No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
As a consequence of the anticipated ban on all in-feed antibiotics in the European Union, novel alternatives are being intensively investigated in the adult ruminant area. Previous reports have documented the potential of natural plant extracts and their principle components to modify rumen dynamics in vitro (Evans and Martin, 2000; Wallace et al., 2002). However, more data needs to be accumulated on the underlying mechanism of action of these phytocompounds on the rumen microflora. The aim of this study is to use molecular methods in order to elucidate the effects of two plant extracts, namely cinnamaldehyde and garlic extract in comparison to the ionophore antibiotic monensin on the structure of the microbial community in a rumen-simulating dual flow continuous culture system.