Dietary Date Palm Leaves Ensiled with Fibrolytic Enzymes Decreased Methane Production, and Improved Feed Degradability and Fermentation Kinetics in A Ruminal In Vitro System

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Abstract

Purpose

The present experiment aimed to evaluate date palm leaves (DPL) treated without or with fibrolytic enzymes as a feed for ruminants.

Methods

The experiment employed an in vitro wireless gas production system to evaluate the dietary inclusion of DPL as sun-dried, DPL ensiled without or with fibrolytic enzymes for 45 days. The different forms of DPL replaced berseem hay (300 g/kg diet) at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% in the diet.

Results

Dried DPL linearly decreased the asymptotic total gas production (GP), rate of methane (CH ₄) and carbon dioxide (CO ₂) production, and acid detergent fiber degradability, and increased the lag of total GP (P < 0.05). The ensiled DPL also linearly decreased (P < 0.05) the asymptotic total GP, asymptotic CH ₄, asymptotic CO ₂ production and the rate of CH ₄ and CO ₂ productions, but dry matter degradability and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations were unaffected. Date palm leaves treated with fibrolytic enzymes linearly decreased the asymptotic total GP, CH ₄ and CO ₂ productions, and the rate of CH ₄ and CO ₂ production. Ensiling of DPL with fibrolytic enzymes increased (P < 0.05) dry matter and fiber degradability and the concentrations of ruminal ammonia-N and total VFA.

Conclusion

It is concluded that DPL treated with fibrolytic enzymes can replace berseem hay up to 100% in the diet to reduce CH4 production from ruminants. Ensiling with fibrolytic enzymes is recommended as a sustainable strategy to reduce environmental pollution and utilization of DPL.

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Most cited references 42

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Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition.

P.J. van Soest, J.B. Robertson, B.A. Lewis (1991)

There is a need to standardize the NDF procedure. Procedures have varied because of the use of different amylases in attempts to remove starch interference. The original Bacillus subtilis enzyme Type IIIA (XIA) no longer is available and has been replaced by a less effective enzyme. For fiber work, a new enzyme has received AOAC approval and is rapidly displacing other amylases in analytical work. This enzyme is available from Sigma (Number A3306; Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO). The original publications for NDF and ADF (43, 53) and the Agricultural Handbook 379 (14) are obsolete and of historical interest only. Up to date procedures should be followed. Triethylene glycol has replaced 2-ethoxyethanol because of reported toxicity. Considerable development in regard to fiber methods has occurred over the past 5 yr because of a redefinition of dietary fiber for man and monogastric animals that includes lignin and all polysaccharides resistant to mammalian digestive enzymes. In addition to NDF, new improved methods for total dietary fiber and nonstarch polysaccharides including pectin and beta-glucans now are available. The latter are also of interest in rumen fermentation. Unlike starch, their fermentations are like that of cellulose but faster and yield no lactic acid. Physical and biological properties of carbohydrate fractions are more important than their intrinsic composition.

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Exploitation of dietary tannins to improve rumen metabolism and ruminant nutrition.

Amlan K Patra, Jyotisna Saxena (2011)

Tannins (hydrolysable and condensed tannin) are polyphenolic polymers of relatively high molecular weight with the capacity to form complexes mainly with proteins due to the presence of a large number of phenolic hydroxyl groups. They are widely distributed in nutritionally important forage trees, shrubs and legumes, cereals and grains, which are considered as anti-nutritional compounds due to their adverse effects on intake and animal performance. However, tannins have been recognised to modulate rumen fermentation favourably such as reducing protein degradation in the rumen, prevention of bloat, inhibition of methanogenesis and increasing conjugated linoleic acid concentrations in ruminant-derived foods. The inclusion of tannins in diets has been shown to improve body weight and wool growth, milk yields and reproductive performance. However, the beneficial effects on rumen modulation and animal performance have not been consistently observed. This review discusses the effects of tannins on nitrogen metabolism in the rumen and intestine, and microbial populations (bacteria, protozoa, fungi and archaea), metabolism of tannins, microbial tolerance mechanisms to tannins, inhibition of methanogenesis, ruminal biohydrogenation processes and performance of animals. The discrepancies of responses of tannins among different studies are attributed to the different chemical structures (degree of polymerisation, procyanidins to propdelphinidins, stereochemistry and C-C bonding) and concentrations of tannins, and type of diets. An establishment of structure-activity relationship would be required to explain differences among studies and obtain consistent beneficial tannin effects. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.