Vet World Vol.17 May-2024 Article - 23
Research Article
Veterinary World, 17(5): 1139-1148
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.1139-1148
Effects of herbal plant supplementation on rumen fermentation profiles and protozoan population in vitro
2. Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Science, Andalas University, Jl. Limau Manis, Padang 25163, West Sumatra, Indonesia.
3. Edufarmers International Foundation, Government Relations Manager, Edu Farmers International Foundation, Jl. MT. Haryono Kav. 16, Jakarta 12810, Indonesia.
4. Department of Nutrition and Feed Technology, Faculty of Animal Science, IPB University, Jl. Agatis Kampus IPB Dramaga Bogor, 16680, Indonesia.
5. Research Center for Agroindustry, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jl. Puspitek Tangerang Selatan, 15314, Indonesia.
Background and Aim: In the livestock sector, particularly ruminants, an approach to minimize methane emissions can be carried out through a feeding strategy involving herbal plants containing bioactive compounds that can reduce protozoa and decrease methane gas emissions. The aim of this in vitro study was to analyze the effects of herbal plant supplementation on rumen fermentation, total gas, and methane production, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), and protozoa populations within the rumen.
Materials and Methods: Two experiments were conducted in this study. Experiment 1 was conducted to determine the most promising herbal plants capable of increasing total gas production and reducing protozoan populations. Three potential herbals selected in Experiment 1 were continued in Experiment 2 as supplements in the palm kernel meal (PKM)-based ration (70% PKM + 30% herbal plants).
Results: Experiment 1 revealed that Eurycoma longifolia (EL), Cola acuminata (CLA), and Cassia alata (CSA) were potential herbal candidates for enhancing total gas production and the percentages of IVDMD and IVOMD. In Experiment 2, supplementation with EL, CLA, and CSA significantly increased IVDMD from 62.84% to 70.15%, IVOMD from 61.61% to 53.18%, and NH3 from 13 mM to 17 mM, as well as reduced partial volatile fatty acids and total gas production. In addition, the methane gas and protozoan populations were reduced.
Conclusion: The utilization of EL, CLA, and CSA effectively increased the production of total gas, IVDMD, and IVOMD while reducing methane gas protozoa populations in rumen fermentation compared with the control.
Keywords: feed digestibility, methane emissions, plant herbs, protozoa.
How to cite this article: Antonius A, Pazla R, Putri EM, Alma’i MI, Laconi EB, Diapari D, Jayanegara A, Ardani LR, Marlina L, Purba RD, Gopar RA, Negara W, Asmaraicen S, and Negoro PS (2024) Effects of herbal plant supplementation on rumen fermentation profiles and protozoan population in vitro, Veterinary World, 17(5): 1139–1148.
Received: 2024-01-21 Accepted: 2024-04-16 Published online: 2024-05-17
Corresponding author: E-mail:
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.1139-1148
Copyright: Antonius, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
