Ruminants in tropical countries primarily face the issue of inefficient nutrient digestion. This study aimed to identify the optimal dose of Binahong extract as a feed additive in a ruminant diet, using nutrient degradation and fermentation in the rumen as indicators. A completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replications was employed, involving binahong extract levels: control, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% based on dry matter (DM). One gram of feed substrate, supplemented with binahong extract, was incubated in buffered rumen fluid at 390C for 48 hours in a 120 ml serum bottle. Gas production was measured at intervals of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, 36, and 48 hours. Rumen fluid was also collected to calculate the population of protozoa at 4, 24 and 48 hours. After incubation, the residue was used for determining dry matter and organic matter degradability (DMD/OMD), while the supernatant was analyzed for pH, VFA, NH3, and protozoa concentration. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Differences between treatments were carried out by the Tukey test and regression. There was no significant of treatment on the DMD, OMD, NH3 cocentration, but the VFA cocentration increased form 100.80 mM (without Binahong extract) to 105.78 mM (with Binahong extract). The evaluated extract dose was insufficient to impact certain parameters, or microbial adaptability to environmental changes nullified any effect. Meanwhile, VFA production increased due to changes in the rumen fermentation pattern. Treatment significantly affected (P<0.05) total gas production and protozoa populations. A linear relationship was observed between the binahong extract levels and both total gas production and protozoa population. Binahong supplementation elevated gas production, volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, and decreased protozoa populations in ruminants. The addition of 1% Binahong extract reduced protozoa by 30.2%, suggesting its potential to enhance nutrient utilization, feed efficiency, and livestock performance in tropical areas.
Keywords | Active compounds, Anredera cordiofolia, Ruminal fermentation, Feed additive, Microbiota ruminal, Plant extract