Enhancing the digestibility of fibrous feeds from cattle diets will benefit the productivity, efficiency, and sustainability of beef cattle operations. These experiments aimed to evaluate the effect of a multispecies fungal extract (MFE) on fiber digestibility and ruminal fermentation; and how these might be associated with growth performance in beef cattle. Diets (forage-based) were offered for ad libitum intake with or without the inclusion of an MFE. Growth performance, nutrient digestion, rumen metabolites, and changes in the rumen microbiome composition were measured over time. Overall, adding an MFE to forage-based diets offered to beef cattle transiently increased the disappearance rate of the diet dry matter from the rumen without modifying the rumen microbiome composition or fermentation characteristics. Total tract digestibility of the fibrous fraction of the diet was improved by the MFE but did not translate into growth performance improvements.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.