PENGARUH KOMPOSISI BAHAN PENYUSUN CALF STARTER TERHADAP TOTAL BAKTERI DAN COLIFORM PADA RUMEN PEDET SECARA INVITRO

This study aims to determine the influence of calf starter composition on the total bacterial and coliform populations in the rumen. A descriptive analysis method was employed, utilizing the "total plate count (TPC)" technique with TPY agar media to test the total bacterial count. The assessment involved counting the number of living colonies on petri dishes, including the number of coliform bacteria on each dish. The results varied with each replication, showing fluctuations in the coliform bacteria population in the rumen. The lowest number of coliform bacteria was observed in sample P5, with an average value of 2.94. In sample P5, there was a decrease in coliform bacteria from the first to the second replication, followed by an increase from the third to the fourth replication. The low number of coliform bacteria in the rumen was attributed to hindrances in colony formation, resulting in a reduced bacterial count. These fluctuations in bacterial numbers were due to changes in colony formation, which positively correlated with pathogenic bacteria and were also influenced by environmental temperature