Energy supplementation and use of condensed tannin replacing antibiotics

Abstract

The excessive use of antibiotics in animal production has resulted in a considerable increase in resistant bacteria, complicating the treatment of infectious diseases in animals and compromising food safety. In this scenario, the use of products of plant origin, such as condensed tannins (CT), to replace antibiotics as additives in cattle nutrition is crucial for animal science, as it will bring economic, environmental and social benefits due to the adoption of management practices based on the principles of sustainable intensification of beef cattle, especially regarding to enteric methane (CH4) production by ruminants. The objective of the project is to predict ruminal CH4 inhibition by condensed tannins using nonlinear exponential decay regression analysis. Also, we aim to evaluate the use of energy supplementation and condensed tannins in beef cattle nutrition and its effects on ruminal parameters and fiber digestibility using in vitro and in situ techniques. Methane production data will be acquired from 48-h in vitro fermentation of a diverse group of warm-season perennial forage legumes containing different concentrations of CT. Also, assessments of sources and concentrations of CT will be carried out on the rumen microorganism population, fermentation parameters, intake, ruminal degradability, nitrogen balance, and microbial protein synthesis. Analyzes will be conducted to compare the digestibility of the fiber in neutral detergent and dry matter using in vitro technique, through gas production methodology, and in situ technique, using Dracon bags. Application of models to predict nutritional requirements and use of feed by ruminants will be studied, following the methodologies of the Ruminant Nutrition System.