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The effect of the combined action of sorbents (zeolite and polymer) and a protected protein additive (TEP mix) on the metabolism of microflora in the rumen was investigated in the conditions of the physiological yard on the black and spotted breed heifer with an established the rumen fistula. Changes in the composition of rumen microflora under the influence of additives and sorbents were studied, and the pH of rumen fluid was determined.

Changes in microbiological processes in the rumen of the experimental animal were detected, but these were not negative and did not disrupt the normal course of rumen digestion. Fluctuations in the average daily pH of the rumen content between experiments were insignificant. Changes in the enzymatic activity in the rumen were assessed when feeding sorbents and additives: when feeding zeolite, amylolytic activity, depending on the time of feeding, increased by 3.7 % before feeding (p<0.01), and after 3-4 hours decreased by 23.0 % (p<0.05); when feeding a diet with a polymer, amylase activity in the rumen was lower than in the control diet, both before and after feeding, which resulted in a decrease in the average daily indicator by 15.7 % (p<0.05). Adding a polymer to the diet did not cause significant fluctuations in the average daily values of cellulolytic activity in the rumen. On the diet with zeolite, changes in cellulolytic activity were also insignificant, but with an increase in amylolytic activity, a decrease in cellulolytic activity was observed and vice versa. An average daily increase in the number of ciliates (within physiologically normal limits) of 16.9 and 26.4 % was established for the first and second experiments, respectively, for the control. The average daily number of bacteria in animals that consumed diets with zeolite and polymer was approximately at the same level as the control indicators.

Thus, the studied sorbents and feeds with protected protein can be used in cow diets without harm to metabolic processes in the rumen. In the presence of low-quality concentrated grain feeds, unbalanced diets, it is possible not to prevent the breakdown of protein in these feeds, but to contribute to a significant increase in the synthesis of microbial protein, which has high biological value.

 

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