The hydrolysis of cell wall polysaccharides from freeze‐dried and oven‐dried herbage by rumen and mould carbohydrases

Little difference was observed in the extent or rate of hydrolysis when either rumen hemicellulase or Trichoderma viride cellulase + hemicellulase were incubated with cell‐wall preparations from oven‐dried and freeze‐dried samples of ryegrass, cocksfoot or white clover, respectively. Results of rumen nylon bag experiments were essentially similar to those from the in vitro enzyme digests. Although oven drying denatured about one‐third of the protein, rendering it insoluble in hot neutral detergent, this protein did not interfere with the enzymic hydrolysis of the cell‐wall polysaccharides.