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. 2024 Jun 2;14(11):1664.
doi: 10.3390/ani14111664.

Essential Oils in Nellore Beef Cattle: In Vivo Impact on Rumen Emissions

Gabriela Benetel  1 , Gisele Maria Fagundes  2 , Paulo de Méo-Filho  3 , Thaysa Dos Santos Silva  1 , Katiéli Caroline Welter  1 , Flávia Alves Melo  1 , Annelise Aila Gomes Lobo  1 , Rosa Toyoko Shiraishi Frighetto  4 , Alexandre Berndt  5 , James Pierre Muir  6 , Ives Cláudio da Silva Bueno  1
Affiliations

Essential Oils in Nellore Beef Cattle: In Vivo Impact on Rumen Emissions

Gabriela Benetel et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Essential oils (EOs), as rumen additives, decreased CH4 emissions in in vitro trials but results from in vivo studies are still limited. We investigated the effects of Origanum vulgare (OEO) and Thymus vulgaris (TEO) EOs on in vivo methane emissions from Nellore beef cattle. Six adult rumen-cannulated Nellore cattle were used in a double 3 × 3 Latin square design. Treatments consisted of three diets containing either 3 mL OEO per kg of concentrate, 3 mL TEO/kg of concentrate, or no EO addition. The experimental period consisted of three 21 d feeding periods and methane production was measured using the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) technique from Day 16 to Day 21 of each feeding period. Intake, total apparent digestibility (dry matter as well as neutral and acid detergent fiber), and rumen parameters (pH, ammoniacal nitrogen concentration, and short-chain fatty acids) were also evaluated. The EOs did not decrease CH4 emissions and had no effect on rumen parameters.

Keywords: SF6 tracer technique; greenhouse gases; oregano; ruminants; thyme.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors (G. Benetel, G.M. Fagundes, P. d.Méo-Filho, T.d.S. Silva, K.C. Welter, F.A. Melo, A.A.G. Lobo, R.T.S. Frighetto, A. Berndt, J.P. Muir, and I.C.d.S. Bueno) have no financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias the research.

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