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Multisource Starch for Optimal Rumen and Ruminant Integrity

Akbar Nikkhah

This pragmatic article founds grounds to establish a farm policy to include multiple sources of starch in commercial ruminant diets to improve rumen and ruminant health. Rumen environment has a dramatically fluctuating nature that requires versatile species of microbes to inhabit. As such, multiple sources of differently fermentable starch (varying degradation extent and rate) are required to maintain ruminal microbial versatility and integrity. For its considerable dietary inclusion rate, starch from multiple grain and forage sources better meets energy requirements of a variety of microbial groups and helps minimize risks from metabolic complexities such as subacute rumen acidosis and immune deficiency.