Abstract
With the aim to produce functional dairy products enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) by using feed supplements, radical changes could occur in the rumen microbiome. This work investigated the alterations of the rumen bacteriome of goats fed with PUFA-rich marine microalgae Schizochytrium spp. For the trial, twenty-four goats were divided into four homogenous clusters (six goats/treatment) according to their fat-corrected (4%) milk yield, body weight, and age; they were individually fed with alfalfa hay and a concentrate (F/C = 50/50). The concentrate of the control group (CON) contained no microalgae, while those of the treated groups were supplemented daily with 20 (ALG20), 40 (ALG40), and 60 g (ALG60) of Schizochytrium spp./goat. Rumen fluid samples were collected using a stomach tube during the 20th and 40th days of the experiment. The microbiome analysis using a 16S rRNA sequencing platform revealed that Firmicutes were decreased in microalgae-fed goats, while Bacteroidetes showed a tendency to increase in the ALG40 group due to the enhancement of Prevotellaceae. Cellulolytic bacteria, namely Treponema bryantii, Ruminococcus gauvreauii, R. albus, and R. flavefaciens, were decreased in the ALG40 group, resulting in an overall decrease of cellulase activity. In contrast, the amylolytic potential was significantly enhanced due to an upsurge in Ruminobacter amylophilus, Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens, and Fretibacterium fastidiosum populations. In conclusion, supplementing goats’ diets with 20 g Schizochytrium spp. could be considered a sustainable and efficient nutritional strategy to modulate rumen microbiome towards the development of dairy products enriched with bioactive compounds, while higher levels induced substantial shifts in determinant microbes’ populations.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilThe livestock sector aiming to follow the global markets and consumer trends regarding functional foods has focused on several bioactive compounds [1]
Each group was allocated to one of the following four groups: the control group (CON) receiving a basal diet consisting of 1 kg alfalfa hay and 1 kg concentrate/goat daily and the ALG20, ALG40, and ALG60 groups which were fed the same basal diet supplemented with 20 g, 40 g, and 60 g Schizochytrium spp./goat, respectively (Table 1)
The dry matter intake of the concentrate was decreased significantly in the ALG60 goats compared to the other treatments (670 g vs. 1000 g) throughout the experimental period (Table S7)
Summary
The livestock sector aiming to follow the global markets and consumer trends regarding functional foods has focused on several bioactive compounds [1] Amongst such bioactive compounds, microalgae are considered to be a novel and sustainable nutritional alternative capable of enriching ruminants’ milk with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The dietary supplementation with Schizochytrium spp. enriched cow [5], sheep [6], and goat milk [7] with docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids (FA). Highfat microalgae such as Schizochytrium spp. could be used for their potential in reducing methane production in ruminants as reported in vitro by Fievez et al [8]. Supporting this set of evidence, previous data signified the inhibiting potential of Schizochytrium spp. on methanogenic archaea adhered to feed particles [9] or floated in the liquid of the goats’ rumen [10]. iations.
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