Ruminant Nutrition: Beef: Additives and Supplements

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of coconut oil (CO) and garlic powder supplementation on digestibility of nutrients, ruminal fermentation, ecology, microorganisms and methanogen diversity. Four, 3-year old, rumen fistulated swamp buffalo bulls were randomly assigned in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to receive 4 dietary treatments; 7% CO, 7% CO with 50 g/d of garlic powder, 7% CO with 100 g/d of garlic powder and non-supplemented (control). During the experiment, concentrate was offered at 0.5% of BW while rice straw was given on ad libitum basis. It was found that supplementation of 7% CO had significantly influenced on total DM intake, OM, NDF and ADF digestibilities while supplementation of 7% CO with garlic powder (50 and 100 g/d) were not significantly different when compared with the control. Blood urea nitrogen was significantly higher in supplemented groups. Total VFA concentration, proportion of C2 and C2:C3 ratio was reduced by supplementation. Proportion of C3 was increased (P < 0.05) when supplemented with 7% CO and 7% CO with 100 g/d of garlic powder. Methane production was dramatically reduced (P = 0.005) in supplemented treatments and was 10% reduced in 7% CO supplementation. Amylolytic and proteolytic bacteria were increased (P = 0.007 and P = 0.024) while protozoal population by decreased 68 – 75% (P < 0.01) by supplementation. Total bacterial population was increased by supplementation while total fungi and total methanogens were not significantly different among treatments. Percentage of cellulolytic bacterial population was not different among treatments. However, dietary supplementations were reduced (P < 0.001) percentage of F. succinogenes population. However, methanogen diversity was not changed using PCR-DGGE as technique. Based on this study, supplementation with 7% CO plus 100 g/d of garlic powder could be efficiently utilized in the rumen and thus, could provide good fermentation end-products and improve rumen ecology for the host swamp buffaloes particularly in reducing 9% methane gas production without changing nutrient digestibilities.