An Essential Oil Blend Decreases Methane Emissions and Increases Milk Yield in Dairy Cows

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a commercial essential oil (EO) additive on milk production and methane (CH 4) emissions from dairy cows. Early lactation Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were fed grass, whole crop wheat and corn silage total mixed ration. Cows were allocated to one of two experimental treatments: Control (no additive, CON) or 1 g/head/day of EO. Cows were housed in a free stall barn, split into two pens for the duration of the experiment. Two gas data loggers units used to measure CH 4 emissions were provided per pen for the duration of the 22 week-long study. Milk yield was determined daily, and milk components were analyzed every two weeks. CH 4 was recorded continuously, and daily values were tabulated. Body weight and body condition score were determined at the start and biweekly. Results were analyzed as a randomized complete block trial. In total, 149 cows participated in the study (76 CON, 73 EO). Milk yields were greater (P < 0.05) for the test treatment (28.3 CON, 31.2 EO) with no change in milk component concentrations. Milk component concentrations were unaffected (P > 0.05) by treatment. Yields of fat, protein, lactose, and solids were higher for EO fed cows (P < 0.05). CH 4 output was reduced with the EO compared to the CON treatment (411 g/day vs 438 g/day; 13.8 g/L of milk vs 17.2 g/L of milk, P < 0.05) over the duration of the trial. There were no effects of treatment on reproductive performance or the occurrence of mastitis. Feeding EO to dairy cows reduced CH 4 emissions whilst also increasing performance.

A Meta-analysis Describing the Effects of the Essential oils Blend Agolin Ruminant on Performance, Rumen Fermentation and Methane Emissions in Dairy Cows

“…Several studies have showed that EO can decrease CH 4 production in vitro [35], however the challenge consists in finding a combination of EO that reduces CH 4 production without a concomitant decrease in feed intake and productivity. Few studies have evaluated the effects of EO and their constituents on CH 4 emissions in vivo [3,8,13,16], and only one study has assessed long-term effect of EO on rumen methanogenesis [16]. Our meta-analysis showed that Agolin is an EO blend that leads to a decrease in CH 4 emissions, with the magnitude and consistency of this reduction dependent on the treatment duration.…”

“…Our meta-analysis compiling information of studies with a variable duration (from 22 to 365 days of treatment with Agolin) and a larger number of animals showed a small, but consistent, increase in milk yield (+ 2.0%) without major changes in milk composition and SCC. Most studies conducted in mid-lactating cows agreed that Agolin had a positive effect on milk yield [11][12][13]15], one study with a large number of early-lactating cows reported no effect on milk yield but increased milk fat percentage [10], while two studies in late-lactation noted a small decrease in milk yield but associated to an increase in milk fat percentage [8,16]. The use of energy corrected milk (ECM) and FPCM yield are gaining more attention because they integrate information concerning milk yield and milk composition, thus normalizing data across studies.…”

“…The main active compounds of this product are food grade and chemically-defined plant extracts including coriander (Coriandrum sativum) seed oil (up to 10%), eugenol (up to 7%), geranyl acetate (up to 7%) and geraniol (up to 6%) along with some preservatives such as fumaric acid. Various authors have recently studied the effect of Agolin Ruminant on rumen fermentation in vitro [6][7][8] and in vivo [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] showing positive but variable results. As the product is in the market, numerous on-farm studies with dairy cows have been conducted in different countries over recent years, although the results have not been generally published in peer reviewed journals.…”

Phytogenic Additives Can Modulate Rumen Microbiome to Mediate Fermentation Kinetics and Methanogenesis Through Exploiting Diet–Microbe Interaction

“…Dietary supplementation of EO (coriander, geranyl acetate, and eugenol) reduced CH 4 production up to 6% per cow/day and 20% less CH 4 per kg of milk. It can be speculated that energy saved through this reduced CH 4 production may be diverted toward milk production (253). A blend of EO (carvacrol, caryophyllene, p-cymene, cineole, terpinene, and In vitro cow 20 ml/l 100 ml/l 200 ml/l 600 ml/l 1,000 ml/l F:C, forage to concentrate ratio; TMR, total mixed ration; tVFA, total volatile fatty acid; DMD, dry matter degradability; DMI, dry matter intake; NF, not found; ↑, increase; ↓, decrease; =, no effect; EO, essential oils; LCP, low CP diet.…”

The Use of Essential Oils as Rumen Modifier in Dairy Cows

“…Penggunaan minyak atsiri pada pakan sapi perah secara in vivo juga telah dilakukan oleh beberapa peneliti untuk mengetahui pengaruhnya terhadap produksi metana. Hart et al (2019) melaporkan bahwa penggunaan minyak atsiri komersil pada pakan sapi perah secara in vivo menurunkan produksi metana sebesar 6% per ekor per hari, atau 20% per kg produksi susu per ekor dibandingkan kontrol setelah 3 masa percobaan. Hal ini memberikan informasi bahwa penurunan metana akan memberikan efisiensi penggunaan energi bagi sapi laktasi.…”