Effects of the Combined Odor Reducing Additive on Fecal Fermentation Characteristics and Growth Performance in Hanwoo Steers

Abstract

Background: Odors from livestock facilities are mainly caused by livestock manure. This causes deterioration of the health of the farm workers and the productivity of livestock. Complex additives with different actions are required to effectively reduce fecal contaminants. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of combined odor reducing additive (CORA) supplementation on the odor emission of feces and the growth performance of Hanwoo steers. Methods: Ninety-six Hanwoo steers were randomly assigned to the following four groups: control group fed with CORA-unsupplemented formula feed; T0.05 group fed with 0.05% CORA-supplemented formula feed; T0.1 group fed with 0.1% CORA-supplemented formula feed and T0.2 group fed with 0.2% CORA-supplemented formula feed. The CORA comprised 88% zeolite, 3% Bacillus licheniformis, 3% Bacillus polyfermenticus and 6% saponin. Result: The fecal NH3-N gas emission was significantly lower in the T0.2 group than in the control group (P less than 0.05). The fecal H2S gas emission at 20 d of incubation was lower in the T0.2 group than in the control group (P less than 0.05). The fecal NH3-N concentration was lower in proportion in all the groups with different supplementation levels of CORA than in the control group after 7 d of incubation (P less than 0.05). The number of fungi in feces was lower in the treatment groups than in the control group and the lowest was for T0.2 group (P less than 0.05). The results of this study indicated that CORA supplementation can reduce the emission of harmful gases (NH3-N and H2S) and odor-causing substances in feces and inhibit mold growth.