Rapeseed cake or oil reduced enteric methane with similar growth to control cattle. Diets had no negative metabolic effects or effects on rumen fermentation. Diets had no effect on the fatty acid composition of the M. longissimus dorsi. Rapeseed ingredients showed promise as a dietary methane mitigation strategy.
The global methane (CH4) pledge aims to reduce anthropogenic CH4 emissions by 30% by 2030. Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L), a break crop with 40 million ha cultivated globally in 2022, produces fatty acid-rich byproducts that could potentially reduce rumen methanogenesis while enhancing meat fat composition.
The study objective was to examine the effects of fatty acid supplementation from rapeseed ingredients on DM intake (DMI), average daily gain, gaseous emissions, haematology, rumen fermentation pattern, and fatty acid content of the longissimus dorsi muscle of beef cattle fed a mixed forage and concentrate diet.