Preventing in vitro lactate accumulation in ruminal fermentations by inoculation with Megasphaera elsdenii.

In vitro fermentations containing a mixed culture of ruminal bacteria (ruminal fluid from a hay-fed steer), buffer, and primarily rapidly degradable substrates (starch, glucose, cellulose, cellobiose, and trypticase) were inoculated with an overnight culture of Megasphaera elsdenii B159. Triplicate flasks were either uninoculated or inoculated to obtain a final concentration of 8.7 × 105) and 8.7 × 106 colony forming units of M. elsdenii per...