Effect of organic acids or monensin-sodium addition on fatty acid production of short chain and methane through the ruminal fermentation “in vitro”

Abstract

Food additives may increase food and animal production efficiency, as well as reduce the production of enteric methane (CH4). With the aim to evaluate the influence of organic additives in two concentrations (250 and 500 ppm) in the production of CH4 (mL), short chain fatty acids (SCFA), ammonia nitrogen (N-NH3) and pH, an experiment “in vitro” gas was conducted, having two control groups, one as a negative control without the presence of additive and another as a positive control, with the addition of monensin-sodium (30ppm). The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. The treatment with monensin-sodium increased the propionate production (p<0.05) and decreased (p<0.05) CH4, acetate, butyrate, valerate, isobutyrate, isovalerate production, the acetate/ propionate ratio and total SCFA production compared to treatment without additive, the N-NH3 concentration being unchanged. Among CTX 250 and 500 organic acids treatments, only 500 CTX showed a trend (p<0.10) to decrease in N-NH3 concentrations, with no significant changes (p>0.05) in the remaining parameters related to treatment without additives. In this sense, monensin-sodium shows characteristics of modulation of rumen environment.

Keywords

• Food additives
• Ionophores
• Ammonia nitrogen
• pH.