Ruminants absorb the VFAs across the reticulorumen wall as an energy source, while the microbes eventually flow out of the rumen into the remainder of the alimentary canal, where their constituent proteins are eventually digested and absorbed.
Ruminants obtain energy from the VFAs produced in the reticulorumen, while the microbes that form there eventually migrate to other parts of the digestive system, where their protein components are broken down and utilized by the animal.