REVIEW ▶▶▶
The role of the rumen microbiome in increasing animal efficiency
BY IDA LINDE, UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA, AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (ORIGINAL SOURCE: AFMA MATRIX, JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 – VOL. 29, NO. 2)
A
n increase in the efficiency of feed utilisation by rumen micro-organisms increases nutrient availa- bility to ruminants and thus improves the produc- tion efficiency of the animal. A 10% improvement
in cattle efficiency could lead to a 43% increase in profits. Feed additives such as ionophores, probiotics and essential oils are mostly used in intensive production systems to in- crease the production and efficiency of animals. They can be used to manipulate the rumen microbiome to favour microbi- al species that are beneficial to the animal, resulting in in- creased feed optimisation and an improvement in the ani- mal’s production efficiency. In this review, we discuss the role of the bovine rumen microbiome in relation to improved efficiency, with specific reference to feed additives.
Background The rumen is a complex organ that houses micro-organisms that can degrade nutritional components in feed to substanc- es such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and microbial proteins which the ruminant can use for growth. Studies done on the rumen microbial population (rumen metagenomics) have made it possible to identify and quantify the functions of ru- men microbes. This can provide novel information on en- zymes and improve our understanding of the functional as- pects of the rumen microbiome, leading to improved management of the rumen microbiome (and the animal as a whole), leading to increased efficiency. It is well known that the rumen microbiome plays an essential role in feeding and selection for increased efficiency, as well as the health of the ruminant. The various microbial species found within the mi- crobiome influence the ruminants’ feed utilisation efficiency, methane emissions, ammonia production and health. Recent metagenomic studies have revealed the potential for exploit- ing differences between the efficiency of ruminants due to the functioning of the microbiome. The influence of various feed additives on the rumen microbial population may therefore be a mechanism that can be used to increase feed efficiency.
▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 28, No. 6, 2020 23
The demand for more animal protein, especially from ruminants, must be met using less land, water and with a significant reduction in the environmental footprint of livestock production systems. Attention must therefore be paid to factors such as the animal’s microbiome, which clearly influences production efficiency.
The rumen microbiome The VFAs that are produced through the fermentation process by the core rumen microbiome can yield up to 70% of the en- ergy available to ruminants. The core rumen microbiome mainly consists of anaerobic degraders that interact with the host for optimum production of both the host and microbes through a symbiotic relationship. There are a small number of aerobic micro-organisms whose function is to remove oxygen
Many microbi- ome studies link feed efficiency to the microbi- ome composi- tion of the animals.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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