Herbs on Rumen Fermentation Characteristic and Digestibility of Nutrients in Ruminants
Ruminants have the ability to utilize fibrous feeds and non-protein nitrogen and to convert the low quality feeds into high quality protein. This ability is due to their contain rumen microbial fermentation of plant carbohydrate and nitrogenous compounds to volatile fatty acids and microbial biomass that serve the animal as sources of energy and protein (Calsamiglia et al., 2007).
However, ruminal fermentation also produces methane and ammonia, and these end-products are a loss of energy and nitrogen, respectively. The use of plant extracts appears to be one of the most natural alternatives to antibiotic use in animal nutrition (Wallace, 2004). Many of the investigations conducted to present on essential oils have been laboratory based (i.e., in vitro incubations) and of a short-term nature (Busquet et al., 2005; Castillejos et al., 2006). Herbs have been used by human beings as a source of anti-microbial agents for maintaining a balanced microbial ecosystem of the gastrointestinal tract, especially in the tropical regions of the world.
The anti-microbial activity of herbs is considered to be due to the presence of a variety of essential oils, which are volatile and are responsible for the characteristic aroma of a specific spice. These essential oils may have very specific antimicrobial activity and may affect rumen fermentation significantly. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to investigate the supplementation of herbs on rumen ecology and digestibility in native beef cattle.
February 29 2008 10:29 am | Article