Effects of feed supplementation with fruit peel pellet microencapsulated phytonutrients on rumen fermentation efficiency, in vitro degradability, methane production and microbial diversity.

Objective: The current study aimed to determine the impact of supplementing fruit peel pellet microencapsulated phytonutrients (mMARABAC) on rumen fermentation efficiency, in vitro degradability, methane production, and microbial diversity.

Methods: The experiment was completely random, and the dietary treatments were mMARABAC supplements at 0, 5, 10, and 15 mg/500 mg DM of substrate (rice straw and concentrate).

Results: The experiment's results demonstrated that mMARABAC supplementation significantly affected the gas production from the insoluble fraction (b), rate of gas production value (c), and potential extent of gas (|a| + b) value (p<0.05), while the soluble fraction of gas production (a) was not influenced by the treatments. Furthermore, mMARABAC increased the cumulative gas at 96 h after incubation (p<0.05) when mMARABAC was supplemented with 5 mg of total DM substrate. However, mMARABAC supplementation did not have an effect on IVDMD (p>0.05). The supplementation of mMARABAC did not significantly affect ruminal pH and NH3-N (p>0.05). Additionally, there was linearly (p<0.05) decreased CH4 production at 24 hours of incubation. The mMARABAC supplementation to the diet did not affect the concentration of total VFAs, C2, C3, C4, or the C2:C3 ratio (p>0.05). The effect of mMARABAC supplementation on F.succinogenes, R.albus, R.flavefaciens, B. fibrisolvens and M. elsdenii was different between treatments (p<0.05), while the mMARABAC supplement had an effect on Methanobacterial (p>0.05).

Conclusion: This study suggested that ruminants could use agricultural by-products as a source of phytonutrients by supplementing with mMARABAC at 5 mg/500 mg DM of substrate.