IPB Students Utilize Coconut Water as Probiotic Natural Chicken Broiler

In the manufacture of poultry feed, the addition of feed additive aims to improve digestion function, so that the ingredients of food consumed can improve the performance and health of broiler chickens.         

But currently, feed additive that has been used most often is antibiotics. If the use of antibiotics is excessive and uncontrolled, it will trigger the problem of resistance and antibiotic residue hazards that can disrupt health for people who consume chicken meat.

The problem was then solved by a group of students from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB). Through the Student Creativity Program (PKM-P) 2018, Samudera Budi Kusuma, Nur Wicaksana Putra and Utami Idha Pangesti are using natural probiotics to improve health and spur the growth of broiler chickens without antibiotic growth promoter.

Samudera with friends use the waste of coconut water from traditional markets and rumen ingesta waste originating from slaughterhouses (RPH) to be used as the basic ingredients for the manufacture of probiotics. "Coconut water still contains glucose and minerals that have the potential as probiotics, while the source of bacteria for probiotic preparations used is from ingesta rumen," said Samudera as the Team Leader.

Simply by mixing the two ingredients (coconut water and ingesta rumen) with turmeric powder in a large container, then set aside for period of time, probiotics can already be harvested.

"Probiotics are applied to a mixture of drinking water broiler chicken with a certain concentration per liter of drinking water provided," said Samudera.

Samudera hope their probiotic findings can be used by broiler breeders in order to save expenses by utilizing waste that is easily obtained. In addition, this can also be an alternative replacement of feed containing antibiotics.(jhn)