Food Digestion System in Ruminant Animals
Ruminant animals such as cattle and buffalo have a digestion that is somewhat different from humans. Because these animals are categorized as one of the digestive systems of animals which is quite unique. Its food in the form of grass or plants, is composed of many cellulose materials that are difficult to digest which make the digestive system of ruminant animals have a special structure.
Ruminant Animal Digestion System
In this case it differs from the digestive system in carnivorous and omnivore animals, which are classified as pure ruminant animals such as cattle, goats, rabbits and sheep that can chew their food in two phases.
Now to further understand and know about the digestive system of ruminant animals, see the description below.
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Ruminant Animal Digestion System
Judging from the way they eat and the digestive system, ruminants or ruminant animals are unique animals. They can chew their food in the form of 2-phase grass. For the first phase occurs when they first eat, whose food is only chewed briefly and is still rough.
Then they store the food in the rumen of the stomach, the interval in time when the stomach is full, they then release the food he chewed to chew again until the texture is smoother. Only after it is smooth, the food enters the stomach's rumen again.
Process in Ruminant Animal Digestive System
Judging from the type of food that is composed of cellulose that is difficult to digest, ruminants have a special digestive system. As for the organs in the digestive tract of ruminant animals, well here is for more details see the description below.
Mouth Cavity Organ (Cavum Oris)
In the oral cavity of ruminant animals, there are 2 organs of the digestive system that have important functions, namely teeth and tongue. In ruminant teeth different from the composition of the teeth of other mammals. Incisors (incisors) have a shape suitable for clamping food in the form of grass, canines (canines) do not develop at all, while the back molars (molare) have a flat and wide shape.
Esophagus (Esophagus)
The esophagus or the so-called esophagus is a conduit connecting the oral cavity and stomach. In this channel, food does not undergo digestion. They only just passed before then crushed in the stomach. The esophagus in ruminants is generally very short, which is about 5 cm, but its width is able to enlarge (dilate) to adjust the size and texture of the food.
Gastric organ
After going through the esophagus, food will enter the stomach. Stomach in ruminant animals in addition to playing a role in the process of decomposition and fermentation, is also useful as a temporary storage place for food to be chewed again.
For the size of space in the stomach of ruminant animals varies depending on age and food. What is clear is that the gastric chamber is divided into 4 parts namely the rumen (80%), reticulum (5%), omasum (7-8%) and abomasum (7-8%).
Rumen (Large Stomach)
At first the food through the esophagus will enter the rumen, this food naturally has been mixed with saliva which is alkaline with a pH of ± 8.5. The rumen functions as a temporary storage area for food that has been swallowed, after the rumen is filled with enough food, the cow will rest while chewing back food removed from this rumen. Inside the rumen, bacterial populations and Protozoa produce oligosakharase, hydrolase, glycosidase, amylase, and cellulase enzymes. These enzymes function to break down polysaccharides including cellulose found in their natural food. Protein decomposing enzymes such as proteolytic enzymes and some fat digesting enzymes are also there.
Reticulum (Stomach Mesh)
In the reticulum, food is stirred and mixed with these enzymes until they become coarse lumps (boluses). This stirring is done with the help of reticulum wall muscle contractions. The food clump is then pushed back into the oral cavity for a second time until it is more perfect when the cow is resting.
Omasum (Stomach Book)
Once the lumps of food that are chewed again swallowed again, they will enter the omasum that passes through the rumen and reticulum. In the omasum, enzyme glands will help to smooth the food chemically. Water content from food lumps is also reduced through the water absorption process carried out by the omasum wall.
Abomasum (Stomach Acid)
Abomasums are the true stomach because in this organ the digestive system of ruminant animals chemically works with the help of digestive enzymes. Didalm abomasums, lumps of food are digested through the help of enzymes and hydrochloric acid. The enzymes released by the abomasums wall are the same as those in the stomach of other mammals, while hydrochloric acid (HCI), besides helping in the activation of the pepsinogen enzyme released by the abomasums wall, also acts as a disinfectant for bad bacteria that enters together with food. It is well known that bacteria will die at very low pH.
Small intestine and anus organs
After the food has been refined from the abomasums chamber the food is then, pushed into the small intestine. In these organs the food juices are absorbed and circulated by the blood throughout the body. The next pulp or food left out through the anus.