Studies on the Formation of Nicotinic Acid in Rumen

1. The Amount of Nicotinic acid in Rumen Content and the Chemical Form of Nicotinic Acid Substances

Abstract

Two goats, male and female were fed on hay and concentrate for a week, and then the rumen contents were collected through fistula. The amounts of rumen nicotinic acid were estimated by the method of bioassay using Lactobacilius arabinosus.
As the results the authors recognized that the amount of 25 to 40γ of nicotinic acid was contained in one gram of dry matter of rumen contents which were collected before feeding in the morning. This value increased after feeding of hay and concentrate under such conditions.
Then the water extracts of cell of rumen bacteria and protozoa were prepared, and the chemical form of nicotinic acid substances existing in these fractions were examined by the method of paperchromatography with the solvent of butanol and 1.5N of ammonia water.
In the fraction of bacteria, nicotinic acid was always detected as the orange-yellow spot of Rf value of 0.24 by KöNIG colour reaction with the reagent of cyanogen bromide and paminoacetophenone but no other spot was detected. In the fraction of protozoa and liquor from which the microorganisms being excluded, no spot whatsoever of KONIG colour reaction was detected. But five or six fluorescent spots with the methyl ethyl ketone and ammonia under the irradiation of ultra-violet ray were recognized in the three fractions of bacteria, protozoa and liquor through all the experiments.
According to these results it was concluded that as the pyridine compound only nicotinic acid existed in the bacterial fraction and five or six nicotinic acid substances which belong to the pyridinium compound existed in all the fractions.