Importance of pH on the functional dynamic of rumen
Keywords:
Physiology, pH, ruminal balance, fermentation, buffersAbstract
The rumen is a mostly aqueous and complex n ecosystem and environment that receives the ingested food, which it is mixed and processed through fermentation for degradability, digestion, and use by the animal. Rumen microorganisms (fungi, protozoa, and bacteria) are responsible for fermentation through the production of enzymes that exert a specific effect on the different constituents of the diet, presenting as final components volatile fatty acids (VFAs), ammonia (NH 3 ), and methane (CH 4 ). The rumen microbiota depends on the stability of the environment in which they live to survive, multiply and ferment food; however, each species and type of microorganism present in the rumen has a particular requirement for pH, temperature, oxygen, and osmotic for this. The rumen population depends on the type of feed the animal receives, which serves as a substrate for
fermentation and determines the type and quantity of products produced during this process and, therefore, the rumen pH throughout the day. Diets high in concentrate (starch) and low fiber result in a low pH (acidic), while diets high in fiber and low starch (roughage, for example) produce a high pH (close to neutrality). This is the scope of this systematic bibliographic review: to present the importance of pH on the dynamics and flow of rumen balance for optimal fermentation rates and degradability. Articles from selected journals and periodicals, as well as Ruminant Nutrition books, were evaluated to support the subject and compile them into a single material.
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