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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1968 November; 16(11): 1672-1677
Copyright © 1968 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Energy Utilization for Polysaccharide Synthesis by Mixed Rumen Organisms Fermenting Soluble Carbohydrates

C.S.I.R.O., Division of Nutritional Biochemistry, Adelaide, South Australia

ABSTRACT

Synthesis of reserve polysaccharide by mixed rumen organisms fermenting glucose, maltose, cellobiose, and xylose has been studied in relation to the adenosine triphosphate energy calculated to be available from substrate fermentation. About 80% of the energy available from glucose and xylose was used for polysaccharide synthesis, whereas, assuming hydrolytic cleavage of the disaccharides, more than 100% was used when cellobiose and maltose were the substrates. If, however, phosphorolytic cleavage of the disaccharides, for which there is evidence, was involved, the energy from both maltose and cellobiose fermentation was used with about the same efficiency as that from glucose and xylose fermentation. The rumen fluid used was collected 24 hr after feeding, and growth of microorganisms in such samples was sufficient to account for utilization of less than 10% of the total energy becoming available during the 40-min incubation period.