Effects of fumaric acid supplementation on methane production and rumen fermentation in goats fed diets varying in forage and concentrate particle size

Abstract

BackgroundIn rumen fermentation, fumaric acid (FA) could competitively utilize hydrogen with methanogenesis to enhance propionate production and suppress methane emission, but both effects were diet-dependent. This study aimed to explore the effects of FA supplementation on methanogenesis and rumen fermentation in goats fed diets varying in forage and concentrate particle size.MethodsFour rumen-cannulated goats were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments: low or high ratio of forage particle size: concentrate particle size (Fps:Cps), without or with FA supplementation (24 g/d). Fps:Cps was higher in the diet with chopped alfalfa hay plus ground corn than in that with ground alfalfa hay plus crushed corn.ResultsBoth increasing dietary Fps:Cps and FA supplementation shifted ruminal volatile fatty acid (VFA) patterns toward more propionate and less acetate in goats. An interaction between dietary Fps:Cps and FA supplementation was observed for the ratio of acetate to propionate (A:P), which was more predominant when FA was supplemented in the low-Fps:Cps diet. Methane production was reduced by FA, and the reduction was larger in the low-Fps:Cps diet (31.72%) than in the high-Fps:Cps diet (17.91%). Fumaric acid decreased ruminal total VFA concentration and increased ruminal pH. No difference was found in ruminal DM degradation of concentrate or alfalfa hay by dietary Fps:Cps or FA. Goats presented a lower ruminal methanogen abundance with FA supplementation and a higher B. fibrisolvens abundance with high dietary Fps:Cps.ConclusionsAdjusting dietary Fps:Cps is an alternative dietary model for studying diet-dependent effects without changing dietary chemical composition. Fumaric acid supplementation in the low-Fps:Cps diet showed greater responses in methane mitigation and propionate increase.

Specific enrichment of microbes and increased ruminal propionate production: the potential mechanism underlying the high energy efficiency of Holstein heifers fed steam-flaked corn

“…In addition, a previous study reported that the propionate concentration and the propionate-to-acetate ratio in efficient cows were significantly higher than those in inefficient groups (Shabat et al 2016), which indicated that steam-flaking corn is a more efficient processing method than grinding corn for cows. Moreover, the increased rumen propionate concentration could decrease the hydrogen availability for methanogenesis and increase the precursors available for gluconeogenesis in animals, ultimately improving feed efficiency (Li and Guan 2017;Li et al 2018). This may explain why the SFC diet performed better than the FGC diet, as supported by the SFC group having a greater ADG than the FGC group in our study.…”

High rumen degradable starch decreased goat milk fat via trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid-mediated downregulation of lipogenesis genes, particularly, INSIG1

“…The ERD parameters were calculated according to in situ ruminal degradation. A detailed method of in situ ruminal degradation was reported in Li et al [23]. The forage-to-concentrate ratio of the 3 diets was 45:55, and the diets were formulated to be isoenergetic, isonitrogenous, and isostarch.…”

Fumarate production with Rhizopus oryzae: utilising the Crabtree effect to minimise ethanol by-product formation

“…Currently fumaric acid is used in paper resins, unsaturated polyester resins, animal feeds and in the food and beverage industry [5][6][7][8]. Fumaric acid additions to livestock feed can reduce methane excretion by up to 32% [9], a major incentive for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. Fumaric acid esters have been found to be an effective treatment for psoriasis and multiple sclerosis [10,11].…”