Effects of a blends of essential oils on rumen microbial fermentation of a 50:50 lucerne:concentrate diet in a dual-flow continuous culture system

摘要

Implications Most in vitro studies for investigating the effect of essential oils (EO) have been conducted under 24-48hbatch culture. The present study investigated the effect on rumen microorganisms when exposed to EO over a longer term.Introduction Positive effects of thyme, cinnamon and clove essential oils on rumen microbial fermentation have beenreported in recent studies (Benchaar et al., 2007a; Jahani-Azizabadi et al., 2011). No study has investigated the effects ofsimultaneous use of thyme, cinnamon and clove essential oils on rumen microbial fermentation characteristics. Therefore,the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a blend of thyme, cinnamon and clove essential oils on rumenmicrobial fermentation of a 50:50 forage:concentrate diet in dual flow continuous culture system.