The aim of this manual is to provide a comprehensive guide to the methods
involved in collecting, preparing and screening plants for bioactive properties
for manipulating key ruminal fermentation pathways and against gastrointestinal
pathogens. The manual will better equip the reader with methodological
approaches to initiate screening programmes to test for bioactivity in native
plants and find ´natural´ alternatives to chemicals for manipulating ruminal
fermentation and gut health. The manual provides isotopic and non-isotopic
techniques to efficiently screen plants or plant parts for a range of potential
bioactives for livestock production. Each chapter has been contributed by
experts in the field and methods have been presented in a format that is easily
reproducible in the laboratory. It is hoped that this manual will be of great
value to students, researchers and those involved in developing efficient and
environmentally friendly livestock production systems.
