Effect of a regulator product of the fermentation with coconut oil on the methanogenic population and other microbial of the sheep rumen Pelibuey

Abstract

To reduce ruminal methanogenic population, a research with six male sheep from Pelibuey breeds was carried out. The animals were kept in metabolism cages, located in a polyethylene tunnel, and they had a cannula in the dorsal sac of the rumen. A product that modulates the ruminal fermentation was used, with two inclusion levels of coconut oil: A) control, without coconut oil and B) 15% of coconut oil. The remainder of the diet consisted on star grass (Cynodon nlemfuensis). A Latin square design with six repetitions was applied. The samples were made before the food intake (hour 0), at 2, 4 and 12 hours after the ingestion of the regulator. The regulator with coconut oil reduced the population of methanogenic bacteria and its counts were 43.44 and 15.94 x109 cfu. mL-1 for treatments without and with coconut oil, respectively. The cellulolitic bacteria population was 29 and 18 x 106 cfu. mL-1 for treatments A and B, respectively. The coconut oil did not modify the population of proteolytic and viable total bacteria, cellulolitic fungi and total protozoa, although the Entodiniomorphos were reduced to a half of its initial population. The concentration of SCFA and NH3 was not modified as a result of the inclusion of coconut oil in the regulator. It is concluded that the inclusion of a regulator with 15% of coconut oil reduces the population of methanogens and Entodiniomorphos protozoa. The decrease effect on the population of cellulolitic bacteria allows the recommendation of its cautious use in fibrous diets for optimizing the fiber degradation.

Key words: male sheep, coconut oil, rumen, methanogens, cellulolitic bacteria, fungi, protozoa