Search

Twenty male Saanen goats were randomly assigned to four levels of lovastatin supplementation and used to determine the optimal dosage and sustainability of naturally produced lovastatin from fermentation of palm kernel cake (PKC) with Aspergillus terreus on enteric methane (CH4) mitigation. The effects on ruminal microbiota, rumen fermentation, feed digestibility and health of animal were determined over three measuring periods (4-, 8- and 12-weeks) and the accumulation of lovastatin in tissues was determined at the end of the experiment. The diets contained 50% rice straw, 22.8% concentrates and 27.2% of various proportions of untreated or treated PKC to achieve the target daily intake level of 0 (Control), 2, 4 or 6 mg lovastatin/kg body weight (BW). Enteric CH4 emissions per dry matter intake (DMI), decreased significantly (P<0.05) and equivalent to 11% and 20.4%, respectively, for the 2 and 4 mg/kg BW groups as compared to the Control. No further decrease in CH4 emission thereafter with higher lovastatin supplementation. Lovastatin had no effect on feed digestibility and minor effect on rumen microbiota, and specifically did not reduce the populations of total methanogens and Methanobacteriales (responsible for CH4 production). Similarly, lovastatin had little effect on rumen fermentation characteristics except that the proportion of propionate increased, which led to a decreasing trend (P<0.08) in acetic: propionate ratio with increasing dosage of lovastatin. This suggests a shift in rumen fermentation pathway to favor propionate production which serves as H+ sink, partly explaining the observed CH4 reduction. No adverse physiological effects were noted in the animals except that treated PKC (containing lovastatin) was less palatable at the highest inclusion level. Lovastatin residues were detected in tissues of goats fed 6 mg lovastatin/kg BW at between 0.01 to 0.03 μg/g, which are very low., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Revealing the ruminal fermentation patterns and microbial populations as affected by dietary n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio would be useful for further clarifying the role of the rumen in the lipid metabolism of ruminants. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios on fermentation characteristics, fatty acid (FA) profiles, and microbial populations in the rumen of goats. A total of twenty-one goats were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments with different n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios of 2.27:1 (low ratio, LR), 5.01:1 (medium ratio, MR), and 10.38:1 (high ratio, HR). After 100 days of feeding, all goats were slaughtered. Dietary n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios had no effect (P > 0.05) on rumen pH and NH 3 N concentration. Goats fed HR diet had lower (P < 0.05) propionate and total volatile fatty acids and higher (P < 0.05) butyrate compared with those fed the MR and LR diets. The proportion of C18:0 decreased (P < 0.05) as dietary n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios increased. The proportions of C18:1 trans-11, C18:2n-6, cis-9 trans-11 CLA, and C20:4n-6 were greater in the HR goats compared with the MR and LR goats. Lowering dietary n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios enhanced (P < 0.05) the proportion of C18:3n-3 and total n-3 PUFA in the rumen fluid of goats. The populations of R. albus and R. flavefaciens decreased (P < 0.05) as the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios increased in diet. Diet had no effect (P > 0.05) on the ruminal populations of F. succinogenes, total bacteria, methanogens, total protozoa, Entiodinium, and Holotrich. The population of B. fibrisolvens was lower (P < 0.05) in the LR goats compared with the MR and HR goats. It was concluded that HR would increase the concentration of cis-9 trans-11 CLA and C18:1 trans-11 in the rumen. However, LR whould decrease the B. fibrisolvens population, which is involved in the BH process in the rumen. Further research is needed to evaluate the potential role and contribution of rumen microbiome in the metabolism of FA in the rumen.

Papaya leaf methanolic extract (PLE) at concentrations of 0 (CON), 5 (LLE), 10 (MLE) and 15 (HLE) mg/250 mg dry matter (DM) with 30 mL buffered rumen fluid were incubated for 24 h to identify its effect on in vitro ruminal methanogenesis and ruminal biohydrogenation (BH). Total gas production was not affected (P > 0.05) by addition of PLE compared to the CON at 24 h of incubation. Methane (CH 4 ) production (mL/250 mg DM) decreased (P < 0.05) with increasing levels of PLE. Acetate to propionate ratio was lower (P <0.05) in MLE (2.02) and HLE (1.93) compared to the CON (2.28). Supplementation of the diet with PLE significantly (P <0.05) decreased the rate of BH of C18:1n-9 (oleic acid; OA), C18:2n-6 (linoleic acid; LA), C18:3n-3 (linolenic acid; LNA) and C18 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) compared to CON after 24 h incubation, which resulted in higher concentrations of BH intermediates such as C18:1 t11 (vaccenic acid; VA), c9t11 conjugated LA (CLA) (rumenic acid; RA) and t10c12 CLA. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that the total bacteria, total protozoa, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens and methanogen population in HLE decreased (P <0.05) compared to CON, but the total bacteria and B. fibrisolvens population were higher (P < 0.05) in CON compared to the PLE treatment groups., (© 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.)

The study examined the effects of blend of 80% canola oil and 20% palm oil (BCPO) on nutrient intake and digestibility, growth performance, rumen fermentation and fatty acids (FA) in goats. Twenty-four Boer bucks were randomly assigned to diets containing 0, 4 and 8% BCPO on a dry matter basis, fed for 100 days and slaughtered. Diet did not affect feed efficiency, growth performance, intake and digestibility of all nutrients except ether extract. Intakes and digestibilities of ether extract, unsaturated fatty acids (FA) and total FA were higher (P < 0.05) while digestibility of C18:0 was lower (P < 0.05) in oil-fed goats than the control goats. Total volatile FA, acetate, butyrate, acetate/propionate ratio and methane decreased (P < 0.05) with increasing BCPO but propionate, NH3 -N and rumen pH did not differ between diets. Ruminal concentration of C18:0, n-3 FA and total FA increased (P < 0.05) while C12:0, C14:0, C15:0 and n-6 FA decreased with increasing BCPO. Analysis of the FA composition of Triceps brachii muscle showed that concentrations of C16:0, C14:0 and C18:2n-6 were lower (P < 0.05) while C18:1n-9, C18:3n-3 and C20:5n-3 were higher in oil-fed goats compared with control goats. Dietary BCPO altered muscle lipids without having detrimental effects on nutrient intake and digestibility and growth performance in goats., (© 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science.)

Different solvents (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water) were used to identify the effect of papaya leaf (PL) fractions (PLFs) on ruminal biohydrogenation (BH) and ruminal methanogenesis in an in vitro study. PLFs at a concentration of 0 (control, CON) and 15 mg/250 mg dry matter (DM) were mixed with 30 mL of buffered rumen fluid and were incubated for 24 h. Methane (CH4) production (mL/250 mg DM) was the highest (P < 0.05) for CON (7.65) and lowest for the chloroform fraction (5.41) compared to those of other PLFs at 24 h of incubation. Acetate to propionate ratio was the lowest for PLFs compared to that of CON. Supplementation of the diet with PLFs significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the rate of BH of C18:1n-9 (oleic acid; OA), C18:2n-6 (linoleic acid; LA), and C18:3n-3 (α-linolenic acid; LNA) compared to that of CON after 24 h of incubation. Real time PCR indicated that total protozoa and total methanogen population in PLFs decreased (P < 0.05) compared to those of CON.

The study appraised the effects of Carotino oil on in vitro rumen fermentation, gas production, metabolism and apparent biohydrogenation of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids. Carotino oil was added to a basal diet (50% concentrate and 50% oil palm frond) at the rate of 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8% dry matter of the diet. Rumen inoculum was obtained from three fistulated Boer bucks and incubated with 200 mg of each treatment for 24 h at 39°C. Gas production, fermentation kinetics, in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), volatile fatty acids (VFA), in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), metabolizable energy and free fatty acids were determined. Carotino oil did not affect (P > 0.05) gas production, metabolizable energy, pH, IVOMD, IVDMD, methane, total and individual VFAs. However, Carotino oil decreased (P < 0.05) the biohydrogenation of linoleic and linolenic acids but enhanced (P < 0.05) the biohydrogenation of oleic acid. After 24 h incubation, the concentrations of stearic, palmitic, pentadecanoic, myristic, myristoleic and lauric acids decreased (P < 0.05) while the concentration of linolenic, linoleic, oleic and transvaccenic acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLAc9t11) increased (P < 0.05) with increasing levels of Carotino oil. Carotino oil seems to enhance the accumulation of beneficial unsaturated fatty acids without disrupting rumen fermentation., (© 2014 Japanese Society of Animal Science.)

Bacterial inoculants are known to improve the quality of silage. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the effects of different types of lactic acid bacteria (LAB; L. plantarum, L. salivarius, L. reuteri, L. brevi, and S. bovis) inoculation (106 cfu/ DM) on rice straw silage quality and to determine these effects on ruminal fermentation characteristics, digestibility and microbial populations in an in vitro condition. Inoculated rice straw was ensiled for 15 and 30 days. For the in vitro study, rumen fluid was obtained from three rumen-fistulated bulls fed on mixed forage and concentrate at 60:40 ratio twice daily. Inoculation with LAB improved (p < 0.05) the rice straw silage quality as indicated by higher dry matter and crude protein contents, decreased pH and butyric acid, and increased propionic acid and LAB numbers, especially after 30 days of ensiling. Results from the in vitro study revealed that starting with the addition of LAB to rice straw silage improved in vitro fermentation characteristics such as increased total volatile fatty acids and dry matter digestibility (p < 0.05). LAB treatments also decreased methane production and methane/total gas ratio after 15 and 30 days of ensiling. From the rumen microbial population perspective, cellulolytic, and fungal zoospores were enhanced, while protozoa and methanogens were decreased by the LAB treatments. Based on these results, it could be concluded that inoculating rice straw silage with LAB (especially for L. plantarum and S. bovis) improved silage quality, rumen fermentation parameters and microbial populations in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Methane (CH4) accounts for loss of dietary gross energy in ruminants and is a potent greenhouse gas. Feedstuffs that could alter ruminal fermentation by decreasing methane production without reducing total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration are desirable. Aims: Tropical fruit peels, which can be simply collected and exploited, were compared with lucerne (Medicago sativa) in order to assess their potential to modify in vitro and in situ rumen fermentation and CH4 production of goats. Methods: For the in vitro study, buffered rumen fluid (30 mL from each of four rumen-fistulated goats fed concentrate and lucerne hay) was mixed with 250 mg dry matter (DM) of each peel sample (dokong, mangosteen, papaya, pineapple, rambutan) and incubated for 48 h. A total of 250 mg DM of lucerne was mixed with rumen fluid as control. For the in situ study, dried samples (lucerne, and peel of dokong, mangosteen, papaya, pineapple, rambutan) were passed through a 2-mm sieve, weighed (5 g) into nylon bags, and individually placed in the rumen of four fistulated goats for 48 h. Key results: In the in vitro study, tropical fruit peels lowered (P < 0.05) the production of CH4 compared with lucerne. Tropical fruit peels did not cause inhibition of total VFA (e.g. acetic, butyric and propionic acids) or decrease the concentration of ammonia-N compared with lucerne. In the in situ study, effective DM degradability of papaya (62.99%) and pineapple (54.45%) peels were higher than of lucerne (51.04%). Potential DM degradability of pineapple (75.07%), dokong (72.62%), papaya (66.88%) and rambutan (59.15%) were also higher than of lucerne (57.55%). Conclusions: Tropical fruit peels had no negative effect on ruminal fermentation and reduced CH4 production in vitro. However, in vivo studies should confirm these effects. Implications: Tropical fruit peels may be suitable as a feedstuff for goats and could be an effective way to reduce methane gas emissions; however, more research under in vivo conditions is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which tropical fruit peels mitigate of methane production in ruminants. Methane accounts for 2–12% loss of dietary gross energy in ruminants and is a potent greenhouse gas. Tropical fruit peels can be simply collected and exploited; therefore, they were assessed as an alternative feed ingredient in ruminant diets. Tropical fruit peel reduced methane gas production in vitro and improved DM degradability in situ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide range of plant secondary metabolites (PSM) have been shown to have the potential to modulate the fermentation process in the rumen. The use of plants and plant extracts as natural feed additives has become an interesting topic not only among nutritionists but also other scientists. Although a large number of phytochemicals (e.g. saponins, tannins and essential oils) have recently been investigated for their methane (CH4) reduction potential, there have not yet been major breakthroughs that could be applied in practice. However, the effectiveness of these PSM depends on the source, type and the level of their presence in plant products. The aim of the present review was to assess ruminal CH4 emission through a comparison of integrating related studies from published papers, which described various levels of different PSM sources being added to ruminant feed. Apart from CH4, other related rumen fermentation parameters were also included in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saturated fatty acid (SFA) produced as a final product of rumen biohydrogenation (BH) by rumen microbes is harmful to human health because of increasing the risk of heart-related diseases. The objectives of this study were to test the effect of papaya leaf (PL) on the BH of C18 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), fatty acid composition and bacterial abundance in the rumen of goats. Three rumen fistulated male goats were assigned in a 33 latin square design using three levels of PL; no addition of PL in basal diet (control, CON, 50% concentrate þ50% alfalfa hay), 25% of alfalfa hay in basal diet replaced by PL (medium PL, MPL) and 50% of alfalfa hay in basal diet replaced by PL (high PL, HPL). Supplementation of the diet with PL significantly (p<.05) decreased the rate of rumen BH of C18:2n-6 (linoleic acid, LA) at different hours of sampling at the higher inclusion of PL (HPL), resulted in the reduction (p<.05) of C18:0 (stearic acid, SA) in the rumen liquor. The population of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens as determined by the realtime PCR was higher (p<.05) for MPL (5.78 cell/mL) and HPL (6.09 cell/mL) in the rumen of goats as compared with the CON (5.50 cell/mL). The current results imply that PL supplementation could be a useful feeding strategy to modulate the BH of LA in rumen of goat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty growing cross-bred sheep (20.4 ± 1.9 kg body weight (BW)) were used to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of oil palm (Eleis guineensis) frond (OPF) pellets on growth performance, microbial population and carcass characteristics of sheep. Experimental animals were allotted into three treatment groups fed varying levels of OPF pellets and commercial sheep pellets. Treatment diets were control diet (CON group, n=10), 25% OPF pellet in diet (% w/w) (HAF group, n=10) and 50% OPF pellet in diet (OPF group, n=10). After 100 days of feeding, all animals from each group were slaughtered, and carcass and rumen fluid were sampled. Both the HAF and CON groups had much more propionic acid and less acetic acid (P<0.05) compared to the OPF group at 8 h of sampling. Both HAF and CON had more marbling compared to OPF (P<0.05). The HAF and CON groups had also more bacteria per milliliter (mL) of rumen fluid compared with the OPF group at 0 and 2 h of sampling. Therefore, the supplementation of OPF, which is an easily available oil palm by-product, could be used as a feed ingredient at 25% inclusion level to support sheep farming in tropical countries that lack grazing pasture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in vitro gas production technique, using rumen fluid from four Kacang x Boer crossbred adult goats was used to study the effects of commercial tannic acid (TA, a hydrolysable tannin) on methanogenesis, fatty acid composition and biohydrogenation (BH) of C18 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the rumen. Treatments were control (CON, 50% alfalfa hay (AH) + 50% concentrate), 25 mg TA/250 mgDM (LTA, low TA) and 50 mg TA/250 mgDM (HTA, High TA), which were mixed with 30 mL of buffered rumen fluid and incubated for 24 h. The study revealed that TA supplementation had no negative effect on rumen fermentation parameters such as pH, NH3n, acetic/propionic ratio and total volatile fatty acid (tVFA). Methane (CH4) production (mL/250 mg DM) decreased (P<0.05) with increasing levels of TA. Greatest CH4 reduction (%) was recorded for MTA (20.30%) and LTA (13.00%) compared with CON. Supplementation of the diet with TA did not affect the rate of rumen BH (%) of C18:1n-9 (oleic acid; OA), C18:2n-6 (linoleic acid; LA), C18:3n-3 (linolenic acid; LNA) and the concentration of fatty acids after 24 h of in vitro incubation. Based on this study, the addition of TA in vitro reduced rumen methanogenesis without negative effect of rumen fermentation characteristics, but in vivo studies need to be performed to determine if concentrations that inhibit methane are below toxic levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]