Hydrolysis of Lecithin and Lysolecithin by Rumen Micro-organisms of the Sheep

Abstract

ALTHOUGH the diet of the ruminant contains only a small percentage of complex lipids (triglycerides, phospholipids, sterols, waxes), the actual amount ingested can be considerable because of the bulk of the food eaten. Furthermore the surface activity of such lipids may play an important physico-chemical part in ruminant digestion, and recent evidence suggests that the ingested chloroplast lipids act as efficient anti-foaming agents in the rumen¹. At the present time, little is known about the way in which these complex lipids are digested by ruminants. Recently, however, Garton, Hobson and Lough² have described a rapid hydrolysis of triglycerides when these were incubated with sheep rumen contents.