CILIATED RUMEN PROTOZOA, THEIR in vitro CULTURE, AND PLANTS WITH DEFAUNING CAPACITY

Abstract

With the goal of having a method to evaluate the defauning capacity (DC) of the chemical compounds present in multipurpose plants, the feasibility and effectiveness of using in vitro mediums enriched with minerals, vitamins and protein sources has been evaluated, as well as minimum doses of antibiotics and extracts from different plants (Avena sativa, Manihot esculenta, Musa spp., Oryza sativa, Triticum aestivum y Dactylis glomerata) as the single source of energy. In most studies, the plant extracts assessed only reduced the amount of protozoa (to less than 102 mL^-1 medium), while other plants had a total defauning effect, yet a third group of plants did not present any effect on the rumen protozoa, even with higher content and variety of chemical compounds present; therefore, the plants evaluated have differences in the DC during the periods of evaluation. This DC in many cases was or has been attributed to the presence of secondary compounds with possible toxic effect on the ciliated rumen protozoa, although this has not been ratified until now.