Abstract
The addition of polyphenol extracts in ruminant diets is an effective strategy to modulate rumen microflora. The aim of this in vitro trial was to study the effects of chestnut tannin extract (CHT), vescalagin (VES) and gallic acid (GAL) on dietary fibre degradability and on the dimethyl acetals (DMA) profile and microbial community composition of rumen liquor. Four diets (basal diet; basal diet plus CHT; basal diet plus VES; basal diet plus GAL) were fermented for 24 h using ewe rumen liquor. At the end of the fermentation, the microbial communities were characterized by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The DMA profile was analyzed by gas chromatography. Chestnut tannin extract did not affect fibre degradability, whereas VES and GAL showed a detrimental effect. The presence of CHT, VES and GAL influenced the concentration of several DMA (i.e., 12:0, 13:0, 14:0, 15:0, 18:0 and 18:1 trans-11), whereas the composition of the microbial community was marginally affected. The inclusion of CHT led to the enrichment of the genera Anaerovibrio, Bibersteinia, Escherichia/Shigella, Pseudobutyrivibrio and Streptococcus. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the activity of CHT is due to the synergistic effect of all components rather than the property of a single component.
Highlights
The Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations reported that the increasing demand of protein with high biological value will lead to an expansion of livestock production, which, in turn, will lead to increasing environmental problems
The addition of polyphenol extracts in ruminant diets is an effective strategy to modulate rumen microflora. The aim of this in vitro trial was to study the effects of chestnut tannin extract (CHT), vescalagin (VES) and gallic acid (GAL) on dietary fibre degradability and on the dimethyl acetals (DMA) profile and microbial community composition of rumen liquor
Several authors reported an increase in acetic acid concentration in rumen liquor (RL) from dairy ewes fed diets supplemented with 10–30 g/kg DM intake (DMI) [8] or 16 g/kg DMI [9] of CHT extract, demonstrating that this kind of polyphenol had no detrimental effect on the activity of cellulolytic bacteria
Summary
The Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations reported that the increasing demand of protein with high biological value (e.g., from meat and milk) will lead to an expansion of livestock production, which, in turn, will lead to increasing environmental problems. Ruminants are the main contributors of methane emissions in the atmosphere [1]. Rumen can be considered a fermenter in which many bacterial species cooperate for the transformation of the nutrients ingested by the host animal. During the fermentation of dietary fibre, hydrogen is produced. Its accumulation in rumen liquor can have toxic effects on the microbiota. Hydrogen is removed by the synthesis of methane that is emitted during animal eructation [2]. For this reason, several feeding strategies were developed to lower methane emissions and to improve the environmental sustainability of ruminant production systems [3]
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.