Abstract
The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of mangosteen peel powder (MSP) on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility and microbial population in swamp buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) fed on a rice straw based diet. MSP is a fruit peel that contains plant secondary compounds (condensed tannins and saponins). Eight, rumen-fistulated 4-year old, male swamp buffaloes with 350±4 kg live weight were randomly assigned to receive two dietary treatments (T1=non-supplementation of MSP and T2=supplementation of MSP at 100 g/(head×day)) according to a t-test design. All animals were fed concentrate mixtures at 0.5% of body weight and rice straw was fed ad libitum for 37 days with the first 30 days for feed adaptation and voluntary feed intake measurement, while the last 7 days were for samples collection. The results revealed that there was no difference between treatments on dry matter intake and nutrient digestibility by MSP supplementation (P>0.05). Furthermore, MSP supplementation did not influence ruminal pH, temperature, ammonia nitrogen and blood urea nitrogen. Interestingly, propionic acid (C3) production was significantly increased by MSP supplementation (P