A small scale in vitro system for high throughput gas production analysis – a comparison with the Hohenheim gas test

Abstract An automated small scale in vitro system has been developed for the extensive examination of feedstuffs in high throughput screenings. This system was calibrated against the strictly standardized Hohenheim gas test (HGT). The automated system is suitable for gas-producing biological suspensions, e.g. ruminal fluid. Gas production is indirectly measured through pressure increase as a measure for digestibility. For functional characterisation of the micro gas system (MGS), a total number of 18 feedstuffs, including grass hay and a concentrate standard, were simultaneously incubated in the HGT and the MGS. The same inoculate and feed-inoculate ratio was applied for comparisons of kinetic parameters. Compared to HGT, the MGS resulted in significantly lower (p