Abstract
Dietary lipids increase energy density in dairy cow diets and in some cases can increase beneficial fatty acids (FA) in milk and dairy products. However, the degree of FA saturation may affect the rumen microbiome. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects of feeding saturated (hydrogenated vegetable oil; HVO) or unsaturated (olive oil; OO) fatty acid (FA) sources on the rumen microbiome of dairy cows. For 63 days, 15 mid-lactating cows were fed with either a basal diet (no fat supplement), or the basal diet supplemented with 3% dry matter (DM), either HVO or OO. Rumen contents were collected on days 21, 42 and 63 for 16S rRNA gene sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform. The results reveal dominance of the phyla Firmicutes (71.5%) and Bacteroidetes (26.2%), and their respective prevalent genera Succiniclasticum (19.4%) and Prevotella (16.6%). Succiniclasticum increased with both treatments at all time points. Prevotella was reduced on day 42 in both diets. Bacterial diversity alpha or beta were not affected by diets. Predicted bacterial functions by CowPI showed changes in energy and protein metabolism. Overall, 3% DM of lipid supplementation over 63 days can be used in dairy cow diets without major impacts on global bacterial community structure.
Highlights
Introduction iationsThe rumen microbiome refers to the diversity and function of the community of microorganisms that inhabits the rumen [1]
Rumen pH, NH3 -N, total Volatile fatty acids (VFA) and proportions of individual VFA were similar among treatments (Table 1)
HVO, supplemented with 3% dry matter (DM) hydrogenated vegetable oil; OO, supplemented with 3% DM olive oil. p-values were obtained with Dunnett’s multiple comparisons test. ** p ≤ 0.01; *** p ≤ 0.001
Summary
Introduction iationsThe rumen microbiome refers to the diversity and function of the community of microorganisms that inhabits the rumen [1]. The rumen microbiome is one of the most diverse ecosystems in nature because it harbors a complex microbial community, composed of anaerobic bacteria, protozoa, fungi, methanogenic archaea and phages [2,3]. These microorganisms play an important role in animal productivity, due to their involvement in the degradation of plant carbohydrates and their subsequent conversion into short-chain fatty acids (volatile fatty acids; VFA), which provide energy for essential metabolic processes [4]. The rumen microbiome plays a major role in fatty acid metabolism of dietary fats [5].
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