The effect of 4% dietary inclusion of Himanthalia elongata seaweed and seaweed extract on the microbiome of late-lactation dairy cows.. SeaSolutions_E55_KB

The dietary provision of seaweed to ruminants has the potential to reduce methane and ammonia emissions by influencing the rumen microbiome. In this study 15 late lactation Holstein-fresian dairy cows were blocked into three groups of five animals in a 3x3 latin square design. The animals were fed one of three experimental diets (Control, T1: 4% HE Extract, T2; 4% HE whole) for 21 days before rotating onto the next experimental diet. On day 0 of period 1 and then on day 21 of each period rumen fluid was collected by esophageal tube extraction. The rumen fluid was frozen in liquid nitrogen before being stored at -80 degrees Celsius. The DNA extraction was carried out using the Qiagen Pro Soil kit and kit instructions were followed. The sequencing was performed by the GTCU at Queens University Belfast.