Undergraduate students from the Faculty of Biology made another achievement by winning a bronze medal in the National Essay Competition “Soedirman Event of Animal Husbandry 7.0” held on May 4-5, 2024. The team, consisting of Muhammad Syahrul Firdaus (Biology 2022), Annisa Nur Baety (Biology 2022), and Dzakiyyah (Animal Science 2023), under the guidance of Moh. Sofi’ul Anam, S.Pt., M.Sc. This national competition was organized by the Research and Development Unit of Animal Husbandry (UP3) at the Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, with the theme “Innovation and Creativity of Gen Z in Preventing Global Boiling Through Enhancing Climate Resilience for a Faster Recovery and Stronger Indonesia.”
The competition involved several stages, including proposal submission, preparation for presentation, and presentations before a panel of judges.
The competition involved several stages, including proposal submission, preparation for presentation, and presentations before a panel of judges.
The team focused on the animal husbandry subtheme with their essay titled “The Potential of Spirulina sp. and Yucca schidigera Extracts as Feed Additives to Reduce Methane Emissions in Ruminant Livestock.” This innovation was driven by the increasing global temperatures, partly due to rising methane emissions from the livestock sector. Global warming can degrade feed quality, reduce livestock productivity, and cause diseases and death in livestock.To address these issues, the team proposed an innovative feed additive combining Spirulina sp. and Yucca schidigera. Spirulina sp. is a filamentous microalga containing 50-70% protein and 11-18% tannins, while Yucca schidigera is a plant adapted to extreme environments, containing 30-60% saponins. Using these two ingredients as feed additives, can meet livestock nutritional needs, reduce methanogen and protozoa populations in the rumen, decrease methane emissions, improve feed efficiency, and maintain livestock productivity and health.
This innovation is expected to provide a solution to the livestock sector’s challenges in Indonesia. Additionally, the team hopes that participating in this competition will inspire young Indonesians to develop creative ideas and contribute to sustainable development goals (SDGs). [Author: Annisa Nur Baety]