Detect changes in protein structure of carinata meal during rumen fermentation in relation to basic chemical profile and comparison with canola meal using ATR–FT/IR molecular spectroscopy with chemometrics

• Protein structure spectral characteristics in rapeseed meals changed during rumen incubation.
• Protein spectral parameters strongly correlated with CP and NDF concentrations in rumen residue samples.
• Carinata meal had similar protein structural make-up with canola meal during rumen fermentation.

As far as we know, no study has been carried out on whether protein structure changes in the feed during rumen fermentation from other research team. This study was conducted to characterize protein structure spectral changes in carinata meal during ruminal fermentation using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT/IR) technique with ATR. The objectives were to find out whether (1) protein internal structure (in terms of protein amide profile and protein secondary structure profile) changed after in situ ruminal fermentation at 0, 12, 24 and 48 h in carinata meal and conventional canola meal was used as a reference; (2) there was any correlation between protein spectral parameters and basic chemical profile in in situ rumen residue samples; and (3) the protein structural chemical make-up of carinata meal differed from canola meal during 48 h rumen incubation. The results showed that protein structure features in both carinata meal and canola meal were altered as incubation time increased (P < 0.0001) and linear and curvilinear relationships (P < 0.05) on amide II height and area, height and area ratio of amide I and II as well as height ratio of α-helix and β-sheet were observed within 48 h ruminal fermentation. And the amide I height and area as well as α-helix height and β-sheet height were in the highest level of IR absorbance at 0 h and then gradually declined linearly (P < 0.0001) by 30–38% after 48 h incubation. These results indicated that not only quantities decreased but also inherent structure changed in protein chemical make-up during ruminal fermentation. Meanwhile, strong correlations were found between protein spectral parameters and some basic nutrients profile such as CP (positively) and NDF (negatively). And both AHCA and PCA results showed that in situ rumen residues from carinata meal was not distinguished from those from canola meal, suggesting some relationship in structural make-up exhibited between them within protein region during 48 h rumen fermentation. Further studies are still needed to investigate detailed information on structural changes in protein of various feedstuffs in order to fully and deeply understand protein degradation during rumen fermentation on both metabolic basis and molecular biological basis.

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