The urinary aromatic acids excreted by sheep given S24 perennial ryegrass cut at six stages of maturity

Abstract

1. S 24 perennial ryegrass was harvested at six stages of its growth from young leafy herbage to mature grass in which the seed had shed.2. Two sheep were offered 1kg/d of each cut and two other sheep were offered 750 g/d of each cut of grass.3. The contents of some possible precursors of the urinary aromatic acids excreted by sheep, namely, shikimic acid, quinic acid, chlorogenic acid, total o-dihydroxyphenolic compounds, lignin and crude protein were determined in each cut of grass.4. A gas-liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the aromatic acids present in light petroleum extracts of urine was developed.5. The urinary excretion of creatinine, diethyl ether-soluble acids, hippuric acid, total benzoic, phenylacetic and phenylpropionic acids, and the apparent digestibilities of nitrogen, lignin and dry matter were determined with each sheep offered each cut of grass.6. The quantity of the various aromatic acid fractions excreted by sheep decreased as the maturity of the herbage increased and was directly proportional to the amount of food consumed.7. No relationship was found between the intake of possible benzoic acid precursors and the urinary excretion of benzoic acid. With diets of young herbage, smaller amounts of benzoic acid were excreted in the urine than would be predicted from the intakes of the precursors studied, and with mature herbage greater amounts were excreted than would be predicted.8. Possible reasons for these results are discussed, and the nature of additional precursors of urinary aromatic acids excreted by sheep given mature herbages are considered.9. Urinary excretion of phenylacetic acid varied with diet in a manner which closely followed the intake of apparently digestible nitrogen. A highly significant (P < 0.001) exponential relationship was found between these two variables; it was log10E = 0.05 N –0.63, where E is the urinary phenylacetic acid output (g/kg food) and N the intake of apparently digestible nitrogen (g/kg food).