Rumen modulatory effect of thyme, clove and peppermint oils in vitro using buffalo rumen liquor.

S. K. Tomar,Debashis Roy,Vinod Kumar

doi:10.14202/vetworld.2015.203-207

Abstract

Aim:The present study was conducted to examine the rumen modulatory effect of thyme, clove and peppermint oils on rumen fermentation pattern in vitro using roughage based diet.Materials and Methods:Thyme, clove and peppermint oils were tested at concentration of 0, 30, 300 and 600 mg/l (ppm) of total culture fluid using in vitro gas production technique in wheat straw based diet (concentrate: Wheat straw 50:50). Different in vitro parameters e.g., total gas production, methane production, nutrient degradability, volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and ammonia nitrogen concentration were studied using buffalo rumen liquor.Results:Thyme oil at higher dose level (600 ppm) reduced (p<0.05) total gas production, feed degradability and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration whereas total VFA concentration was significantly lower (p>0.05) in 300 and 600 ppm dose levels. 600 ppm dose level of clove oil reduced (p<0.05) total gas production, feed degradability, total VFA and acetate to propionate ratio. Methane production was significantly reduced (p<0.05) in 300 and 600 ppm dose levels of clove and peppermint oil.Conclusion:Right combination of these essential oils may prove to enhance performance of animals by reducing methane production and inhibiting protein degradation in rumen.

Highlights

Appearance of residue and resistant strain of bacteria, acceptance of antibiotics as growth promoter and rumen fermentation modulator is gradually reducing or totally banned in some countries
Proximate principle and fibre fraction of concentrate mixture and wheat straw used in the experiment is presented in Table-1
The values of nutrient composition are comparable with the findings of Ranjhan [20] and Ayyappan et al [21]. 600 ppm dose level of thyme and clove oil resulted in a decrease (p

Summary

Introduction

Appearance of residue and resistant strain of bacteria, acceptance of antibiotics as growth promoter and rumen fermentation modulator is gradually reducing or totally banned in some countries. Essential oils (EOs) are emerging as a potent alternative of feed additive due to its natural availability. They are plant secondary metabolites and present in some spice, condiments and different parts of plants. Carvacol, eugenol, limonene, allicin, diallyldisulfide are the active compounds present in the Eos, which are responsible for the odour. Several workers reported promising effect of different EOs in modulating rumen function in vitro [3,4,5]. Potentiality of different EOs and their combination have been studied in different ruminant species [6,7,8,9] where most of the workers reported positive results due to supplementation.

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Results

Conclusion