Ruminal Microbiota Determines the High-Fiber Utilization of Ruminants: Evidence from the Ruminal Microbiota Transplant
Xiaodong Chen, Fang Yan, Tao Liu, Yuanling Zhang, Xinyi Li, Mengya Wang, Chenguang Zhang, Xiurong Xu, Lu Deng, Junhu Yao, Shengru Wu
Abstract
Ruminants have a powerful progastric digestive system that converts structural carbohydrates into nutrients useful to humans. It is well known that this phenomenon is due to the fact that the rumen of ruminants is a natural microbial fermenter, which can ferment structural carbohydrates such as cellulose and hemicellulose and transform them into volatile fatty acids to supply energy for host. However, monogastric animals have an inherent disadvantage in utilizing fiber, so screening rumen-derived fiber-degrading bacteria as a fermentation strain for biological feed is needed in an attempt at improving the fiber digestibility of monogastric animals. In this study, a ruminal microbiota transplant experiment from goats to mice proves that ruminal microbiota could serve as a key factor in utilization of high-fiber diets and provides a new perspective for the development of probiotics with fiber degradation function from the rumen and the importance of the use of prebiotics during the intake of probiotics.