Effects of Amino Acids and Peptides on Rumen Microbial Growth Yields

Experiments were conducted using mixed rumen bacterial cultures to determine which amino acids limited growth. Complete amino acid mixtures stimulated microbial growth alone and when added to casein. Amino acid subgroups did not stimulate growth alone or when added to casein or casein hydrolysates. Results were similar whether growth was limited by periodic addition of low amounts of carbohydrate or when higher amounts were added to batch cultures. Little growth occurred with ammonia as sole N source. Addition of 100 mg/L of amino acids and peptides quadrupled growth. peptides at 10 mg/L resulted in higher growth than the corresponding amount of free amino acids. Apparent saturation of growth occurred when 10 mg/L of a complete amino acid mixture or trypticase was added to cultures. The Michaelis constant values for amino acids and trypticase were determined to be .5 and 1.0 mg/L, respectively. Growth was a linear function of amount of carbohydrate fermented with the coefficient of slope increasing with increasing amino acid concentrations. These experiments demonstrate that growth stimulation from amino acids and proteins is due to the number of amino acids provided in a given mixture rather than specific growth limiting amino acids. Rumen bacterial growth is greatly stimulated by amino acids and peptides, with low affinity constant values, allowing good growth in the concentrations of amino acids and peptides found in vivo.