Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the influence of naturally protected eucalyptus oil supplementation in a form of leaves (EUL) or mature seed capsules (EUS) compared to crude eucalyptus oil (EUO). The control group (G1) received a diet containing concentrate feed mixture, fresh berseem, rice straw, and corn silage, whereas the G2, G3, and G4 animals have a diet supplemented with 200g/head/day of EUL or EUS or 4mL/head/day EUO, respectively. Supplementation of EUL or EUS increased NH3-N, short-chain fatty acids, and concentrations of acetic acid in vitro. Bacterial total count, protozoa, and cellulolytic bacteria increased (P < 0.05) with EUL and EUS supplementation. Methane production dropped (P < 0.05) with EUS, EUL, and EUO supplementation. Milk fat decreased (P < 0.05) with EUO supplementation, while an adverse trend was shown for lactose. No differences in feed conversion were found among EUS, EUL, and EUO. Blood total protein, albumin, and urea increased (P < 0.05) with supplementation of EUL or EUS compared to EUO. EUO supplementation yielded increased (P < 0.05) AST, ALT, glucose, and creatinine. Supplementation with EUL, EUS, or EUO decreased (P < 0.05) DM, OM, and CP digestibility, while digestibility of EE with supplementation by EUL, EUS, or EUO was higher (P < 0.05). The digestion coefficient of NDF and ADF decreased (P < 0.05) with supplemental EUL, EUS, or EUO compared to the G1 diet. Feeding EUS increased the values of TDN and DCP compared to EUL, which increased than EUO. Our results confirm that the naturally protected form of leaves or seeds mitigates the undesirable effects of directly supplementing crude eucalyptus oil.
Highlights
Feeding EUS increased the values of TDN and DCP compared to Eucalyptus leaves (EUL), which was higher than eucalyptus oil (EUO)
The rumen is a complex ecosystem in which nutrients consumed by microorganisms at a suitable pH provide the main products of fermentation, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and microbial biomass, which are used by the host ruminants (Cieslak et al 2013; Vakili et al 2013)
The present study showed that EUO supplemented with buffalo diets led to an alteration in the end products of rumen fermentation with a drop in acetate
Summary
The rumen is a complex ecosystem in which nutrients consumed by microorganisms at a suitable pH provide the main products of fermentation, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and microbial biomass, which are used by the host ruminants (Cieslak et al 2013; Vakili et al 2013). There has been increased interest in reducing the rate of rumen methane production. Methane (CH4) production from enteric fermentation is of concern worldwide because of the increased accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as well as the waste of nutritious energy (Sallam et al 2010). Many studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of supplementation with eucalyptus leaves and eucalyptus oil (EUO) on methane production (McIntosh et al 2003; Castillejos et al 2006) much is still unknown about using dried or ground mature seeds. (Sallam et al 2010) hypothesized that EUO could be used as a feed supplement to alter rumen biohydrogenation to reduce CH4 release and increase the flow of volatile acids (VA) to the duodenum. Due to the volatile and reactive nature of essential oils (ESOs), it is possible that their effectiveness, when included in an animal’s diet, possibly altered by conditions during the production season as well as storage of ESOs and conditions in the digestive system of the animals (Nguyen et al 2009)
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