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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2008, p. 6923-6930, Vol. 74, No. 22
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AEM.01473-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Accumulation of trans C18:1 Fatty Acids in the Rumen after Dietary Algal Supplementation Is Associated with Changes in the Butyrivibrio Community
Charlotte Boeckaert,1,2,
Bruno Vlaeminck,1,
Veerle Fievez,1*
Lois Maignien,2
Jan Dijkstra,3 and
Nico Boon2
Laboratory for Animal Nutrition and Animal Product Quality (Lanupro), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Proefhoevestraat 10, 9090 Melle, Belgium,1 Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium,2 Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen University, Marijkeweg 40, 6709 PG Wageningen, The Netherlands3
Received 1 July 2008/ Accepted 16 September 2008
Optimization of the fatty acid composition of ruminant milk and meat is desirable. Dietary supplementation of algae was previously shown to inhibit rumen biohydrogenation, resulting in an altered milk fatty acid profile. Bacteria involved in biohydrogenation belong to the Butyrivibrio group. This study was aimed at relating accumulation of biohydrogenation intermediates with shifts in Butyrivibrio spp. in the rumen of dairy cows. Therefore, an experiment was performed with three rumen-fistulated dairy cows receiving a concentrate containing algae (9.35 g/kg total dry matter [DM] intake) for 20 days. Supplementation of the diet with algae inhibited biohydrogenation of C18:2 omega 6 (n-6) and C18:3 n-3, resulting in increased concentrations of biohydrogenation intermediates, whereas C18:0 decreased. Addition of algae increased ruminal C18:1 trans fatty acid concentrations, mainly due to 6- and 20-fold increases in C18:1 trans 11 (t11) and C18:1 t10. The number of ciliates (5.37 log copies/g rumen digesta) and the composition of the ciliate community were unaffected by dietary algae. In contrast, supplementation of the diet with algae changed the composition of the bacterial community. Primers for the Butyrivibrio group, including the genera Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio, were specifically designed. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis showed community changes upon addition of algae without affecting the total amount of Butyrivibrio bacteria (7.06 log copies/g rumen DM). Clone libraries showed that algae affected noncultivated species, which cluster taxonomically between the genera Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio and might play a role in biohydrogenation. In addition, 20% of the clones from a randomly selected rumen sample were related to the C18:0-producing branch, although the associated C18:0 concentration decreased through supplementation of the diet with algae.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory for Animal Nutrition and Animal Product Quality, Proefhoevestraat 10, 9090 Melle, Belgium. Phone: 32 9 264 90 02. Fax: 32 9 264 90 99. E-mail: Veerle.Fievez{at}UGent.be
Published ahead of print on 26 September 2008.
C.B. and B.V. contributed equally to this study.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2008, p. 6923-6930, Vol. 74, No. 22
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AEM.01473-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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