Abstract
In the present study, Caecomyces sp., an anaerobic rumen fungus from faeces of the Indian elephant, was immobilized using calcium-alginate. The resulting beads were found to solubilize within 4-5 h in culture medium at 39°C (pH 6.9), indicating their possible dissociation in the rumen, if used as a feed additive. Since media was also used as a component of the immobilization material, the fungi were not only found to survive, but also to grow, as mycelial growth was visible macroscopically on the surface of the beads. Incubation of immobilized fungi with wheat straw at different temperatures was found to extend the viability of immobilized fungi. Immobilization of rumen fungi and their subsequent incubation with an appropriate substrate (e.g., wheat straw, etc.) could be used to enhanced their survival, industrial use as propagules, and as direct-fed microbials/ feed additives for domesticated ruminants.
Highlights
There is evidence supporting the existence of a definite positive relationship between the presence of anaerobic fungi in the rumen and the voluntary intake of herbage diets of low digestibility (Gordon and Phillips, 1989; Lee et al, 2000; Thareja et al, 2006)
In the present investigation, an attempt was made to immobilize a strain of Caecomyces sp. and to observe its subsequent activities, with the aim to determine if immobilization could be a simple method allowing the use of these fibrolytic fungi as direct fed microbials (DFM) or microbial feed additives
These results suggested that the beads could dissociate and release free fungi in the rumen within 4-6 h if used as feed-additives
Summary
There is evidence supporting the existence of a definite positive relationship between the presence of anaerobic fungi in the rumen and the voluntary intake of herbage diets of low digestibility (Gordon and Phillips, 1989; Lee et al, 2000; Thareja et al, 2006). One potential means to take advantage of this relationship may involve inoculation of efficient anaerobic fungal strains into the ruminants to increase fungal activity in the rumen. Feeding of animal probiotic cultures as direct fed microbials (DFM) could be the safest method for improving rumen ecological conditions, where these efficient organisms bring favourable changes (Dey et al, 2004; Tripathi et al, 2007b; Sehgal et al, 2008). Due to their anaerobic nature, these fungi need to be maintained under an atmosphere of CO2 during growth, making their cultivation difficult. In the present investigation, an attempt was made to immobilize a strain of Caecomyces sp. and to observe its subsequent activities, with the aim to determine if immobilization could be a simple method allowing the use of these fibrolytic fungi as DFM or microbial feed additives
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