Abstract
Reducing livestock negative environmental impacts get great interest in last years. So, present study was carried out to determine the effect of adding different levels of mixture of thyme and celery versus salinomycin on ruminal fermentation, gas production, dry, organic matter and fiber degradation. Four experimental treatments were used by in-vitro batch culture technique, as follow: 60% CFM, 40% clover hay (control), control diet + 2.5 gm thyme + 2.5 gm celery kg-1 DM (T1), control diet + 5 gm thyme + 5 gm celery kg-1 DM (T2), control diet + 10 gm thyme + 10 gm celery kg-1 DM (T3), control diet + 0.4 gm Salinomycin kg-1 DM (T4). Ruminal pH value was significantly increased (p < 0.05) with T4 compared with other treatments. While, the T4 recorded the lowest value (p < 0.05) for microbial protein, short chain fatty acids concentrations (SCFA), total gas production, dry matter and organic matter degradability (DMd and OMd) compared with other treatments. Fiber fraction degradability (NDFd and ADFd) appeared no significant variance (p > 0.05) between control and other treatments except for T1 that recorded the lowest value (p < 0.05). It is concluded that mixture of thyme plus celery could be alternate for ionophores in the ruminant diets to enhance ruminal fermentation, reducing gas production without any negative effect on nutrients degradability.
Highlights
A major goal of livestock production system today is restriction of using antibiotics and other synthetic medicinal chemistry as feed additives and growth promoters, versus natural growth promoters (NGPs) as effective alternatives to those products
Ruminal fermentation parameters: No differences (p > 0.05) were observed between herbal plant (Mix of Thyme plus Celery) at all different levels compared with control treatments. while, it was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) versus the salinomycin treatment in pH values
Levels used of essential oils or herbal plants could be influenced on ruminal pH (Evans & Martin, 2000) who suggested that supplementation of 400 mg L-1 of thymol oil increased ruminal pH while, it was not affected at lower dose (50, 100, 200)
Summary
A major goal of livestock production system today is restriction of using antibiotics and other synthetic medicinal chemistry as feed additives and growth promoters, versus natural growth promoters (NGPs) as effective alternatives to those products. Phytogenic feed additives mainly meant plant secondary metabolites such as tannins, saponins and essential oils which investigated as a natural rumen modifier (Knapp, Laur, Vadas, Weiss, & Tricarico, 2014; Ishlak et al, 2015; Cobellis, Trabalza-Marinucci, Marcotullio, & Yu, 2016; Ali, Mohamed, Sameeh, Darwesh & Abd El-Razik, 2016). It is used in animal nutrition due to their effects of rumen microbial populations by improving ruminal fermentation efficiency and mitigate methane emissions (Khiaosa-ard & Zebeli, 2013). Methane is one of ruminal digestion secondary metabolites which released due to inability of the animal to
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
