Degradation of mimosine by rumen contents: effects of feed composition and Leucaena substrates

Samples of rumen fluid obtained from sheep that had been fed on different diets were fractionated into microorganism and supernatant fractions, and the former divided into bacteria-rich and protozoa-rich fractions. The fractions were evaluated for their ability to degrade purified mimosine during in vitro incubation. The rumen contents of sheep fed on a lucerne-oats mixture produced a more rapid degradation of mimosine than did that from sheep fed on lucerne hay, which was greater than that from a Digitaria pentrii diet. Most activity was in the bacteria-rich fraction for the lucerne-oats diet and in the protozoa-rich fraction for the other diets. The rate of degradation of endogenous mimosine in Leucaena leaf during incubation in ruinen fluid was much greater than for the purified mimosine. The substantial degradation observed when a buffer solution was substituted for rumen fluid was attributed to endogenous leaf enzymes. These enzyme systems were more efficient at degrading mimosine than were the microorganisms in the rumen liquor.