Effect of medicinal and aromatic plants on rumen fermentation, protozoa population and methanogenesis in vitro

Summary The potential of tannins from 21 medicinal and aromatic plant leaves as antimethanogenic additives in ruminant feeds was investigated. The effect of tannin from these leaves on rumen fermentation parameters, protozoa population and methanogenesis was studied by incubating the samples [200 mg...

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Published in:Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition 2013-06, Vol.97 (3), p.446-456
Main Authors: Bhatta, R., Baruah, L., Saravanan, M., Suresh, K. P., Sampath, K. T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammi majus
Animals
Aristolochia
Cardiospermum halicacabum
Clerodendrum inerme
Dioscorea
Eukaryota - classification
Eukaryota - drug effects
feed
Holotricha
Lantana camara
Methane - metabolism
Models, Biological
Nerium oleander
nutrition
Plant Extracts - chemistry
Plant Leaves
Plants, Medicinal - chemistry
Rumen
Ruminantia
ruminants
Sapindus
Terminalia chebula
Thevetia
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Summary:Summary The potential of tannins from 21 medicinal and aromatic plant leaves as antimethanogenic additives in ruminant feeds was investigated. The effect of tannin from these leaves on rumen fermentation parameters, protozoa population and methanogenesis was studied by incubating the samples [200 mg dry matter (DM)] without and with polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐6000 (400 mg DM) as a tannin binder during 24‐h incubation in the in vitro Hohenheim gas method. Based on the methane percentage estimated in the total gas produced, methane production in millilitre was calculated [methane volume (ml) = methane % × total gas produced (ml) in 24 h]. In the samples, crude protein and neutral detergent fibre (g/kg DM) ranged from 113 to 172 and from 352 to 444 respectively. The total phenol (TP; g/kg DM) content was highest in Terminalia chebula (274) followed by Hemigraphis colorata (71) and Sapindus laurifolia (51) respectively. In the remaining samples, it was 50% in A. indica and C. thevetica. One of the important findings of our study was that of the 21 samples screened, Entodinia population increased in 12 with PEG as compared to 7 where Holotricha increased, indicating higher susceptibility of Entodinia to tannin. There was no increase in the protozoa population with PEG when incubating Cardiospermum halicacabum, Clerodendrum inerme, Dioscorea floribunda, Nerium oleander and Selastras paniculatus, which strongly suggested that methane suppression recorded in these samples was not because of a defaunating effect of their tannins per se. The fermentation pattern reflected increased total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentration from 0 to 28.3% with PEG addition among the leaves. Our results confirmed further observations that methanogenesis in vitro is not essentially related to density of protozoa population. Secondly, medicinal and aromatic plants such as C. inerme, Gymnema sylvestre and Sapindus laurifolia containing tannins appear to have a potential to suppress in vitro methanogenesis.
ISSN:0931-2439
1439-0396
DOI:10.1111/j.1439-0396.2012.01285.x