Long-term high-grain diet altered the ruminal pH, fermentation, and epithelial transcriptomes, leading to restored oxidative phosphorylation in Japanese Black cattle

We explored the effect of long-term high-concentrate diet feeding on ruminal pH and fermentation, and its effect on the rumen epithelial transcriptomes in Japanese Black beef cattle during a 20-month fattening period. The fattening stages included Early, Middle, and Late stages (10–14, 15–22, and 23–30 months of age, respectively), and the cattle were fed concentrate and roughage diets during the fattening stages.