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RUMEN BIOTECHNOLOGY

Rumen Biotechnology

Application of knowledge of fore stomach fermentation and the use and management of both natural and recombinant microorganisms to improve the efficiency of digestion of fibrous feedstuffs by ruminants.

(Cunningham, 1990)

Ruminants …?

A ruminant is any hooved animal that digests its food in two steps-

a) By eating the raw material and regurgitating a semi digested form known as cud

b) then eating the cud, a process called ruminatingRuminants share another common feature that they

all have an even number of toes.Examples are: cattle, goat, sheep, camel, giraffe,

buffalo and dear etc.

Digestive tract of Ruminants

Honeycomb lining Formation of food bolus Regurgitation initiated here Collects hardware (nails, wire)

www.vivo.colostate.edu

Reticulum

Digestion and fermentation vatContains anaerobic microbesPapillae liningAbsorption of VFA

Rumen

www.vivo.colostate.edu

Laminae/manyply lining– muscular folds

Reduces particle sizeAbsorption of waterAbsorption of VFA www.vivo.colostate.edu

Omasum

True gastric stomachProteolytic enzymesGastric digestionDecreased pH from 6 to 2.5

– Denatures proteins– Kills bacteria and pathogens– Dissolves minerals (e.g., Ca3(PO4)2)

www.vivo.colostate.edu

Abomasum

Many Microbial Munchers The rumen is home to billions and billions of microbes, including

bacteria, protists, fungi, and viruses. These many different rumen microbes form a complex community of organisms that interact with one another, helping the animal digest its food.

Microbial Population

Fermentation in Ruminants

Rumen is a fermentation chamber filled with microorganisms (Gregg, 1995).

Anaerobic process-thus host can absorb energetic by-products from bacteria fermentation.

Utilizes enzymes produced by rumen microorganisms to digest the ingested material .

Benefits two distinguished groups: host (ruminant) and the microorganisms. www.esl.ohio-state.edu

Rumen Microbes

Protozoa– Large (20-200 microns) unicellular organisms– Ingest bacteria and feed particles– Engulf feed particles and digest carbohydrates,

proteins and fats– Numbers affected by diet

(Yokoyama and Johnson, 1988)

Entodinium (Rumen Protozoa)

Fungi– Known only for about 20 years– Numbers usually low– Digest recalcitrant fiber

www.animsci.agrenv.mcgill.ca/feed

Rumen Microbes

Cellulolytic bacteria (fiber digesters)– digest cellulose– require pH 6-7– utilize N in form of NH3

– require S for synthesis of sulfur-containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine)

– produce acetate, propionate, little butyrate, CO2

– predominate from roughage diets

Bacterial Populations

Amylolytic bacteria (starch, sugar digesters)– digest starch– require pH 5-6– utilize N as NH3 or peptides– produce propionate, butyrate and lactate– predominate from grain diets– rapid change to grain diet causes lactic acidosis

(rapidly decreases pH)

Contd….

Methane-producing bacteria– produce methane (CH4)– utilized by microbes for energy– represent loss of energy to animal– released by eructation

Contd…..

Improvement of Forage Quality

Pre-ingestive Methods

Post-ingestive Methods

Pre-ingestive Methods

Reducing lignin content and increasing fermentable carbohydrate. Increasing available proteins.

Reducing concentration of secondary compounds. (Ulyatt, 1993).

Use of exogenous fibrolytic enzymes to improve feed utilisation.

Post-ingestive Methods

Increasing fibre digestion.Improving efficiency of nitrogen

metabolism.Modification of ruminal ecosystems.Recombinant ruminal Microorganisms.

Hoover and Stokes, 1991; McSweeny et al., 1994.

GI Microbes in livestock development.

Microbial degradation of antinutritional factors.

Tannins Toxic Non-protein amino acids. OxalatesFluoroacetatePyrrolizidine (Allison et al., 1985; Nelson et al., 1995)

GI Microbial enzymes In IndustryTannase in food, beverages, in preparation of instant

tea and as clarifier in fruit juices and beer.Phytase as feed additives in monogastric’s foods to

increase phosphate utilisation.Source of restriction enzymes for e.g.. Sru I and

Sru4DI from ruminal selenomonades Lactobacillus species for disease treatment as

probiotics. (Cheng, 1999).

Future Prospect and Conclusion

Provide a natural barrier for controlling the entry of enteric pathogens into the human food chain.

Intensive livestock production in the future. In various industries apart from the Livestock

productionEasy and economical way to enhance economy

of developing countries.

Thank You