Digestion of protein in ruminant
Digestion of protein in ruminant The digestion of proteins in ruminants is different than non-ruminants. Food proteins are hydrolysed to peptides and amino acids by rumen microorganism, but some amino acids are degraded further by deamination to organic acids, ammonia (NH3) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The main proteolytic organism is Prevotella ruminicola , Pepto-streptococci species and the protozoa. The ammonia produced together with some small peptides and free amino acids, is utilized by the rumen organisms to synthesis microbial proteins. Some of the microbial protein is broken down in the rumen and its nitrogen is recycled. When the organisms are carried through to the abomasums and small intestine their cell proteins are digested and absorbed. An important feature of the formation of microbial protein is that bacteria are capable of synthesizing indespesable as well as dispensable amino acids, thus rendering their host independent of dietary supplies of the form...