The effects of carvacrol and/or thymol on the performance, blood and rumen parameters, and carcass traits of Merino sheep
The effects of carvacrol and/or thymol on the performance, blood and rumen parameters, and carcass traits of Merino sheep
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of increasing doses of carvacrol (C) and/or thymol (T) on the performance, rumen fermentation, and blood and carcass parameters of Merino sheep. Eighty-four 12-week-old male Merino lambs were randomly assigned to 7 treatment groups. The sheep were fed with the same concentrate mixtures including a control diet, carvacrol 100 mg/kg (C100), carvacrol 300 mg/kg (C300), thymol 100 mg/kg (T100), thymol 300 mg/kg (T300), carvacrol+thymol 100 mg/kg (C50+T50), and carvacrol+thymol 300 mg/kg (C150+T150). The C and/or T supplementation did not affect the feed conversion. The lambs fed with C and/or T diets had higher rumen pH, NH3-N, and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) compared to those in the control group. However, essential oil supplementation did not change the molar concentration of VFA. The serum urea and glucose in C and/or T groups were not found significant on days 0, 35, and 70 compared to the control group. Slaughter weights and other carcass parameters were similar between the groups. The effects of C and/or T supplementation on the rumen and production parameters showed limited effects when lambs were fed with the high concentrate diets.
___
- 1. Burt S. Essential oils: their antibacterial properties and potential applications in foods a review. Int J Food Microbiol 2004; 94: 223-253.
- 2. Chao SC, Young DG, Oberg CJ. Screening for inhibitory activity of essential oils on selected bacteria, fungi and viruses. J Essential Oil Res 2000; 12: 639-649.
- 3. Wallace RJ. Symposium: Plants as animal foods: A case of catch 22: Antimicrobial properties of plant secondary metabolites. Proc Nutr Soc 2005; 63: 621-629.
- 4. Castillejos L, Calsamiglia S, Ferret A, Losa R. Effects of a specific blend of essential oil compounds and type of diet on rumen microbial fermentation and nutrient flow from a continuous culture system. Anim Feed Sci Technol. 2005; 119: 29-41.
- 5. Calsamiglia S, Busquet M, Cardozo PW, Castilejos L, Ferret A. Invited review: essential oils as modifiers of rumen microbial fermentation. J Dairy Sci 2007; 90: 2580-2595.
- 6. Yang WZ, Benchaar C, Ametaj BN, Chaves AV, He ML, McAllister TA. 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 2007; 90: 5671-5681.
- 7. Benchaar C, Petit HV, Berthiaume R, Whyte TD, Chouinard PY. Effects of addition of essential oils and monensin premix on digestion, ruminal fermentation characteristics, milk production, and milk composition in dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2006; 89: 4352-4364.
- 8. Kung L Jr, Williams P, Schmidt RJ, Hu W. A blend of essential plant oils used as an additive to alter silage fermentation or used as a feed additive for lactating dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2008; 91: 4793-4800.
- 9. Bampidis VA, Christodoulou V, Florou-Paneri P, Christaki E, Chatzopoulou PS, Tsiligianni T, Spais AB. Effect of dietary dried oregano leaves on growth performance, carcass characteristics and serum cholesterol of female early maturing turkeys. Brit Poultry Sci 2005; 46: 595-601.
- 10. Busquet M, Calsamiglia S, Ferret A, Kamel C. Screening for the effects of natural plant extracts and secondary plant metabolites on rumen microbial fermentation in continuous culture. Anim Feed Sci Technol 2005; 123-124: 597-613.
- 11. Ogimoto K, Imai S. Atlas of Rumen Microbiology. Tokyo, Japan: Japan Science Society Press; 1981.
- 12. Colomer-Rocher F, Morand-Fehr P, Kirton AH. Standard methods and procedures for goat carcass evaluation, jointing and tissue separation. Livest Production Sci 1987; 17: 149-159.
- 13. AOAC. Official Methods of Analysis. 16th ed. Gaithersburg, MD, USA: AOAC International; 1999.
- 14. Van Soest PJ, Robertson JB, Lewis BA. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. J Dairy Sci 1991; 74: 3583-3597.
- 15. Goering HK, Van Soest PJ. Forage Fiber Analyses. Agriculture Handbook No: 379. Washington, DC, USA: ARS-USDA.
- 16. Weatherburn MW. Phenol-hypochlorite reaction for determination of ammonia. Anal Chem 1967; 39: 971-974.
- 17. SAS Institute. SAS/STAT 9.1 Users Guide. Version 9.1. Cary, NC, USA: SAS; 2004.
- 18. Beauchemin KA, McGinn SM. Methane emissions from beef cattle: effects of fumaric acid, essential oil, and canola oil. J Anim Sci 2006; 84: 1489-1496.
- 19. Chaves AV, Stanford K, Dugan MER, Gibson LL, McAllister TA, Van Herk F, Benchaar C. Effects of cinnamaldehyde, garlic and juniper berry essential oils on rumen fermentation, blood metabolites, growth performance, and carcass characteristics of growing lambs. Livest Sci 2008; 117: 215-224.
- 20. Chaves AV, Stanford K, Gibson LL, McAllister TA, Benchaar C. Effects of carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde on intake, rumen fermentation, growth performance, and carcass characteristics of growing lambs. Anim Feed Sci Technol 2008; 145: 396-408.
- 21. McEwan NR, Graham RC, Wallace RJ, Losa R, Williams P, Newbold CJ. Effect of essential oils on ammonia production by rumen microbes. Reprod Nutr Dev 2002; 42 (Suppl. 1): S65 (abstract).
- 22. McEwan NR, Graham RC, Wallace RJ, Losa R, Williams P, Newbold CJ. Effect of essential oils on protein digestion in the rumen. Reprod Nutr Dev 2002; 42 (Suppl. 1): S65-S66 (abstract).
- 23. McIntosh FM, Williams P, Losa R, Wallace RJ, Beever DA, Newbold CJ. Effects of essential oils on ruminal microorganisms and their protein metabolism. Appl Environ Microbiol 2003; 69: 5011-5014.
- 24. Wallace RJ, McEwan NR, McIntosh FM, Teferedegne B, Newbold CJ. Natural products as manipulators of rumen fermentation. Asian-Austral J Anim Sci 2002; 10: 1458-1468.
- 25. Benchaar C, Calsamiglia S, Chaves AV, Fraser GR, Colombatto D, McAllister TA, Beauchemnin KA. A review of plant derived essential oils in ruminant nutrition and production. Anim Feed Sci Technol 2008; 145: 209-228.
- 26. Tekippe JA, Hristov AN, Heyler KS, Cassidy TW, Zheljazkov VD, Ferreira JFS, Karnati SK, Varga GA. Rumen fermentation and production effects of Origanum vulgare L. leaves in lactating dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2011; 94: 5065-5079.
- 27. Evans JD, Martin SA. Effects of thymol on ruminal microorganisms. Curr Microbiol 2000; 41: 336-340.
- 28. Newbold CJ, McIntosh FM, Williams P, Losa R, Wallace RJ. Effects of a specific blend of essential oil compounds on rumen fermentation. Anim Feed Sci Technol 2004; 114: 105-112.
- 29. Castillejos L, Calsamiglia S, Ferret A. Effect of essential oil active compounds on rumen microbial fermentation and nutrient flow in in vitro systems. J Dairy Sci 2006; 89: 2649-2658.
- 30. Cardoza PW, Calsamiglia S, Ferret A, Kamel C. Effects of alfalfa extract, anise capsicum, and a mixture of cinnamaldehyde and eugenol on ruminal fermentation and protein degradation in beef heifers fed a high concentrate diet. J Anim Sci 2006; 84: 2801-2808.