HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Interpretive Summary Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Busquet, M. Articles by Kamel, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Busquet, M. Articles by Kamel, C.

Effect of Garlic Oil and Four of its Compounds on Rumen Microbial Fermentation

¹ Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
² Departamento de Producción Animal I, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
³ Pancosma, 01205 Bellegarde-sur-Valserine Cedex, France

Corresponding author: Sergio Calsamiglia; e-mail: sergio.calsamiglia{at}uab.es.

Different concentrations (3, 30, 300, and 3000 mg/L of culture fluid) of garlic oil (GAR), diallyl sulfide (DAS), diallyl disulfide (DAD), allicin (ALL), and allyl mercaptan (ALM) were incubated for 24 h in diluted ruminal fluid with a 50:50 forage:concentrate diet (17.7% crude protein; 30.7% neutral detergent fiber) to evaluate their effects on rumen microbial fermentation. Garlic oil (30 and 300 mg/L), DAD (30 and 300 mg/L), and ALM (300 mg/L) resulted in lower molar proportion of acetate and higher proportions of propionate and butyrate. In contrast, at 300 mg/L, DAS only increased the proportion of butyrate, and ALL had no effects on volatile fatty acid proportions. In a dual-flow continuous culture of rumen fluid fed the same 50:50 forage:concentrate diet, addition of GAR (312 mg/L), DAD (31.2 and 312 mg/L), and ALM (31.2 and 312 mg/L) resulted in similar changes to those observed in batch culture, with the exception of the lack of effect of DAD on the proportion of propionate. In a third in vitro study, the potential of GAR (300 mg/L), DAD (300 mg/L), and ALM (300 mg/L) to decrease methane production was evaluated. Treatments GAR, DAD, and ALM resulted in a decrease in methane production of 73.6, 68.5, and 19.5%, respectively, compared with the control. These results confirm the ability of GAR, DAD, and ALM to decrease methane production, which may help to improve the efficiency of energy use in the rumen.

Key Words: rumen fermentation • garlic oil • diallyl disulfide • allyl mercaptan

Abbreviation key: ALL = allicin, ALM = allyl mercaptan, DAS = diallyl sulfide, DAD = diallyl disulfide, GAR = garlic oil, HMG-CoA = 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A, LPep = large peptide, LOV = lovastatin, MON = monensin, SPep+AA = small peptide plus amino acid, TCA-N = TCA-soluble N, TA-N = tungstic acid-soluble N.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. Z. Yang, C. Benchaar, B. N. Ametaj, A. V. Chaves, M. L. He, and T. A. McAllister Effects of Garlic and Juniper Berry Essential Oils on Ruminal Fermentation and on the Site and Extent of Digestion in Lactating Cows J Dairy Sci, December 1, 2007; 90(12): 5671 - 5681. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Calsamiglia, M. Busquet, P. W. Cardozo, L. Castillejos, and A. Ferret Invited Review: Essential Oils as Modifiers of Rumen Microbial Fermentation J Dairy Sci, June 1, 2007; 90(6): 2580 - 2595. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. R. Fraser, A. V. Chaves, Y. Wang, T. A. McAllister, K. A. Beauchemin, and C. Benchaar Assessment of the Effects of Cinnamon Leaf Oil on Rumen Microbial Fermentation Using Two Continuous Culture Systems J Dairy Sci, May 1, 2007; 90(5): 2315 - 2328. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]