Cañete, Roberto Jr., N., Constantino, Mark James M., Delmonte, Meg Aui O.
Corresponding email: [email protected]
A B S T R A C T
Increased efficiency in ruminant production through rumen manipulation have been of great interest to animal nutritionist, practitioners, and researchers. This study sought to understand the effect of Buffered Banana Blossom Pellets (BBBP) on rumen pH and population dynamics of ruminal bacteria and protozoa. Four treatments with four replications were randomly allocated to sixteen goats aged 4 to 6 months old. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in Statistical Tool for Agricultural Reaserch (STAR) version 2.0.1.. Treatment 1 (control), Treatment 2 (1% BBBP + basal diet), Treatment 3 (2% BBBP + basal diet), and Treatment 4 (3% BBBP + basal diet) were subjected to a 35 days experiment with the first 7 days establishment period. The result shows an increase in rumen pH. T4 with 3% BBBP obtained the highest increase in pH. The highest reduction in the ruminal bacterial count was observed in T1 with -95%. But an increase in the bacterial count was observed in T2 with 1% supplementation of BBBP. A decrease in the ruminal protozoal count was also observed in T1 with -3.01%. In comparison, there is an increase in protozoal count in treatments with the supplementation of BBBP. The nutrient content of Buffered Banana Blossom Pellets revealed a high content of minerals that neutralize the rumen ecology. It has protein (5.4%), fiber (24.8%), fat (1.5%), and carbohydrates (31.8%). It was therefore concluded that supplementation of BBBP, which is high in minerals, could buffer the rumen environment and a subsequent improvement in the population of ruminal protozoa and improvement of ruminal bacteria at 1% BBBP supplementation.