Interpretive Summary: Effects of dietary supplementation with linseed oil, Ascophyllum nodosum or treated A. nodosum on animal performance, gaseous emissions, ruminal fermentation and microbiota, and meat quality in growing dairy-beef bulls
By: Emily Roskam, David A Kenny, Alan K Kelly, Maria Hayes, Nikola Palevich, Paul H Maclean, Vincent O’Flaherty, Ambarish Biswas, Sinéad M Waters
Globally there is a requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing food production to meet the nutritional demands of the growing population. In this study, linseed oil, a temperate brown seaweed, or an extract of the brown seaweed were mixed into concentrate feed and offered to growing beef bulls every morning and evening. Linseed oil reduced methane emissions by 19% with no effect on animal performance and increased concentrations of health-promoting fatty acids in their meat. The brown seaweed had no effects on methane emissions or animal performance, whereas the brown seaweed extract reduced methane production by 8% with no effects on performance or meat characteristics. Results from the current study may contribute to the development of dietary supplementation strategies to reduce methane emissions from ruminant production systems where the animals are offered concentrate feed twice a day.
Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.
