Reduction of Enteric Methane Emission in a Commercial Dairy Farm by a Novel Feed Supplement

Abstract

Several in vitro fermentation studies had demonstrated the efficacy of Mootral, a patent-pending natural feed supplement, in reducing methane gas production. In order to test the supplement's application in a commercial farm, Jersey (n = 121) and Holstein-Friesian (HF, n = 275) lactating cows received 500 g of pellets containing 3% Mootral powder for 12 weeks. Their enteric methane gas production was monitored using a hand-held laser methane detector. During 7 weeks of pre-Mootral supplementation period, dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield and milk quality (fat, protein, urea, pH, bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC)) were monitored for both herds and continued during 12 weeks of Mootral supplementation (Mootral period), and 4 weeks after withdrawal of Mootral (post-Mootral period). Feed samples were analysed during each period, and feed efficiencies (FE) for each herd were calculated. Compared to the baseline, the methane gas produced by the Jersey and HF cows during the Mootral period were lower by 38.3% and 20.7% (p < 0.05), respectively. DMI for Jerseys were greatest during the pre-Mootral period (p < 0.05), while no difference was recorded for the HF cows. Milk yield increased significantly (p < 0.05) for both herds during Mootral supplementation. FE increased significantly for the Jersey herd during the Mootral and post-Mootral periods (p < 0.05). Statistically significant changes were detected for urea in both herds, and BTSCC for HF cows, but these did not adversely affect milk quality. Results demonstrated Mootral reduces enteric methane production in lactating cows while increasing milk yield without affecting milk quality.

Feed additives as a strategic approach to reduce enteric methane production in cattle: modes of action, effectiveness and safety

“…Adverse effects on DMI, ADG and feed efficiency were not detected over the 12-week trial. Lactating cattle offered Mootral incorporated in pellets at a rate of 0.640 g/kg DM for Holstein-Friesian and 1.21 g/kg DM for Jersey herd experienced suppression of CH 4 of 20.7% and 38.3% respectively (Vrancken et al 2019). Additionally, 3-5% increase in milk yield across breeds was observed with increased feed efficiency in the Jersey cattle.…”

“…Mootral Ó is synthesised from natural products including garlic-and flavonoid-containing citrus extract and has demonstrated anti-methanogenic properties (Eger et al 2018;Roque et al 2019c;Vrancken et al 2019). The garlic component in Mootral Ó targets methanogenic archaea populations and protozoal communities in the rumen and has led to nearly complete inhibition of CH 4 production in vitro at a dosage of 2 g experimental mixture/day, without compromising bacterial population (Eger et al 2018).…”

Effect of Natural Feed Supplement on Methane Mitigation Potential and Performance in Holstein Bull Calves

“…However, the CH 4 emissions per kg of DMI of the beef steers were lower than those of the calves in the present study, indicating that the production of veal is possibly more emission-intensive than beef production. In lactating dairy cows, Mootral also showed a significant reduction in CH 4 emissions of up to 38% on a commercial farm [7]. Similarly, the effect of Mootral on CH 4 reduction by alteration of the rumen microbiome, particularly the archaeal community, was confirmed by using the in vitro RUSITEC technique with rumen fluid from Holstein cows without any negative impact on ru-Open Journal of Animal Sciences men fermentation [6].…”

“…Eger et al (2018) showed that Mootral reduced the percentage of methanogens during in vitro fermentation, which could be linked to a reduction of enteric CH 4 release and production rate [6]. In addition, Mootral demonstrated a reduction in enteric CH 4 production in lactating cows while increasing milk yield without affecting milk quality in commercial farm conditions [7]. Correspondingly, Mootral has exhibited a reduction in enteric CH 4 yield in beef cattle [8].…”

“…Based on these findings, Mootral may also have the ability to impact the CH 4 emission in young animals, such as calves. Studies with feed supplements such as Mootral [7] [8], 3-nitrooxy propanol [9] [10], and essential oils [11] [12] have so far primarily focused on investigating CH 4 emissions, CH 4 intensity per unit of nutrient intake, milk yield or weight gain in adult cattle around the world. However, they have devoted little attention to CH 4 Open Journal of Animal Sciences production in the early ruminating phase of calves (starting at 12 or 13 weeks of age).…”