Effect of supplementing essential oils on the in vitro methane production and digestibility of wheat straw

Mitigation of enteric methane emission and decreasing the carbon footprints of ruminants is one of the pressing challenges faced in the ruminant production sector. Not withstanding, because of the intricate relationships existing between theefficiency of feed fermentation in the rumen and methanogenesis, mitigation options have to be evaluated not just in terms of their effect on methane or total green house gases emissions but also on other rumen functional parameters and on their final consequences on animal production.

The efficiency of energy and protein utilization in the rumen is relatively low and can be improved by the modulation of several metabolic pathways, including the inhibition of methane production and deamination in the rumen. This low efficiency not only reduces production performance, but also contributes to the release ofpollutants to the environment. The efficiency can be improved by modulating the activity of specific rumen microbial populations involved in the metabolic pathways. In recent years, the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal nutrition has been banned in the European Union because of its relation to the increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to drugs which are used by humans.