Corn oil supplementation enhances hydrogen use for biohydrogenation, inhibits methanogenesis, and alters fermentation pathways and the microbial community in the rumen of goats.

Enteric methane (CH4) emissions are not only an important source of greenhouse gases but also a loss of dietary energy in livestock. Corn oil (CO) is rich in unsaturated fatty acid with >50% PUFA, which may enhance ruminal biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids, leading to changes in ruminal H2 metabolism and methanogenesis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of CO supplementation of a diet on CH4 emissions, nutrient digestibility, ruminal dissolved gases, fermentation, and microbiota in goats.

Effects of urea plus nitrate pretreated rice straw and corn oil supplementation on fiber digestibility, nitrogen balance, rumen fermentation, microbiota and methane emissions in goats.

Background: Urea pretreatment is an efficient strategy to improve fiber digestibility of low quality roughages for ruminants. Nitrate and oil are usually used to inhibit enteric methane (CH) emissions from ruminants. The objective of this study was to examine the combined effects of urea plus nitrate pretreated rice straw and corn oil supplementation to the diet on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance, CH emissions, ruminal fermentation characteristics and microbiota in goats.