Effect of toasting and decortication of oat on rumen biohydrogenation and intestinal digestibility of fatty acids in dairy cows

This experiment quantified the effect of decorticated and toasted oat (Avena sativa L.) on fatty acid (FA) supply, ruminal biohydrogenation (BH) of FA, and in-testinal digestibility of FA in 4 ruminal and intestinal cannulated Danish Holstein cows. Experimental diets containing untreated oat, decorticated oat, toasted oat, and decorticated and toasted oat were fed ad libitum to the cows in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement in a Latin square design throughout 4 periods. Unless otherwise mentioned, the results of this study indicate the main effect of decortication and toasting. Decortication in-creased the intake of FA by 40.3 g/d and increased feed-ileum digested FA, whereas toasting decreased the intake of FA by 69.3 g/d. Toasting increased both feed -ileum and total-tract digestibility of FA by 59.8 and 67.4 g/kg of FA intake, respectively. The proportion of C18: 2n-6 in FA intake increased, and the C18: 3n -3 proportion in FA intake decreased due to decorti-cation. Toasting resulted in a dramatic reduction of the C18: 2n-6 proportion in FA intake, and it increased the proportions of C18:0 and C18: 3n-3 in FA intake. Toasting reduced ruminal BH of C18: 1n-9 and C18: 2n -6 by 134 and 11.7 g/kg of FA intake, respectively, and toasting increased the proportion of unsaturated FA to saturated FA in the duodenal FA flow. Decortication decreased the ruminal BH of C18: 3n-3 by 38.0 g/kg of FA intake. Decortication increased small intestinal digestibility of C12:0, C15:0, C20:0, and C22:0. Toast-ing increased the small intestinal digestibility of C15:0, C18:0, trans-C18:1, C20:0, and C24:0. Toasting reduced the small intestinal digestibility of C18: 1n-9, C18: 2n -6, and C20: 1n-9. This study showed that decortication successfully increased the intake of FA and flow of FA at the duodenum and feed-ileum digested FA. However, toasting oat at 121 degrees C caused a remarkable decline in FA concentration in oat, and thereby FA intake; there-fore, toasting cannot be recommended.