Nasir Memoona, Rodríguez-Prado María, Simoni Marica, Martín-Orúe Susana M, Pérez José Francisco, Calsamiglia Sergio
Animal Nutrition and Welfare Service (SNiBA), Department of Animal and Food Science, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 46126 Parma, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jul 16;15(14):2105. doi: 10.3390/ani15142105.
Ruminant livestock contribute significantly to methane emissions, necessitating sustainable mitigation strategies. Essential oils (EOs) show promise for modulating ruminal fermentation, but their synergistic effects remain underexplored. Two 24 h in vitro experiments evaluated the synergistic effects of EO blends on rumen microbial fermentation. Exp. 1 screened five oils using two triad combinations. Triad 1 tested 10 combinations of thyme (THY), peppermint (PPM), and cinnamon leaf (CIN) oils. Triad 2 tested 10 combinations of anise (ANI), clove leaf (CLO), and peppermint (PPM) oils. Each blend was tested at 400 mg/L, using batch culture methods measuring: pH, ammonia-N (NH-N), and volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The two most effective blends, designated as T1 and T2, were selected for Exp. 2 to assess total gas and methane (CH) production using pressure transducer methods. All treatments were incubated in a rumen fluid-buffer mix with a 50:50 forage-to-concentrate substrate (pH 6.6). In Exp. 1, data were analyzed according to the Simplex Centroid Design using R-Studio. In Exp. 2, an analysis was conducted using the MIXED procedure in SAS. Mean comparisons were assessed through Tukey's test. The results from Exp. 1 identified CIN+PPM (80:20) and ANI+CLO (80:20) as optimal combinations, both increasing total VFAs while reducing acetate/propionate ratios and NH-N concentrations. In Exp. 2, both combinations significantly reduced total gas and CH productions compared to the control, with CIN+PPM achieving the greatest methane reduction (similar to monensin, the positive control). Specific essential oil combinations demonstrated synergistic effects in modulating rumen fermentation and reducing methane emissions, offering potential for sustainable livestock production. Further in vivo validation is required to optimize dosing and assess long-term effects on animal performance.
反刍家畜对甲烷排放有重大影响，因此需要可持续的减排策略。精油（EOs）有望调节瘤胃发酵，但其协同作用仍未得到充分研究。两项24小时的体外实验评估了精油混合物对瘤胃微生物发酵的协同作用。实验1使用两种三元组合筛选了五种精油。三元组1测试了百里香（THY）、薄荷（PPM）和肉桂叶（CIN）油的10种组合。三元组2测试了茴芹（ANI）、丁香叶（CLO）和薄荷（PPM）油的10种组合。每种混合物以400mg/L的浓度进行测试，采用分批培养法测量：pH值、氨氮（NH-N）和挥发性脂肪酸（VFAs）。选出两种最有效的混合物，分别命名为T1和T2，用于实验2，采用压力传感器法评估总气体和甲烷（CH）产量。所有处理均在瘤胃液-缓冲液混合物中孵育，底物为50:50的草料与精饲料（pH 6.6）。在实验1中，根据单纯形重心设计使用R-Studio分析数据。在实验2中，使用SAS中的MIXED程序进行分析。通过Tukey检验评估均值比较。实验1的结果确定CIN+PPM（80:20）和ANI+CLO（80:20）为最佳组合，二者均增加了总挥发性脂肪酸，同时降低了乙酸/丙酸比率和氨氮浓度。在实验2中，与对照组相比，两种组合均显著降低了总气体和甲烷产量，其中CIN+PPM实现了最大的甲烷减排（与阳性对照莫能菌素相似）。特定的精油组合在调节瘤胃发酵和减少甲烷排放方面表现出协同作用，为可持续畜牧生产提供了潜力。需要进一步的体内验证来优化剂量并评估对动物性能的长期影响。
