Interpretation of the faecal excretion patterns of solute and particle markers introduced into the rumen of sheep

Abstract

SUMMARYA two-pool + time delay model was used to analyse ideal marker concentration patterns generated, using an interactive computer simulation program, from data for the mean retention times of [51Cr]EDTA and [103Ru]phen in the reticulo-rumen, abomasum and caecum-proximal colon and the transit times of these markers through the omasum, small intestine and distal large intestine of sheep. Although providing a reasonably close fit to the generated data, the fitted curves showed small but systematic deviations, indicating that the model does not consistently characterize the kinetics of the markers in the ruminant gastro-intestinal tract.When the components of the two-pool model were correctl..