The Efficacy of Plant-Based Bioactives Supplementation to Different Proportion of Concentrate Diets on Methane Production and Rumen Fermentation Characteristics In Vitro

Abstract

This In Vitro study was conducted to investigate the impact of plant-bioactives extract (PE), a combination of garlic powder and bitter orange extract, on methane production, rumen fermentation, and digestibility in different feeding models. The dietary treatments were 1000 g grass/kg ration + 0 g concentrate/kg ration (100:0), 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, and 20:80. The PE was supplemented at 200 g/kg of the feed. Each group consisted of 6 replicates. The experiment was performed as an In Vitro batch culture for 24 h at 39 °C. This procedure was repeated in three consecutive runs. The results of this experiment showed that supplementation with PE strongly reduced methane production in all kinds of feeding models (p < 0.001). Its efficacy in reducing methane/digestible dry matter was 44% in the 100:0 diet, and this reduction power increased up to a 69.2% with the inclusion of concentrate in the 20:80 diet. The PE application significantly increased gas and carbon dioxide production and the concentration of ammonia-nitrogen, but decreased the pH (p < 0.001). In contrast, it did not interfere with organic matter and fiber digestibility. Supplementation with PE was effective in altering rumen fermentation toward less acetate and more propionate and butyrate (p < 0.001). Additionally, it improved the production of total volatile fatty acids in all feeding models (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the PE combination showed effective methane reduction by improving rumen fermentation characteristics without exhibiting adverse effects on fiber digestibility. Thus, PE could be used with all kinds of feeding models to effectively mitigate methane emissions from ruminants.

Physiological responses and adaptations to high methane production in Japanese Black cattle

“…However, the relationship between butyrate and methane emissions has not yet been clearly identified. Based on an in vitro study, Eslam et al 20 reported that supplementation with plant bioactive extracts reduced enteric methane and increased both ruminal propionate and butyrate concentrations. Another in vitro experiment reported that the methane reduction effect of resveratrol was affected by the rate of forage and concentrate, and the ruminal butyrate levels in resveratrol treatment differed according to dietary differences 21 .…”

Insects as Novel Ruminant Feed and a Potential Mitigation Strategy for Methane Emissions

“…The concentrations of CH 4 and CO 2 were determined by injecting 1 mL of each sample into a gas chromatograph (GC-8A, Shimadzu Corp., Kyoto, Japan) using a gastight syringe (Hamilton Company, Reno, NV, USA). Further details on the GC condition were described previously [ 38 ].…”

Garlic and Its Bioactive Compounds: Implications for Methane Emissions and Ruminant Nutrition

“…Garlic ( Allium sativum ) has been applied pharmaceutically since ancient times in nearly every known civilisation, has been widely used as a foodstuff in the world, and is “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) as a food flavouring agent by the U.S. FDA, making them ideal candidates to use as feed additives in livestock production [ 79 ]. However, plant-derived bioactive compounds also exhibit antimicrobial activity and, therefore, can affect the rumen microbial ecosystem directly [ 36 , 80 , 81 , 82 ].…”