Bovine Digestion

Isfahan University of Technology
Isfahan, Iran
Advanced
Digestive Physiology
(part 3)
By: A. Riasi
(PhD in Animal Nutrition & Physiology)
http://riasi.iut.ac.ir
Rumen and reticulum properties
The ruminoreticular fold partially separates the

reticulum and cranial sac of the rumen.
Pillars divide the rumen to dorsal and ventral

parts.
Rumen and reticulum properties
The dorsal part of rumen is divided to:

Cranial sac
Dorsal sac
Caudodorsal blind sac
The ventral part of the rumen is divided to:

The ventral sac
The caudoventral blind sac

Ruminoreticular wall structure
Highly vascularized connective tissue core is

in the mucosal layer of the finger-like papillae
Epithelium is involved in the absorption of

short-chain fatty acids.
In the reticulum the mucosal layer contains

laminae.
Conical projections (papillae) are found on

the surface of laminae.
The stratified squamous epithelium of

reticulum also absorb short-chain fatty acids.
The reticulum has a role in mechanical

digestion of food.
Myenteric plexus can be found between the

muscularis externa layers.
Blood circulation of forestomachs
Celiac artery supply the blood flow to

forestomach and the most part of abomasum.
The venous blood drains into the hepatic

portal vein.
Innervations and the receptors
The innervations of fore stomachs:

Vagal nerves (10:1 afferent/efferent ratio)
Splanchnic nerves (3:1 afferent/efferent ratio)

The vagal nerves transmit sensory information

from two known kinds of sensory receptors:
Tension receptors
Epithelial/mucosal receptors
The splanchnic nerves transmit sensory

information from:
Serosal receptors
Possibly tension receptors

Ruminoreticular motilities
The movements serve to:

Mix the ingesta
Aid in eructation of gas
Propel fluid and fermented foodstuffs into the

omasum.
A cycle of contractions occurs 1 to 3 times per

minute.
Two types of contractions are identified:

Primary contractions
Secondary contractions
Typical primary cycle consist of:

Biphasic (double) contraction of the reticulum
Caudally moving monophasic contraction of the

dorsal ruminal sac
A contraction of the ventral ruminal sac

Secondary cycle may occur and consist of

sequential contractions of:
The caudoventral ruminal blind sac
A cranially moving contraction of the caudodorsal

ruminal blind sac followed by the middorsal
ruminal sac
A contraction of the ventral sac.

When ingesta enter the foestomach, heavy

objects fall into the reticulum and lighter
material enters the rumen.
Added to this mixture are voluminous

quantities of gas produced during fermentation.
The forestomachs possess a rich enteric

nervous system.
Contractions coordination need the central input.
Motility centers in the brainstem control

both the rate and strength of contraction via
vagal efferents.
There are also vagal afferents from the rumen

to the motility centers which allow stretch
receptors and chemoreceptors in the rumen to
modulate contractility.
Feeble intrinsic contractions responsible for

the smooth muscle tone in the forestomach wall
arise from nervous activity in its intrinsic nerve
networks.
The gastric centers do not have spontaneous

activity and need to be driven by
Excitatory inputs
Inhibitory inputs
The principal inputs to the gastric centers are

from:
Forestomachs
Abomasum
Duodenum by way of vagus nerves

Stimulus Receptors Projections Effect
The known sensory receptor mechanisms are

responsible for the vagal inputs.
The tension receptors are located in the muscle
layer of different parts.
The epithelial receptors are located closed to the

basement membrane of the luminal epithelium of
the forestomachs.
Conditions inside the rumen can significantly

affect motility.
Acidic ruminal contents
High roughage diet

Rumination and its components
Ruminants are well known for "cud chewing
It provides effective mechanical breakdown of roughage
and increases substrate surface area.
Rumination is a unique characteristic of:

True ruminants (deer, giraffes, and bovidae)
Pseudoruminants (camels and llamas).

Rumination occurs in resting.
The highest incidences of rumination occur

during afternoon and middle of the night.
Many lactating ruminants ruminate while they are
suckling their young or are being milked.
The time spent ruminating by a given animal

depends on:
The texture of the food
The amount of food ingested
Cattle may ruminate from 35 to 80 minutes per

kilogram of roughage consumed.
Pharmacological agents have been used to

examine the physiological mechanisms
involved in evoking rumination.
Volatile fatty acids
Catecholamines
Gastric hormones
Opioids
Autacoids
Rumination is centrally mediated by the

"gastric centers located at:
Medulla oblongata
Ventral hypothalamic area
Tactile stimulation of the reticular and ruminal

epithelia is a powerful stimulus for rumination.
Sensory information from digesta that is

perceived in pillars:
Digesta texture
Digesta consistency
Rumen fill
o Four phases of a rumination cycle:

o Regurgitation
o Remastication
o Reinsalivation
o Reswallowing
o Regurgitation starts with an inspiration effort.

o The bolus is carried into the mouth by reverse

peristalsis.
o Antiperistaltic waves of regurgitation passes over the
esophagus at a velocity of 0.2 m per second.
o In about two seconds, the "retained" bolus has the

fluid squeezed out of it.
o This fluid is immediately swallowed, and the remainder is
chewed, reinsalivated, and subsequently swallowed.
o Slower and more regular rate in remastication

phase
o The rate and duration of rumination chewing are

controlled:
o The texture (coarseness)
o Quantity of the food

o The reinsalivation phase of rumination coincides

with the remastication phase.
o Rumination saliva and ingestion saliva are secreted

at about the same rate and about 2.5 times the resting
rate.
Eructation
oEructation is the physiological process of expelling

ruminoreticular gases:
o Carbon dioxide, 65%;
o Methan, 25%;
o Nitrogen, 7%;
o Oxygen, 0.5%;
o Hydrogen, 0.2%;
o Hydrogen sulfide, 0.01%.

Eructation
o The eructation is associated with almost every

secondary ruminal contraction.
o Eructated gas travels up the esophagus at 160 to 225

cm per second
o Interestingly, a majority is actually first inspired into the
lungs, then expired.
Eructation
o A large portion of the eructated gases is inspired and

recycled into the organism by absorption into the
lungs.
Eructation
o The rumen raft is the site of origin of most of the

gases of fermentation.
o When dorsal surface of raft splits, releasing of free gas into
the gas layer occur.
o Not much of the gas is absorbed, and most must be

eliminated by eructation.
Eructation
o If the gas layer reaches the cardia and clear it of

fluid, the eructation mechanism is evoked.
o Eructation is a vagovagal reflex, with centers in the

medulla ablongata.
o Mechanical receptors to detect distention are present in
o Rumen dorsal sac
o Reticular groove
o Around the cardia and esophagus

Eructation
o The primary type of rumen contraction always

follows the biphasic reticular contraction and spread
caudally.
o In cattle
o 66% with the secondary type of rumen contraction,
o 20% with the primary type.

Eructation
o In sheep
o 3% no dependent rumen motility
o 37% with secondary-type rumen contractions
o 60% with the time with the primary type

Strategies for lower methane emission
o Increasing the efficiency in which animals use

nutrients to produce milk or meat.
o Rumen modifiers such as ionophores improve dry

matter intake efficiency and suppress acetate
production, which results in reducing the amount of
hydrogen released.
Strategies for lower methane emission
o The grinding and pelleting of forages can reduce

emissions by 40% .
o Dietary fats have the potential to reduce CH4 up to

37%.

Bovine Digestion

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Isfahan University of Technology

The ruminoreticular fold partially separates the

Pillars divide the rumen to dorsal and ventral

The dorsal part of rumen is divided to:

Caudodorsal blind sac

The ventral part of the rumen is divided to:

The caudoventral blind sac

Highly vascularized connective tissue core is

Epithelium is involved in the absorption of

In the reticulum the mucosal layer contains

Conical projections (papillae) are found on

The stratified squamous epithelium of

The reticulum has a role in mechanical

Myenteric plexus can be found between the

Celiac artery supply the blood flow to

The venous blood drains into the hepatic

The innervations of fore stomachs:

Splanchnic nerves (3:1 afferent/efferent ratio)

The vagal nerves transmit sensory information

The splanchnic nerves transmit sensory

Possibly tension receptors

The movements serve to:

Aid in eructation of gas

Propel fluid and fermented foodstuffs into the

A cycle of contractions occurs 1 to 3 times per

Two types of contractions are identified:

Typical primary cycle consist of:

Caudally moving monophasic contraction of the

A contraction of the ventral ruminal sac

Secondary cycle may occur and consist of

A cranially moving contraction of the caudodorsal

A contraction of the ventral sac.

When ingesta enter the foestomach, heavy

Added to this mixture are voluminous

The forestomachs possess a rich enteric

Motility centers in the brainstem control

There are also vagal afferents from the rumen

Feeble intrinsic contractions responsible for

The gastric centers do not have spontaneous

The principal inputs to the gastric centers are

Duodenum by way of vagus nerves

The known sensory receptor mechanisms are

The epithelial receptors are located closed to the

Conditions inside the rumen can significantly

High roughage diet

Rumination is a unique characteristic of:

Pseudoruminants (camels and llamas).

Rumination occurs in resting.

The highest incidences of rumination occur

The time spent ruminating by a given animal

The amount of food ingested

Cattle may ruminate from 35 to 80 minutes per

Pharmacological agents have been used to

Rumination is centrally mediated by the

Ventral hypothalamic area

Tactile stimulation of the reticular and ruminal

Sensory information from digesta that is

o Four phases of a rumination cycle:

o Regurgitation starts with an inspiration effort.

o The bolus is carried into the mouth by reverse

o In about two seconds, the "retained" bolus has the

o Slower and more regular rate in remastication

o The rate and duration of rumination chewing are