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Background and Aim: Ruminant enteric methane (CH4) is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. To minimize environmental harm caused by ruminants’ CH4 production, natural substances can be used to suppress it. Chitosan from crustacean sources had been known to obstruct CH4 generation in the rumen. About 18% of silkworm pupae is chitin, but little is known about the impact of silkworm pupae chitosan on rumen methanogenesis. This study investigated the efficacy of the silkworm chitosan extraction method and its impact on rumen fermentation, methanogenesis, and microbial growth in vitro. Materials and Methods: This study employed a randomized complete block design featuring five treatments and four batches for rumen incubation as the blocking factor. In this study, five treatments were implemented: Control (CO) (basal diet with no added chitosan), basal diet with 6% chitosan from the Chinese Silkworm strain 804 (CHI804), basal diet with 6% chitosan from the PS 01 Hybrid Silkworm strain (CHIPS01), basal diet with 6% chitosan from the Hybrid F1 Japanese 102 × Chinese 202 races (CHIJC02), and basal diet with 6% commercial shrimp shell chitosan as the positive control (CHICOMM). The in vitro experiments assessed digestibility, pH, total gas generation, CH4 production, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and short-chain fatty acid levels, along with microbial population. Data were analyzed using a general linear model followed by Duncan’s test when applicable. Results: A significant effect on dry matter digestibility (DMD), total gas production, CH4, NH3-N, and rumen microbial populations (Methanogens, Ruminoccocus albus, Ruminoccocus flavefaciens, Selonomonas ruminantium, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Streptoccocus bovis, Prevotella spp., and Bacteroides spp.) was observed (p < 0.05). The extracted chitosan (CHIJC02) used in this study exhibited a similar quality to that of commercial chitosan (CHICOMM). CHI804 treatment could reduce gas production, NH3-N production, and B. fibrisolvens population significantly (p < 0.05), while CHIJC02 could reduce CH4 production, methanogen population, acetate (C2) production, and increase propionate (C3) production significantly (p < 0.05). CHIJC02 and CHICOMM treatments could also increase the population of R. flavefaciens, S. ruminantium, and Bacteroides spp. significantly (p < 0.05). Chitosan addition significantly (p < 0.05) reduced DMD but did not impact organic matter digestibility or pH. Conclusion: The extracted chitosan mimics commercial chitosan in physico-chemical properties. Chitosan derived from Japanese and Chinese F1 hybrid silkworm strains demonstrated superior capacity for inhibiting CH4 generation compared to commercial chitosan. The quality and effects on methanogenesis, rumen fermentation, and rumen microbial populations can differ depending on the origin of chitosan.

The Borneo earless monitor lizard (Lanthanotus borneensis) is one of the endemic animals of Indonesia. In 2019, the IUCN listed L. borneensis as an ‘endangered’ species. The declining population of the L. borneensis is a major concern for conservation efforts. One of the efforts to conserve endangered wild animals is to know the gut microbiome profile and the relationship between the host and the bacterial community in the body, which is associated with an influence on health. This research aims to determine the gut microbiome profile of animals with metagenomic analysis using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). This research was carried out by providing three feed types: earthworms, shrimp, and fish. Sample feces was collected by cloacal swabs and the DNA was sequenced using the Illumina NGS technique in the V4 16S rRNA region to examine the gut microbiome. The results of the metagenomic analysis showed differences in bacterial abundance in each feed treatment. The L. borneensis treated with earthworms and fish were dominated at the phylum level by Proteobacteria and Bacteriodota, while in shrimp, the phyla were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Index Shanon, Simpson, and the rarefaction curve also showed the highest bacterial diversity found in the fish treatment. This study can be used as a reference in designing suitable feed formulations for effective captive breeding for the conservation of L. borneensis

ABSTRACT Rice anaerobic fermentation is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and in order to efficiently utilize crop residue resources to reduce GHG emissions, rice straw anaerobic fermentation was regulated using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants (FG1 and TH14), grass medium (GM) to culture LAB, and Acremonim cellulolyticus (AC). Microbial community, GHG emission, dry matter (DM) loss, and anaerobic fermentation were analyzed using PacBio single-molecule real-time and anaerobic fermentation system. The epiphytic microbial diversity of fresh rice straw was extremely rich and contained certain nutrients and minerals. During ensiling, large amounts of GHG such as carbon dioxide are produced due to plant respiration, enzymatic hydrolysis reactions, and proliferation of aerobic bacteria, resulting in energy and DM loss. Addition of FG1, TH14, and AC alone improved anaerobic fermentation by decreasing pH and ammonia nitrogen content (P < 0.05) and increased lactic acid content (P < 0.05) when compared to the control, and GM showed the same additive effect as LAB inoculants. Microbial additives formed a co-occurrence microbial network system dominated by LAB, enhanced the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, diversified the microbial metabolic environment and carbohydrate metabolic pathways, weakened the amino acid metabolic pathways, and made the anaerobic fermentation cleaner. This study is of great significance for the effective utilization of crop straw resources, the promotion of sustainable livestock production, and the reduction of GHG emissions.IMPORTANCETo effectively utilize crop by-product resources, we applied microbial additives to silage fermentation of fresh rice straw. Fresh rice straw is extremely rich in microbial diversity, which was significantly reduced after silage fermentation, and its nutrients were well preserved. Silage fermentation was improved by microbial additives, where the combination of cellulase and lactic acid bacteria acted as enzyme-bacteria synergists to promote lactic acid fermentation and inhibit the proliferation of harmful bacteria, such as protein degradation and gas production, thereby reducing GHG emissions and DM losses. The microbial additives accelerated the formation of a symbiotic microbial network system dominated by lactic acid bacteria, which regulated silage fermentation and improved microbial metabolic pathways for carbohydrates and amino acids, as well as biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.

The present meta-analysis study was aimed to determine effects of essential oil and their derivatives (EOD) supplementation as natural additives on rumen fermentation characteristics and rumen biohydrogenation (BH) activity in vitro. A meta-analysis database was built from the 28 verified scientific articles and further all data were analysed through the continuous random effects model using OpenMEE. It was evaluated that the EOD levels up to 500 mg/L. It showed that high EOD levels increased pH and acetate concentration (P < 0.001) but reduced ammonia, propionate, the acetate to propionate ratio, total volatile fatty acid, and rumen gas production in vitro (P < 0.001). On the perspective of rumen fatty acids profile, the increased EOD levels also positively accumulating n-9 monounsaturated fatty acid, conjugated linoleic acid c9 t11, as well as n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the rumen after in vitro fermentation (P < 0.001), and consequently inhibited rumen biohydrogenation (BH) of n-6 and n-3 PUFA (P < 0.001). Meta-regression analysis also showed a negative correlation between EOD supplementation levels and the BH of C18:2 n-6, C18:3 n-3, C20:5 n-3, and C22:6 n-3. It was suggested that the EOD supplementation at 300 mg/L indicated a positive effect on modulating the rumen PUFA metabolism. Above all evidences, it can be concluded that EOD treatment can reduce rumen fermentability but increase the proportion of beneficial fatty acids and inhibit the rate of BH PUFA.

Background and Aim: Resistant starch (RS) is difficult to digest in the digestive tract. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of heat-moisture treatment (HMT) on RS in cassava and examined its impact on rumen fermentation. Materials and Methods: Cassava flour was used as a raw material and used in a randomized block design with four different cycles of HMT as the treatments and four different rumen incubations in vitro as blocks. Treatments included: HMT0: without HMT (control), HMT1: one HMT cycle, HMT2: two HMT cycles, and HMT3: three HMT cycles. Heat-moisture treatment processes were performed at 121°C for 15 min and then freezing at -20°C for 6 h. Analyzed HMT cassava starch characteristics included components, digestibility, and physicochemical properties. In in vitro rumen fermentation studies (48 h incubation) using HMT cassava, digestibility, gas production, methane, fermentation profiles, and microbial population assessments were performed. Results: Heat-moisture treatment significantly reduced (p < 0.05) starch, amylopectin, rapidly digestible starch (RDS), and slowly digestible starch levels. In contrast, amylose, reducing sugars, very RDS, RS, and protein digestion levels were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Additionally, a reduced crystallinity index and an increased amorphous index were observed in starch using Fourier-transform infrared analyses, while a change in crystalline type from type A to type B, along with a reduction in crystallinity degree, was observed in X-ray diffraction analyses. Heat-moisture treatment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced rumen dry matter (DM) degradation, gas production, methane (CH4 for 12 h), volatile fatty acid (VFA), and propionate levels. In addition, acetate, butyrate, and acetate/propionate ratios, as well as population of Streptococcus bovis and Bacteroides were significantly increased (p < 0.05). However, pH, ammonia, and organic matter digestibility were unaffected (p < 0.05) by HMT. Conclusion: Cassava HMT altered starch characteristics, significantly increased RS, which appeared to limit rumen digestion activity, decreased rumen DM degradation, gas production, VFAs, and CH4 production for 12 h, but increased S. bovis and Bacteroides levels.

Feed safety becoming the main factor to produce good quality food. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of lactic acid bacteria in degrading aflatoxin B1, suppressing the growth of contaminant bacteria, and its application on feed. Biological degradation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in liquid cultures and Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces aureus inhibition by Lactobacillus plantarum were examined. Fermentation of corn for 24 hours by L. plantarum was used to determine the ability of LAB to decrease E. coli, coliform, mold, and AFB1 on a solid substrate. This study showed that both L. plantarum TSD-10 and DR-162 could inhibit E. coli growth at 3% and 5% supernatant addition. The addition of 5% L. plantarum DR-162 and TSD-10 could inhibit S. aureus at 97.40% and 97.28%, respectively. Furthermore, viable cells of L. plantarum DR-162 and TSD-10 removed 56.97% and 64.65% AFB1 within 72 h of incubation, respectively. The AFB1 reduction by nonviable cell was lower than the viable cell. The population of E. coli, coliform, and mold completely disappeared in both fermentation treatment of corn by L. plantarum DR-162 and TSD-10 at 3% and 5%. AFB1 significantly decreased by 17.57% and 22.60% on 5% L. plantarum DR-162 and TSD-10 treatment.

Background and Aim: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum is one of the lactic acid bacteria that is often used as probiotics. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum TSD10 as a probiotic on rumen fermentation and microbial population in Ongole breed cattle. Materials and Methods: This study adopted an experimental crossover design, using three-fistulated Ongole breed cattle. Treatments were as follows: T0, control without probiotic; T1, 10 mL probiotic/day; T2, 20 mL probiotic/day; and T3, 30 mL probiotic/day. The basal diet of the cattle comprised 70% concentrate: 30% elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum). The concentration of probiotic used was 1.8 × 1010 colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL. Results: We observed significantly lower acetate production compared with control (64.12%), the lowest values being in the T3 group (55.53%). Contrarily, propionate production significantly increased from 18.67% (control) to 23.32% (T2). All treatments yielded significantly lower acetate–propionate ratios than control (3.44), with the lowest ratio in the T3 group (2.41). The protozoal number decreased on probiotic supplementation, with the lowest population recorded in the T2 group (5.65 log cells/mL). The population of specific rumen bacteria was estimated using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We found that the population of L. plantarum, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, and Treponema bryantii, did not change significantly on probiotic supplementation, While that of Ruminococcus albus increased significantly from 9.88 log CFU/mL in controls to 12.62 log CFU/mL in the T2 group. Conclusion: This study showed that the optimum dosage of L. plantarum TSD10 as a probiotic was 20 mL/day. The effect of L. plantarum as a probiotic on feed degradation in rumen was not evaluated in this experiment. Therefore, the effect of L. plantarum as a probiotic on feed degradation should be performed in further studies.

The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of fresh rice straw silage quality prepared with addition of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 1A-2 and crude cellulase alone or in combination. Quality of the silage was observed through the chemical composition, chemical structure and in vitro digestibility. Six treatments were used in this study, i.e., 1) rice straw without any treatment as control, 2) rice straw with addition of 0.1% L. plantarum 1A-2 (LAB1), 3) rice straw with addition of 1% crude cellulase (E1), 4) rice straw with addition of 0.1% L. plantarum 1A-2 and 1% cellulase enzyme. (LAB1 E1), 5) rice straw with addition of 2% crude cellulase (E2), 6) rice straw with addition of 0.2% L. plantarum 1A-2 and 2% crude cellulase (LAB2E2). Each treatment was replicated by four times (n = 24). Ensilage was carried out for 60 days. Data obtained were analyzed by using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) according to complete randomized design. The result indicated that the treatments increased dry matter (DM) (p = 0.001), crude protein (p < 0.001) and lactic acid (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, reduced pH (p < 0.001) and organic acids (acetic, propionic and butyric (p < 0.001)). Total crystallinity index (TCI) of rice straw silage varied among treatments and decreased in crystallinity (%) except for LAB2E2, which showed the lowest crystalline size. The treatment increased DM digestibility (p = 0.397) with the highest in LAB2E2. There is significant effect (p < 0.001) on increasing the main SCFA products from in vitro rumen fermentation. This study suggests that addition of L. plantarum 1A-2 inoculant alone or with crude cellulase improved fresh rice straw silage quality.

Silage fermentation is naturally carried out by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to mainly produce lactic acid (LA) and other organic acids as preservatives. Along with fermentation time, the growth of LAB will replace and suppress undesirable microorganisms. This meta-analysis study aimed to explore silage microbiome differentiated by LAB inoculants and type of raw materials. A total of 37 articles with 185 studies and 475 datasets were used for building up the meta-database. Data were subjected to the mixed model methodology. The parameters observed were silage quality and silage microbiome post-ensiling process. Results revealed that four bacterial genera along with Weissella dominated the post-ensiling process. The addition of lactic acid inoculants in the silage has increased the abundance of Lactobacillus spp. and decreased the Shannon index significantly. Moreover, the abundance of both L. plantarum and L. buchneri increased, and subsequently, Weissella, Pseudomonas, Proteobacteria, pH value, ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), coliforms, and the yeasts were decreased significantly due to the addition of LAB inoculants in silage (p < 0.05). Environmental factors such as temperature affected the existence of Pseudomonas, Exiguobacterium, and Acinetobacter. However, the dry matter, LA, acetic acid (AA), the ratio of LA to AA, and the LAB population were enhanced significantly (p < 0.05). Among the LAB types, the lowest abundance of Pseudomonas was due to the LAB group, while the lowest abundance of Weissella and Proteobacteria was due to the addition of the combined LAB group. In conclusion, the addition of LAB is effectively enhancing the silage microbiome and silage quality by altering bacterial diversity and the metabolic products of the silage materials for safe preservation.

This experiment aimed to establish the fatty acid profiles of oils from selected insect species and to evaluate their effects on in vitro rumen fermentation and methanogenesis. Insect samples, namely maggots, krotos, superworms, mealworms and crickets, were subjected to oil extraction using hexane in a Soxhlet apparatus. The fatty acid composition of the oils was subsequently determined. The insect oils were added at 5% dry matter to two kinds of diets, high forage (70% forage + 30% concentrate) and high concentrate (30% forage + 70% concentrate), which represented the diets of dairy cows and beef cattle, respectively. These diets, together with a control for each (without any addition of insect oil), were incubated in an in vitro rumen fermentation system, performed for three runs, with each run represented by two incubation units. Therefore, in total 2 × 6 treatments were incubated: the two types of diet (high forage and high concentrate) and the addition (or not) of insect oils (no addition, maggot, kroto, superworm, mealworm and cricket). The data were analysed by using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey’s test. The results revealed that maggot oil was dominated by C12:0 (43.1% from total fatty acids), whereas the main fatty acids present in kroto oil were C18:1n-9 (38.8%) and C16:0 (20.8%). Superworm oil, mealworm oil and cricket oil were rich in C16:0 (19.5–31.2%), C18:1n-9 (25.8–44.6%) and C18:2n-6 (24.0–27.9%). In no case was the interaction between substrate and the addition of insect oil significant for any of the parameters. The addition of insect oil reduced the methane emission of the incubated substrates (p

Aim: The present experiment aimed to evaluate the use of different additives, i.e., lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculant, tannin extract, and propionic acid, on the chemical composition, fermentative characteristics, and in vitro ruminal fermentation of soy sauce by-product (SSB) silage. Materials and Methods: SSB was subjected to seven silage additive treatments: Fresh SSB, ensiled SSB, ensiled SSB+LAB, ensiled SSB+2% acacia tannin, ensiled SSB+2% chestnut tannin, ensiled SSB+0.5% propionic acid, and ensiled SSB+1% acacia tannin+1% chestnut tannin+0.5% propionic acid. Ensiling was performed for 30 days in three replicates, and each replicate was made in duplicate. The samples were evaluated for their chemical composition and silage fermentation characteristics and were tested in an in vitro rumen fermentation system. Results: In general, the nutrient compositions did not differ among the tested SSBs in response to the different additives used. The addition of tannins, either acacia or chestnut, and propionic acid significantly decreased the pH of the ensiled SSB (p

Lemongrass is the raw material for lemongrass oil production. Indonesia is one of the ten largest lemongrass oil producing countries in the world. Lemongrass oil industry will be generated large amount of lemongrass waste. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) substitution with lemongrass waste on high forage feed on in vitro rumen fermentation. This study was arranged with randomized block design with 5 treatments (100R: 0% lemongrass waste, 75R: 25% lemongrass waste, 50R: 50% lemongrass waste, 25R: 75% lemongrass waste, and 0R: 100% lemongrass waste) and 4 different rumen collecting time as block. The results showed that the substitution of grass with lemongrass waste did not give a significant difference to dry matter content, but it could reduce protein content and increase crude fiber and crude fat significantly (P

Mineral absorption in ruminants have not been maximal. This would be seen from the various problems that occur in ruminants, one of which was caused by mineral deficiency, especially the mineral Selenium (Se). Therefore, it was necessary to have applied technology to increase the absorption of Se minerals, one of which was used by bionanomineral technology. The purpose of this study was to determine the production of bionanomineral Se from various types of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) strains. The method used consisted of preparing tools and materials, breeding lactic acid bacteria, making Bionanomineral Se, and observed the production of Bionanomineral Se. The research treatment consisted of 2 stages, namely the first stage consisting of 4 treatments of different LAB strains: TSD 10, SPCE, DR162, and IA2, stage 2 each LAB strains were given treatment doses of 25 ppm and 50 ppm. The parameters observed included Stage 1: Bionanomineral production produced by intracellular and extracellular bacteria, stage 2: Optical Density (OD) and pH. The research design used a quantitative descriptive. The results showed that extracellular bionanomineral production was more than intracellular, the addition of 25 to 50 ppm Se showed that the OD of the four bacterial strains survived, and the pH results varied from each bacterial strain but were still within the normal range. The conclusion of this research was the production of bionanomineral Se as much as 25 ppm and 50 ppm in various types of different LAB strains, would be used as a potential source of organic Se minerals for ruminants.

Increasing energy demand is not alongside the availability of limited fossil fuels. Alternative and renewable energy sources are not only an option to overcome energy problems but also essential to minimize global warming. Another critical and promising renewable energy source is biomass-derived from livestock feces. Beef cattle feces contain a microorganism consortium that can be used as a starter with coal media to form biogas. Indonesia recently developed coal waste processing into renewable energy, such as biogas. This study aimed to overview the ecological diversity of microbial consortium of beef cattle feces, lignite coal waste, and a combination of livestock and lignite coal waste under mesophilic conditions. This research is an explorative method, the data obtained were analyzed descriptively. The process of formation was carried out anaerobically on a bottle containing the rumen fluid medium. The fermentation process lasted 42 days at 39℃ of temperature. After that, the sample was electrophoresis, followed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) method. NGS data is processed with the MG-Rast website. This study demonstrates the ecological diversity of microbial consortium of beef cattle, lignite coal waste, and a combined consortium. The results showed ecological diversity in the form of taxonomy dominated by bacteria, eukaryotes, and archaea.

Technopark (TP) Banyumulek berlokasi di Nusa Tenggara Barat merupakan salah satu dari delapan technopark yang dikelola oleh LIPI bekerjasama dengan Pemda setempat dan mulai dikembangkan pada tahun 2015. Salah satu kegiatan technopark ini adalah pengembangan model untuk kebun produksi dan kebun koleksi hijauan pakan ternak (HPT) secara terpadu memanfaatkan limbah pertanian dan peternakan untuk budidaya HPT di kawasan tersebut. Kebun produksi HPT seluas 1 ha di kawasan ini didominasi oleh rumput raja (Pennisetum purpuroides), sedangkan kebun koleksi juga seluas 1 ha diperuntukan berbagai jenis legum dan rumput antara lain lamtoro, kaliandra, gamal, turi putih, turi merah, rumput gajah (P. purpureum), rumput gajah odot (P. purpureum cv. Mott), Setaria sphacelata, Brachiaria humidicola, B. mutica, B. ruzisiensis, B. decumbens, Chloris gayana, Paspalum atratum, dan Cynodon plectotachirus. Budidaya HPT dan pemeliharannya menggunakan pupuk organik hayati (POH) hasil penelitian LIPI, kompos yang dibuat langsung di kawasan TP dan pupuk kandang dari sapi Bali yang saat ini berjumlah lebih dari 300 ekor. Bekerja sama dengan Dinas Peternakan Provinsi NTB, area kebun produksi HPT tahun ini diperluas menjadi 2,5 ha. Kebun produksi akan diperluas di tahun mendatang untuk mencukupi kebutuhan pakan sapi di kawasan ini. Untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pakan, dikembangkan juga kawasan untuk merumput dengan jenis rumput B. mutica. Kebun produksi juga mensuplai keperluan pembuatan silase baik untuk keperluan diseminasi maupun untuk tambahan pemenuhan pakan di musim kemarau. Kawasan ini merupakan kawasan Agro-edu-wisata di NTB dan sebagai etalase pengelolaan kegiatan peternakan-pertanian secara terpadu. Kegiatan lainnya adalah penanaman jati LIPI, padi gogo LIPI dan sayuran secara organik. Kata kunci: kebun produksi dan koleksi HPT, terpadu, Technopark Banyumulek, Nusa Tenggara Barat

West Nusa Tenggara province is one potential area for farming of cattle and has been chosen as location for developing a Technopark in Banyumulek. Forage preservation as silage is a program to support the sustainability of forage for beef cattle. Silage was made using whole corn crop and additives of rice bran and Lactobacillus plantarum 1A-2 as inoculum under a block randomized design. Three treatments were given and 10 replications of each month. Evaluation of silage quality, based on chemical and microbiological analysis, showed that silage making during 3 months in Technopark Banyumulek is good and stable.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of different drying temperature on chemical composition, in vitro rumen fermentation and digestibility of soybean and redbean. Soybean and redbean were dried in an oven set at four different drying temperatures, i.e. 50, 60, 70 and 80 oC for 24 h in three replicates. Dried samples were then milled and used further for chemical composition determination (proximate analysis, Van Soest analysis and protein fraction) and in vitro rumen fermentation assay. Parameters measured in the in vitro assay were gas production, digestibility, pH, ammonia and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Data obtained were analyzed by using analysis of variance and a posthoc test namely Duncan’s multiple range test. Results revealed that neutral detergent insoluble crude protein (NDICP) content increased at higher drying temperature (70 or 80 oC) for both soybean and redbean (P

Calliandra calothyrsus preserved in silage is an alternative method for improving the crude protein content of feeds for sustainable ruminant production. The aim of this research was to evaluate the quality of silage which contained different levels of C. calothyrsus by examining the fermentation characteristics and microbial diversity. Silage was made in a completely randomized design consisting of five treatments with three replications i.e.: R0, Pennisetum purpureum 100%; R1, P. purpureum 75%+C. calothyrsus 25%;, R2, P. purpureum 50%+C. calothyrsus 50%; R3, P. purpureum 25%+C. calothyrsus 75%; and R4, C. calothyrsus 100%. All silages were prepared using plastic jar silos (600 g) and incubated at room temperature for 30 days. Silages were analyzed for fermentation characteristics and microbial diversity. Increased levels of C. calothyrsus in silage had a significant effect (p

This research was conducted to select, to identify LAB isolates and to investigate the effects of the LAB as probiotics candidate in the rumen fermentation. Nine isolates exhibited the potency as candidate probiotics for cattle. The experiment was arranged in randomized block design with ten treatments and three different times of in vitro as a block. The substrate consisted of 70% forage and 30% concentrate proportion. The substrate was incubated at 39oC using serum bottle of 100 ml capacity for fermentation. Approximately 0.75 g of substrates was put inside the serum bottle glass and filled with 73 ml of buffered rumen fluid and 2 ml of LAB inoculant. Gas production was measured every 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h of the incubation period. Gas production kinetic was estimated by the Ørskov’s equation. The LAB with the highest gas production, as probiotics candidate, were identified using partial 16S rDNA sequence. The results of this research indicated that nine LAB produced high gas production in the range of 193-198 ml compare to that of control (173 ml). The addition of LAB in rumen fermentation resulted in digestibility 65-75%, organic matter digestibility 51-73%, and 6.67-6.68 pH. Based on the molecular identification, 8 isolates are Lactobacillus plantarum and 1 of uncultured bacteria. The LAB strain 32 L. plantarum showed the best for a ruminant probiotic candidate based on the in vitro rumen fermentation characteristic.

Actinomycetes are microorganisms that play important role to support human health and known as soil microorganisms. The aim of the research was to describe genus diversity of actinomycetes in Cibinong Science Center (CSC), West Java. Samples for isolation were soil and plant litters. The samples were air dried and ground. We employed isolation methods: dry heat (DH), sodium dodecyl sulphates-yeast extract (SDS-YE), rehydration and centrifugation (RC), and oil separation (OS). A total of 263 isolates of actinomycetes were isolated in CSC, in 2004-2006. Totally 58, 144, 50, and 11 isolates were isolated under each isolation methods, respectively. All isolates were identified using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing method. The results showed that the isolates were belonged to the family Kineosporiaceae, Micromonosporaceae, Nocardiaceae, Pseudonocardiaceae, Streptomycetaceae, Streptosporangiaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Nocardioidaceae, Nocardiopsaceae, and Thermomonosporaceae. There were 23 genera under those families. Homology value of the isolates based on BLAST search using 16S rRNA gene sequence data as queries showed that 136, 91, 30, and 6 isolates were ≥99, 98, 97, and ≤96%, respectively, compared to the known sequence in data base. The later 6 isolates were interesting for further identification leading to new taxa. Recognized species of Streptomyces genera under the member of the Streptomycetaceae were dominant among other isolates.

Actinomycetes are commercially important microorganisms for the production of antibiotics, enzymes, inhibitors of enzymes, and other bioactive secondary metabolites. Some 853 isolates of actinomycetes were isolated from soil and leaf litter samples in Kupang NTT and Enrekang, South Sulawesi. Those isolates were then tested for inhibition of ATPase activity of RNA helicase from Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), in order to identify a drug candidate for the treatment of JEV infection. Results revealed that 14 isolates have relatively high inhibition-activity on JEV ATPase activity of the JEV-RNA-helicase, which range from approximately 40.0-50.0% inhibition. The highest inhibition-activity was identified in Actinoplanes philippinensis 5-849 with 49. 9% of inhibition-activity and Streptomyces chartreusis 5-095 with 49.2% of inhibition-activity

Rumen ecology is an important observation in evaluating the effectivity of silage and probiotic additives relating to their roles in cattle productivity. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of silage and probiotics on ruminal ecosystems in vivo using a molecular approach. Terminal-restriction fragment-length-polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis was used to detect changes of ecological communities based on 16S-ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (16S-rDNA). Two rumen canulated PO cattle were fed several diets i.e.; (R0) basal diet dry matter basis (Pennisetum purpureum 70% and commercial concentrate 30%), (R1) silage (basal diet fermented using Lactobacillus plantarum BTCC570), (R2) silage + probiotics (L. plantarium Str BTCC531), (R3) Basal diet + probiotics (L. plantarium Str BTCC531). Digesta samples were collected 3 h after feeding for pH and T-RFLP analysis. T-RFLP analysis was performed using the 16S-rDNA amplified from each sample. The lengths of the terminal restriction fragments were analysed after digestion with HhaI, HaeIII and MspI. Results showed the effectivenes of silage and probiotics, given together, on the index of Smith and Wilson evenness applied to T-RFLP ecology data (Evar) with 0.89±0.04 being the highest. The diversity of rumen microorganisms is influenced by individual differences of each animal. T-RFLP analysis has a potency to be used for comparisons of complex bacterial communities, especially to detect changes in community structure in response to different variables and to show rumen bacteria diversity in the rumen.