Abstract
Rumen microorganisms are responsible for digestion and utilization of dietary feeds by host ruminants. Unconventional feed resources could be used as alternatives in tropical areas where feed resources are insufficient in terms of quality and quantity. The objective of the present experiment was to evaluate the effect of diets based on palm oil (PO), decanter cake (DC) or palm kernel cake (PKC) on rumen total bacteria, selected cellulolytic bacteria, and methanogenic archaea. Four diets: control diet (CD), decanter cake diet (DCD), palm kernel cake diet (PKCD) and CD plus 5% PO diet (CPOD) were fed to rumen cannulated goats and rumen samples were collected at the start of the experimental diets (day 0) and on days 4, 6, 8, 12, 18, 24 and 30 post dietary treatments. Feeding DCD and PKCD resulted in significantly higher (P<0.05) DNA copy number of total bacteria, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavefeciens, and Ruminococcus albus. Rumen methanogenic archaea was significantly lower (P<0.05) in goats fed PKCD and CPOD and the trend showed a severe reduction on days 4 and 6 post experimental diets. In conclusion, results indicated that feeding DCD and PKC increased the populations of cellulolytic bacteria and decreased the density of methanogenic archaea in the rumen of goats.
Highlights
Limited feed resources are the most important constraint for animal production industries in tropical areas
Feeding decanter cake diet (DCD) and palm kernel cake diet (PKCD) resulted in significantly higher (P,0.05) DNA copy number of total bacteria, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavefeciens, and Ruminococcus albus
Results indicated that feeding DCD and palm kernel cake (PKC) increased the populations of cellulolytic bacteria and decreased the density of methanogenic archaea in the rumen of goats
Summary
Limited feed resources are the most important constraint for animal production industries in tropical areas. Oil palm industry in Malaysia produces annually huge amounts of biomass available as potential animal feed, such as oil palm frond, palm oil (PO), decanter cake (DC) and palm kernel cake (PKC). Utilization of these by-products by animals is highly dependent on the rumen microbial activity to produce short chain fatty acids and microbial protein. Many studies reported that feeding PKC to cattle [1], sheep [2] and goats [3] resulted in reduced microorganisms in the rumen. The activities of bacteria (especially cellulolytic bacteria) in the rumen of the goats fed oil palm by-products are yet unknown. The presence or absence of rumen ciliate protozoa is reported to be associated with changes in the composition of the bacterial population [7]
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