Brazilian propolis extract used as an additive to decrease methane emissions from the rumen microbial population in vitro

Abstract

Propolis is a product that is rich in phenolic compounds and can be utilized in animal nutrition as a dietary additive. In this study, the effects of a Brazilian green propolis extract on rumen fermentation and gas production were determined. The fate of propolis phenolic compounds in the rumen medium was also investigated. Fermentation was done in 24-h batches over three periods. Inoculates were obtained from cows fed on grassland hay and concentrate. Propolis extract in a hydroalcoholic solution was applied at increasing doses to the substrate (1 to 56 g/kg). The fermentation substrate consisted on a mixture of alfalfa hay, soybean meal, and wheat grain mixture in dry matter. After 24 h of fermentation, seven new compounds were observed in the medium in amounts that correlated to the propolis dose. The dose of propolis extract linearly decreased the pH of the medium and linearly increased propionate production, which reduced the acetate-to-propionate ratio and influenced the total production of short-chain fatty acids. Propolis also linearly reduced methane production and increased the carbon dioxide-to-methane ratio. Ammonia nitrogen levels and in vitro digestibility of organic matter were similar among the treatments. The combination of increased propionate production and decreased methane production suggests better energy utilization from the feed.

Management of Enteric Methane Emissions in Ruminants Using Feed Additives: A Review

“…Propolis is a plant-origin bee product collected by honeybees from exudates and buds of various plant species. It can be utilized in animal nutrition as a dietary additive [ 49 ]. Propolis stimulates the rumen microorganisms for the consumption of hydrogen by changing in total volatile fatty acids (VFA), and it was suggested that there is a need to study the effect of propolis for the mitigation of methane-based emissions with regard to phytogeography, botanical origin, climatic conditions, and collection methods for further effective applications of propolis in the mitigation of methane in vivo [ 50 ].…”

Bee propolis as a natural feed additive: Bioactive compounds and effects on ruminal fermentation pattern as well as productivity of ruminants

“…Increased SCFA concentrations in the rumen and DM digestibility were also reported by Stradiotti Júnior et al (2004) in Holstein steers fed a diet containing 65% forage and 35% supplemented with propolis in the concentrate. Santos et al (2016) observed an increase in propionate production associated with reduction in methane (CH 4 ) production due to supplementation of green propolis (the unique propolis types which contain artepillin C as a major component).…”

“…Morsy et al (2011) found that green and alamo Brazilian propolis presented a similar inhibition on CH 4 production without negative effect on the gas production and degradability of organic matter in vitro. Santos et al (2016) reported the decrease of CH 4 production was a result of modifying the rumen fermentation towards more propionate production. Both Brazilian red and Egyptian brown propolis extracts found to have antiprotozoal effect.…”

“…In different studies, propolis was also shown to decrease the rumen ciliate protozoal populations (Morsy et al, 2015;Yoshimura et al, 2018) with a concentration dependent manner (Ehtesham et al, 2018). Methanogens populations were also inhibited by propolis (Ehtesham et al, 2018), which together with reduced protozoal numbers may be responsible for reduction of methane production ( Morsy et al, 2011;Santos et al, 2016;Ehtesham et al, 2018). From the above discussion, it is clear that the effect of propolis on the ruminal microbial population is influenced by dose, diet, type and strains of bacteria, which are the main factors determining the responses of propolis on ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility and subsequently ruminant production in addition to its strong antioxidant properties.…”

Effect of Autochthonous Nepalese Fruits on Nutrient Degradation, Fermentation Kinetics, Total Gas Production, and Methane Production in In-Vitro Rumen Fermentation

“…Therefore, reducing enteric methane emissions from ruminants has economic, environmental, and nutritional benefits. Various strategies have been investigated to reduce this methane, including the use of direct-fed microbes [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ], algae [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], plant extracts [ 14 , 15 , 16 ], natural and synthetic chemicals [ 17 , 18 , 19 ], and exogenous enzymes [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Many of these strategies have shown a promising effect on the mitigation of enteric methane emissions.…”