Simple SummaryKnowledge about methods used in quantification of greenhouse gasses is currently needed due to international commitments to reduce the emissions. In the agricultural sector one important task is to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants. Different methods for quantifying these emissions are presently being used and others are under development, all with different conditions for application. For scientist and other persons working with the topic it is very important to understand the advantages and disadvantage of the different methods in use. This paper gives a brief introduction to existing methods but also a description of newer methods and model-based techniques.AbstractThis paper is a brief introduction to the different methods used to quantify the enteric methane emission from ruminants. A thorough knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of these methods is very important in order to plan experiments, understand and interpret experimental results, and compare them with other studies. The aim of the paper is to describe the principles, advantages and disadvantages of different methods used to quantify the enteric methane emission from ruminants. The best-known methods: Chambers/respiration chambers, SF6 technique and in vitro gas production technique and the newer CO2 methods are described. Model estimations, which are used to calculate national budget and single cow enteric emission from intake and diet composition, are also discussed. Other methods under development such as the micrometeorological technique, combined feeder and CH4 analyzer and proxy methods are briefly mentioned. Methods of choice for estimating enteric methane emission depend on aim, equipment, knowledge, time and money available, but interpretation of results obtained with a given method can be improved if knowledge about the disadvantages and advantages are used in the planning of experiments.

No abstract

The objective was to study the diurnal variation in metabolites in plasma and milk of dairy cows fed total mixed rations (TMR) with a low-energy (LE) or high-energy content (HE) expected to give a minor and a major diurnal variation, respectively. Further, the purpose was to quantify and compare the responses in plasma and milk parameters when cows changed from ad libitum to restrictive feeding. Eight multiparous, early-lactating Danish Holstein cows were used in a cross-over design with two consecutive 14-day periods. Blood and milk samples were collected hourly on day 11 of each period and on days 12-14 of each period, the cows were fed restrictively (65% of ad libitum dry-matter intake). The concentration of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in plasma was significantly higher in the evening for cows fed the HE TMR, than for cows fed the LE TMR. There was a significant diurnal variation in BHB in milk, with the highest concentrations between milkings and the lowest concentrations at milking. Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in plasma showed significant diurnal variation that was caused by high concentrations in the morning. Plasma glucose did not show any diurnal variation. It has been argued that feeding a TMR removes diurnal changes related to feeding, which is contrary to earlier diurnal studies where concentrates have been fed twice daily. Feed restriction increased (P < 0.001) NEFA and BHB in plasma by 121 and 90%, respectively, while the glucose concentration decreased (P < 0.001) by 19%. Milk concentrations of BHB, citrate and fat increased (P < 0.001) by 163, 11 and 26%, respectively, because of feed restriction, while there were no changes in milk protein and lactose. The relatively high increase in BHB during feed restriction suggests that BHB is more advantageous as a milk indicator of metabolic status in dairy cows than citrate and fat.

Eleven Danish Holstein cows were used to examine the effects of quarter health (healthy vs. unhealthy), milking interval (12 vs. 6 h), and sampling time during milking on the concentration of 8 milk constituents [acetone, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase), somatic cell count (SCC), urea, fat, protein, and lactose]. The selection criterion was that each cow should have 2 or 3 healthy and 1 or 2 unhealthy quarters. Foremilk was collected before attaching the teat cups of the milking machinery, and thereafter, milk samples were collected automatically from each quarter every 45 s during milking. Compared with milk from healthy quarters, milk from unhealthy quarters had a higher concentration of BHBA, NAGase, SCC, and protein during the entire milking, whereas urea was higher in the last part of the milking process. Healthy quarters had a higher content of acetone and lactose during the whole milking, whereas fat was higher in the first part of the milking process. When the cows were milked at the 6-h interval, all milk constituents except lactose and protein were higher during the whole (NAGase, SCC, and urea) or part of the milking (acetone, BHBA, and fat) compared with when cows were milked at the 12-h interval. Lactose was higher in the first part of the milking at the 12-h compared with the 6-h interval, whereas protein was not affected by milking interval. beta-Hydroxybutyrate, NAGase, SCC, and fat increased during the milking process, whereas acetone, urea, protein, and lactose decreased. Foremilk was remarkably different for all constituents, except acetone, and should not be used as a representative milk sample to achieve the true level of a milk constituent. If these milk constituents are to be used in an inline management system, these effects should be taken into account.

Determination of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) in blood and milk samples is an important tool in the diagnosis of ketosis in dairy cattle. Apart from semiquantitative cow-side tests, well-established laboratory methods exist for measurements in blood serum or plasma. These spectrophotometric methods are, however, neither convenient nor reliable when transferred to analyses of milk. Due to its nontransparent nature, milk needs extensive pretreatment if traditional analyses are to be used. This paper describes a fluorometric determination of BHBA that is useful without pretreatment in opaque matrices such as milk and in blood plasma. The method is easy to automate, saves labor expenses, and is inexpensive. The analytical accuracy and precision are reliable for intensive as well as large-scale analysis; for example, in-line sampling from automatic milking systems. Analysis of 2500 random milk samples showed a BHBA content ranging from 10 to 631 microM (mean 49 microM). Furthermore, selected samples (n = 295) from diagnosed ketotic animals taken on d -35 to +35 from peak level ranged from 10 to 684 microM (median 79 microM, mean 141 microM). Using the same 1240 blood plasma samples, the fluorometric method was closely correlated with a traditional spectrophotometric method (r = 0.987). Hemolysis of samples does not appear to affect the fluorometric determination of BHBA.