Evaluating the Potential of Microalgae (Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris, and Scenedesmus obliquus) to Mitigate Methane Production and Modulate In Vitro Rumen Fermentation Characteristics

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
khadijeh abyar 1
Seyyed Ehsan Ghiasi 2
Moslem Bashtani 3
Yaser Feizdar Barabadi 4
reza khootab 1
1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran.
2 Animal Science Department, Environmental stress in Animal Science research group, Animal Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, I.R. Iran
3 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
4 Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Khorasan Razavi Province, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Mashhad, Iran
10.22077/jlr.2026.11951.1067
Abstract
This study aimed to compare the nutritional value of different microalgae species and to evaluate their inclusion effects in the diet of Saanen goat kids on in vitro rumen fermentation parameters and dry matter degradability. A gas production experiment was conducted in a 3×4 factorial arrangement using three microalgae species (Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris, and Scenedesmus obliquus) at four inclusion levels (0, 1, 2, and 3%), resulting in 12 treatments with 15 replicates. Gas production was measured from 2 to 120 h, and pH, ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N), dry matter degradability (DMD), and methane were determined at 8, 12, and 24 h of incubation. The results showed that Spirulina and Chlorella had the highest crude protein content, while Spirulina exhibited the greatest carotenoid content and antioxidant capacity (P
Keywords
Degradability
Methane production
Microalgae
Rumen fermentation
Ruminants
Subjects