Effect of a blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and Capsicum oleoresin on methane emission and lactation performance of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows
Sanne van Gastelen, David R. Yáñez-Ruíz, Hajer Khelil-Arfa, Alexandra Blanchard, A. Bannink
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effect of administering a standardized blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and capsicum oleoresin ( CEC ) to lactating dairy cattle for 84 d (i.e., 12 weeks) on enteric CH 4 emission, feed intake, milk yield and composition, and body weight. The experiment involved 56 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (145 ± 31.1 d in milk at the start of the trial; mean ± SD) in a completely randomized block design. Cows were blocked in pairs according to parity, lactation stage, and current milk yield, and randomly allocated to 1 of the 2 dietary treatments: a diet including 54.5 mg CEC / kg DM or a control diet without CEC. Diets were provided as partial mixed rations in feed bins, which automatically recorded individual feed intake. Additional concentrate was fed in the GreenFeed system that was used to measure emissions of CO 2 , CH 4 and H 2 . Feeding CEC decreased CH 4 yield (g/kg DMI) by on average 3.4% over the complete 12-week period and by on average 3.9% from 6 weeks after the start of supplementation onwards. Feeding CEC simultaneously increased feed intake, body weight, and tended to increase milk protein content, whereas no negative responses were observed. These results must be further investigated and confirmed in longer-term in vivo experiments.