Measurement of Certain Metabolic Organic Acids in Forage, Silage, and Ruminal Fluid by Gas-Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

Gas-liquid chronmtography was found applicable for measuring lactic, oxalic, malonie, fumaric, succinic, malic; alphaketoglutarie, and citric acids in forage, silage, and ruminal fluid. Aqueous extracts of ground and dried forage, extracted at 55 C, were lyophilized and the organic acids contained in the residue esterified with methanol and hydrochloric acid. Esters of the acids were then chronmtographed. Aqueous extracts of silage and protein-free filtrates of rmninaI fluid, prepared by acetone-ethanoI precipitation, were analyzed.