the inside of the pressure vessel 12 may be naturally cooled in steps S5 and S6.

Through the above steps, the persimmon material to be color-difference decomposed is cooled, condensed, and accumulated in the tray 28 . Finally, in step S<b>7 , the operator performs a step of recovering the processed material, which is the material to be subjected to color difference separation, from the pressure vessel 12 . Specifically, in step S7, the operator opens the lid 14 of the pressure vessel 12 and collects the liquid material accumulated in the tray 28. As shown in FIG. Also, the worker collects the solid matter from the basket 26 . Both of these liquids and solids are persimmon processed products containing color-difference decomposition products of persimmon materials.

Although the processing device 10 of the present embodiment includes the electromagnetic valve 20, the processing device 10 is not limited to this, and the processing device 10 may not include the electromagnetic valve 20. That is, the processing apparatus 10 can heat and pressurize the polyphenol-containing material so as to follow the saturated water vapor pressure curve in the closed space without boiling. There may be no step of removing the air inside.

As described above, according to the color difference separation processing using the processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the operator only needs to collect the persimmon processed product from the pressure vessel 12 after putting the persimmon material into the processing apparatus 10. . In addition, the time required to produce processed persimmons using the processing apparatus 10 is from several hours to about half a day. Therefore, for example, by storing the persimmon material in the processing apparatus 10 in the evening, the processed persimmon can be recovered in the morning of the next day.

Thus, the persimmon processed product according to the present embodiment can be produced. The persimmon processed product according to the present embodiment is manufactured with simple equipment in a short period of time by using the persimmon material, which is an unused resource, as a raw material through the color difference decomposition process. The processed persimmon produced by the color difference decomposition treatment according to the present embodiment has the effect of reducing the amount of methane gas produced in livestock bodies. Therefore, the amount of methane gas produced in the body can be reduced by feeding the ruminant animal feed containing the persimmon processed product according to the present embodiment as a ruminant feed composition. As a result, methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas, can be reduced. Furthermore, since the feed composition for ruminants according to the present embodiment does not adversely affect the health of ruminants, the effect of reducing methane gas can be obtained without reducing the productivity and quality of livestock products.

About 1 part by mass of the processed persimmon powder according to the present embodiment is added to 100 parts by mass of feed for one day, and the dairy cows and beef cattle that are breeding cows are continuously fed for a predetermined period every day. rice field. As a result, both dairy cows and beef cows were able to eat the feed containing the processed persimmon with good palatability without disliking it, and compared to before feeding the processed persimmon powder, the rumen methane concentration in the On the other hand, there was almost no change in body weight compared to before the feeding of the processed persimmon powder, no significant abnormalities in blood biochemical properties were observed, and no adverse effects on health conditions due to feeding of the processed persimmon powder were observed. (See Examples).

It should be noted that the processed persimmon, which is the ruminant feed composition according to the present embodiment, contains various components newly generated or increased by the color difference decomposition treatment of the persimmon material. It is speculated that these components act in a complex and synergistic manner to reduce the amount of methane gas produced in the body of ruminant animals without adversely affecting their health. It is presumed that polyphenols such as catechins, tannins, and other various components in the persimmon processed product can be constituent elements for achieving the object of the present invention as active ingredients. The situation is that it is often impractical to directly identify an object by its structure.

In addition, the ruminant feed according to the present embodiment is obtained by mixing a predetermined amount of processed persimmon, which is the ruminant feed composition according to the present embodiment, with known feed (for example, processed products such as feed crops). Easy to manufacture. The persimmon processed product may be added to the feed component after drying the liquid or solid as appropriate or powdering it. Alternatively, either one of the liquid and solid persimmon processed products may be added to the feed component, or both may be added to the feed component.

In the example, the persimmon material was subjected to color difference decomposition treatment using the persimmon skin (persimmon skin of Ichida persimmon (registered trademark and geographical indication)), which is a by-product of dried persimmon production. In Examples, the solid matter (paste) of the color difference decomposition product was dried to obtain a powder (hereinafter referred to as "persimmon skin powder"). As a result of component analysis, the persimmon skin powder contains 316 μg/100 g of vitamin A, 3570 μg/100 g of β-carotene, 10.7 g/100 g of fructose, 14.4 g/100 g of glucose, 0.32 g/100 g of arabinose, and 1.70 g/100 g of tannin as tannic acid.

The tester fed 400 g/day of the persimmon skin powder to dairy cows and beef cattle (fistula-equipped cattle) for 4 weeks (28 days) one week after acclimatization, and measured the methane concentration in the rumen.

(Method)
The testers fed persimmon skin powder from October 14th to November 18th, 2021, and measured the gas in the rumen using a gas collector through a hole made in the center of the fistula before, during and after feeding. was collected. Then, the tester stored the collected gas in the rumen in a gas pack, and measured the methane concentration using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS).

The acclimatization period for persimmon skin powder is from October 14th to 20th. was given a gradual increase. Thereafter, persimmon skin powder was fed at a rate of 400 g/day for 4 weeks (28 days) from October 21st to November 18th. The persimmon skin powder was sprinkled on the feed, and after the daily feeding amount was increased to 200 g or more, the persimmon skin powder was fed in multiple times. Moreover, when the previous persimmon skin powder remained at the time of feeding, the previous persimmon skin powder was removed. Table 1 shows the content of the feed, the time of feeding, and the time of feeding persimmon skin powder at the feeding time of 400 g.

"TMR" (Total Mixed Ratio) in Table 1 is mainly composed of corn silage, and contains alfalfa hay, oat hay, timothy hay, Sudangrass hay, beet pulp, brewer's grain, soybean meal, corn press, and other minerals. , vitamins, commercially available feed, etc., together with a predetermined amount of water. "Mother Kuroshi" is the trade name of commercial feed (manufactured by Nihon Nosan Kogyo Co., Ltd.). A "hay cube" is a cube-shaped compacted product of alfalfa hay hay.

In addition, the persimmon skin powder was fed at 13:30 on the 14th and 15th, and at 9:20 on the 16th and 17th. and 100 g each at 13:30, and 100 g each at 9:20, 13:30 and 15:30 on the 18th, 19th and 20th. This is 1 part by weight for 100 parts by weight of TMR compared to 10 Kg of TMR given to dairy cows.

On the other hand, the feeding time of persimmon skin powder during the acclimatization period to beef cattle was 100 g at 13:00 on the 14th and 15th, 100 g at 8:00 and 13:00 on the 16th and 17th, and 100 g at 13:00 on the 16th and 17th. - On the 19th and 20th, 100 g each at 8:00, 13:00 and 16:00.

Test (1) Methane concentration in the rumen (timed)
The tester compared the methane concentration of the ruminal gas collected before and after feeding the persimmon skin powder and at a fixed time (13:00) on a predetermined day during the feeding period. Table 2 shows the details of the date and time of collection.

Test (2) Methane concentration in the rumen (diurnal variation)
The tester compared the diurnal variation of the methane concentration in the ruminal gas collected five times every 3 hours on a predetermined day before and after feeding the persimmon skin powder and during the feeding period. However, in beef cattle, diurnal variation before feeding could not be measured. For this reason, the tester compared the average methane concentration of 9,078 ppm in rumen gas sampled at regular intervals for 3 days before the start of feeding (acclimation) with the circadian variation during and after the feeding period. Table 3 shows details of collection dates.

Test (3) Body weight, blood biochemistry, milk yield Reducing the production of methane gas by simply suppressing the activity of methanogenic bacteria (or reducing the number of bacteria) may worsen the health condition of ruminant animals. , there is concern that the productivity of livestock products (raw milk and carcass) will decline due to the decrease in feed utilization efficiency. Therefore, the testers measured the body weight, blood biochemical properties, and milk yield before and after feeding the persimmon skin powder and during the feeding period, and compared the results. Blood biochemical properties were measured using a clinical chemistry analyzer (trade name: Fuji Drychem 3500V, manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation). The date of measurement (the date of blood sampling for blood biochemical properties) is shown together with the results in Tables 4 and 5 and FIG. 6, which will be described later.

(result)
Test (1) Methane concentration in the rumen (timed)
FIG. 3 is a graph representing a comparison of the means of routine measurements of rumen methane concentration. FIG. 3A is a graph of rumen methane concentration in dairy cattle. FIG. 3B is a graph of beef cattle ruminal methane concentration. As shown in Figure 3A, the dairy cow had a pre-feeding methane concentration of 26,866 ppm, but two weeks of feeding the methane concentration decreased to 14,000 ppm. Furthermore, the methane concentration after feeding decreased significantly compared to before feeding, such as 4,100 ppm in the 4th week of feeding and 3,800 ppm in the 3rd week after feeding.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, in beef cattle, the methane concentration before feeding was 9,076 ppm, 2,700 ppm in the second week of feeding, and 2,216 ppm in the fourth week of feeding. Methane concentration decreased. Moreover, the methane concentration three weeks after the end of feeding was 4,086 ppm, which was lower than the methane concentration before feeding.

Test (2) Methane concentration in the rumen (diurnal variation)
FIG. 4 is a graph depicting a comparison of mean diurnal variations in ruminal methane concentration. FIG. 4A is a graph of rumen methane concentration in dairy cows. FIG. 4B is a graph of beef cattle ruminal methane concentration. However, as mentioned above, it was not possible to measure the diurnal variation before feeding in beef cattle, so in Fig. 4B, there are three days (October 11, 12, 13) before the start of feeding (acclimation) The average methane concentration of 9,078 ppm in the ruminal gas collected at 13:00) is also shown.

As shown in Fig. 4A, in dairy cattle, after the start of persimmon skin powder feeding, the average values at all time points except 10:00 in the second week of feeding were lower than the average values before feeding. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4B, in beef cattle, after the start of feeding persimmon skin powder, the average value at all time points was lower than the average value (9,078 ppm) measured at the fixed time (13:00) before feeding. rice field.

Next, FIG. 5 is a graph showing a comparison of the average diurnal variation of rumen methane concentration at each feeding period. That is, FIG. 5 shows a comparison of averages by feeding season reflecting diurnal variation in rumen methane concentration. FIG. 5A is the rumen methane concentration of dairy cows. FIG. 5B is beef cattle rumen methane concentration. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, both the dairy cattle and the beef cattle had significantly lower methane concentrations after the start of feeding than before feeding. In addition, since the methane concentration did not return to the level before feeding three weeks after the end of feeding, it is considered that the methane gas reducing effect of the persimmon skin powder continues at this point.

Test (3) Body Weight, Blood Biochemical Properties, Milk Yield Table 4 shows the measurement results of the body weight and blood biochemical properties of dairy cows. Table 5 shows the measurement results of body weight and blood biochemical properties of beef cattle. FIG. 6 shows the results of measuring the daily milk yield of a dairy cow (last calving: March 23, 2021) every 20 days from 25 days to 265 days after calving. Since the 305-day milk yield of the dairy cows subjected to the test was estimated to be about 9,400 kg, Figure 6 shows https://www.nosai-do.or.jp/manage/wp-content/uploads The milk production curves of 9,000 kg and 10,000 kg cows quoted from the livestock technical information by the Tokachi General Center on the website of the Hokkaido Agricultural Mutual Aid Association published at the address /2022/03/fcb233f8ddbb292e51f96591a7507ca7.pdf are the standard daily milk yields. Also shown as

As shown in Tables 4 and 5, the body weight of dairy cattle and beef cattle was about 96% on the day of the end of feeding when the weight before feeding (the day before the start of feeding) was taken as 100%, showing almost no change.

In addition, no significant abnormal blood biochemical properties were observed before, during and after feeding. The increase in GOT values 7 weeks after the end of beef cattle feeding was attributed to the previous day's trauma. Among fat-soluble vitamins, retinol was 76.0 IU/dl 12 weeks after feeding to beef cattle. exceeded 80 IU/dl. In addition, α-tocopherol exceeded the lower limit of normal of 150 μg/dl in all measurements for both dairy cattle and beef cattle. In addition, β-carotene fell under 150 μg/dl, which is deficient in all surveys of dairy cattle. Thus, fat-soluble vitamins showed the same tendency between feeding periods (before and after feeding and during the feeding period). Therefore, it was thought that the results of this study on fat-soluble vitamins were more strongly influenced by feed than by persimmon skin powder.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the daily milk yield during the feeding period was compared with the standard daily milk yield of 9,000 kg and 10,000 kg cows, and the milk yield was maintained during and after the feeding period. was done. From this, it is considered that feeding persimmon skin powder has no adverse effect on health, no decrease in productivity of livestock products, and no adverse effect on quality.

In Example 2, the effect of feeding persimmon skin powder to cattle to reduce ruminal methane gas concentration was further confirmed. In Example 2, according to Example 1, from February to March 2022, persimmon skin powder was fed to two cows (one dairy cow and one beef cow) equipped with fistulas. bottom.

The testers gradually increased the amount of persimmon skin powder fed, up to 400g per day for 3 weeks. The testers performed the last three days of this persimmon skin feeding period, and three days in February and April as a control period sandwiching the feeding period at 7:00 am, 10:30 am, 1:00 pm, and 4:00 pm. At 00, 7:00 pm, five times a day, the fistula was opened to take gas samples and rumen contents. The tester separately collected the contents of the rumen from the upper layer and the lower layer of the rumen mat. Salary and sampling schedules are shown in Table 6.

The tester measured the gas sample using gas chromatography, and obtained the ratio of the amount of methane gas to the total amount of methane and carbon dioxide as the methane gas fraction. The tester purified the supernatant obtained by further centrifuging the recovered liquid using a solid-phase extraction column, and used liquid chromatography to volatile fatty acid (Volatile Fatty Acid, hereinafter also referred to as "VFA". ) was quantified.

Furthermore, the tester extracted the microbial genome DNA from the recovered liquid, quantified the total number of bacteria and the number of methanogens by quantitative PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), and determined the ratio of the number of methanogens to the total number of bacteria. In addition, during the implementation period of Example 1, the tester obtained gas samples in August, November, and December, and rumen contents in November and December by the same procedure. are processed, and analytical results are obtained.

Figures 7 and 8 show the total amount of VFA, the acetic acid fraction, the propionic acid fraction, the butyric acid fraction, and the acetic acid/propionic acid ratio (A/P ratio) in the recovered liquid collected from the contents of the rumen of dairy cattle. , is a graph showing the ratio of methanogens. FIG. 7 shows the analysis results of the collected liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat, and FIG. 8 shows the analysis results of the collected liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat.

As shown in FIG. 7, the total amount of VFA and the butyric acid content in the recovered liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat of dairy cattle were significantly different from the persimmon skin feeding period (November, March) and the non-feeding period (12 months). month, April) was significantly higher. On the other hand, the acetic acid fraction, A/P ratio, and methanogen ratio were significantly lower during the persimmon skin feeding period than during the non-feeding period. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the total amount of VFA in the recovered liquid collected from the lower layer of the rumen mat of dairy cattle was significantly higher during the persimmon skin feeding period than during the non-feeding period.

Figures 9 and 10 show the total VFA amount, acetic acid fraction, propionic acid fraction, butyric acid fraction, A/P ratio, and methanogen ratio in the liquid collected from the ruminal contents of beef cattle. graph. FIG. 9 shows the analysis results of the collected liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat, and FIG. 10 shows the analysis results of the collected liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat.

As shown in Fig. 9, the propionic acid fraction in the recovered liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat of beef cattle was significantly higher during the persimmon skin feeding period than during the non-feeding period. On the other hand, the butyric acid fraction, A/P ratio, and methanogen ratio were significantly lower during the persimmon skin feeding period than during the non-feeding period. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 10, the ratio of methanogenic bacteria in the recovered liquid collected from the lower layer of the rumen mat of beef cattle was significantly lower during the persimmon skin feeding period than during the non-feeding period.

Here, the reaction pathway in which methane is produced by fermentation performed by microorganisms in the rumen is fixed to some extent. Specifically, first, microorganisms that decompose low-digestible carbohydrates (such as cellulose) produce acetic acid, butyric acid, and hydrogen as main fermentation products. The hydrogen produced is then used by methanogens to reduce carbon dioxide in the rumen, resulting in the production of methane as the final product.

According to the characteristics of these reaction pathways, the change in the VFA ratio, which tends to occur simultaneously with methanogenesis, is due to an increase in the acetic acid ratio and a decrease in the propionic acid ratio, and at this time, the acetic acid/propionic acid ratio (A/P ratio) is get higher

Changes in the production of VFA in the liquid recovered from the rumen by feeding persimmon skins, shown in the analysis results of Example 2, generally reflect these characteristics. That is, from the analysis results of Example 2, it is inferred that methane production was suppressed as a result of changes in the fermentation process by microorganisms in the rumen caused by feeding persimmon skins. Furthermore, in the collected liquid collected from the upper layer of the rumen mat of dairy cattle and the upper and lower layers of the rumen mat of beef cattle, the ratio of methanogenic bacteria during the persimmon skin feeding season has decreased. This is in good agreement with the result that methane production is suppressed.

10 processing device 12 pressure vessel 14 lid 16 heater 18 temperature sensor 20 electromagnetic valve 22 pressure sensor 24 controller 26 basket 28 tray

Claims (6)

1. A feed composition for ruminants consisting of a polyphenol-containing material that is heated and pressurized in a closed space without boiling so that the water vapor pressure in the closed space follows the saturated water vapor pressure curve.
2. The feed composition for ruminants according to claim 1, wherein after the heating and pressurization, the composition is further heated and pressurized with steam at a temperature of 120°C to 134°C for 2 to 5 hours at 2 to 3 atmospheres.
3. A ruminant feed containing the ruminant feed composition according to claim 1 or claim 2.
4. The ruminant feed according to claim 3, which contains 1 part by mass of the powder of the ruminant feed composition per 100 parts by mass of the feed.
5. housing the polyphenol-containing material in an enclosed space;
   a step of heating and pressurizing the polyphenol-containing material with water vapor in the closed space;
   cooling the enclosed space;
   In the step of heating and pressurizing the sealed space, the sealed space is heated so that the water vapor pressure in the sealed space follows the saturated water vapor pressure curve,
   In the step of cooling the closed space, the method for producing a feed composition for ruminants includes cooling the closed space such that the water vapor pressure in the closed space follows a saturated water vapor pressure curve.
6. In the step of heating and pressurizing the sealed space, the sealed space is heated so that the water in the sealed space does not boil;
   6. The method for producing a ruminant feed composition according to claim 5, wherein in the step of cooling the closed space, the closed space is cooled so that the water in the closed space does not boil.
   

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