This study is the first to evaluate the chemical composition and impacts of four different edible insects, Acheta domesticus (A.d), Brachytrupes portentosus (B.p), Gryllus bimaculatus (G.b), and Bombyx mori (B.m), on the digestibility, rumen fermentation, and methane production when used as a substitute for 25% of the soybean meal (SBM) in a ruminant diet through in vitro incubation. The dietary treatments were 100% grass hay, 60% grass hay + 40% SBM, 60% grass hay + 30% SBM + 10% A.d, 60% grass hay + 30% SBM + 10% B.p, 60% grass hay + 30% SBM + 10% G.b, and 60% grass hay + 30% SBM + 10% B.m. The experiment was conducted as a short-term batch culture for 24 h at 39 °C, and the incubation was repeated in 3 consecutive runs. Chemical analysis of the insects showed that they were rich in fat (14–26%) with a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (60–70%). Additionally, the insects were rich in protein (48–61%) containing all essential amino acids and the amino acid profiles of the insects were almost the same as that of SBM. The inclusion of insects did not affect nutrient digestibility or the production of volatile fatty acids but did increase the production of ammonia-nitrogen. The addition of G.b and B.m led to decrease in methane production by up to 18% and 16%, respectively. These results reveal that substitution of 25% SBM in the diet with the tested insects had no negative impacts, and their potential to reduce methane production is an environmental benefit.

This In Vitro study was conducted to investigate the impact of plant-bioactives extract (PE), a combination of garlic powder and bitter orange extract, on methane production, rumen fermentation, and digestibility in different feeding models. The dietary treatments were 1000 g grass/kg ration + 0 g concentrate/kg ration (100:0), 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, and 20:80. The PE was supplemented at 200 g/kg of the feed. Each group consisted of 6 replicates. The experiment was performed as an In Vitro batch culture for 24 h at 39 °C. This procedure was repeated in three consecutive runs. The results of this experiment showed that supplementation with PE strongly reduced methane production in all kinds of feeding models (p < 0.001). Its efficacy in reducing methane/digestible dry matter was 44% in the 100:0 diet, and this reduction power increased up to a 69.2% with the inclusion of concentrate in the 20:80 diet. The PE application significantly increased gas and carbon dioxide production and the concentration of ammonia-nitrogen, but decreased the pH (p < 0.001). In contrast, it did not interfere with organic matter and fiber digestibility. Supplementation with PE was effective in altering rumen fermentation toward less acetate and more propionate and butyrate (p < 0.001). Additionally, it improved the production of total volatile fatty acids in all feeding models (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the PE combination showed effective methane reduction by improving rumen fermentation characteristics without exhibiting adverse effects on fiber digestibility. Thus, PE could be used with all kinds of feeding models to effectively mitigate methane emissions from ruminants.

This study was conducted to provide alternative high-quality feed and to reduce methane production using a mixture of the minimum effective levels of Euglena gracilis, EG, and Asparagopsis taxiformis, AT. This study was performed as a 24 h in vitro batch culture. Chemical analysis demonstrated that EG is a highly nutritive material with 26.1% protein and 17.7% fat. The results showed that the supplementation of AT as a feed additive at 1 and 2.5% of the diet reduced methane production by 21 and 80%, respectively, while the inclusion of EG in the diet at 10 and 25% through partially replacing the concentrate mixture reduced methane production by 4 and 11%, respectively, with no adverse effects on fermentation parameters. The mixtures of AT 1% with both EG 10% and EG 25% had a greater reductive potential than the individual supplementation of these algae in decreasing methane yield by 29.9% and 40.0%, respectively, without adverse impacts on ruminal fermentation characteristics. These results revealed that the new feed formulation had a synergistic effect in reducing methane emissions. Thus, this approach could provide a new strategy for a sustainable animal production industry.

This study investigated the impacts of different brown seaweed species—Ascophyllum nodosum, Sargassum fulvellum, Ecklonia maxima, Lessonia flavicans, Lessonia nigrescens, and Laminaria japonica—on rumen fermentation and methane (CH₄) mitigation. The current in vitro batch culture study for 24 h at 39 °C evaluated these species in two experimental designs: as feed additive and as feed. The control group for both experimental designs was composed of 500 mg of basal diet (50% grass hay/50% concentrate). For the feed additives experimental design, each seaweed species was evaluated when it was added at 20% of the basal diet, while as a feed, the inclusion level of each species was 20% to partially replace the concentrate in the basal diet as follows (50% hay/30% concentrate/20% seaweed). Chemical analyses showed that the seaweeds were characterized by a high fiber content and high amounts of minerals such as calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, while the protein content ranged within 7 and 13%. When they were applied as feed additives, they increased the production of volatile fatty acids, with L. japonica being the most effective; however, they failed to suppress CH₄ production. In contrast, their inclusion as a feed in the basal diet led to a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in CH₄, especially for E. maxima and L. japonica, by up to 18 and 21%, respectively, but this was associated with general inhibition of the rumen fermentation. Therefore, the tested seaweeds could be used as a source of minerals and as a feed additive to improve rumen fermentation, but without anti-methanogenic potential. Meanwhile, their inclusion as feed at 20% could reduce CH₄ production with an adverse effect on fermentation. Thus, further trials are needed to identify the appropriate inclusion level to achieve effective CH₄ reduction without any detrimental effects on rumen fermentation.

Due to growing interest in alternative and sustainable high-quality feed sources for the livestock industry, we carried out a study to determine the optimal inclusion levels of two insect species (Gryllus bimaculatus and Bombyx mori) in a feed for ruminants, as well as evaluating their impacts on rumen fermentation characteristics and methane production. An experiment was performed using an in vitro model for 24 h with a ruminant diet (control group) of 60%:40% grass:concentrate, in order to investigate the effects of insect inclusion into the diet at 10, 20, 30, and 40%, through their substitution into the concentrate mixture. The rumen fermentation parameters indicated that each insect could be included in the diet up to 20% without adverse effects on nutrient digestibility, while increasing the production of ammonia-nitrogen. Increasing the inclusion level beyond 20% led to significant decreases (p < 0.05) in the total gas production, nutrient digestibility, and volatile fatty acids production due to the high fat content in these dietary treatments. Therefore, G. bimaculatus and B. mori could be used as an alternative ruminant feed up to 20%, in order to replace high-quality feed ingredients. Formulating ruminant feed using insects as ingredients should take into consideration their fat content and the total dietary fat content.