Journal article
Grape marc reduces methane emissions when fed to dairy cows
PJ Moate, SRO Williams, VA Torok, MC Hannah, BE Ribaux, MH Tavendale, RJ Eckard, JL Jacobs, MJ Auldist, WJ Wales
Journal of Dairy Science | Published : 2014
Open access
Abstract
Grape marc (the skins, seeds, stalk, and stems remaining after grapes have been pressed to make wine) is currently a by-product used as a feed supplement by the dairy and beef industries. Grape marc contains condensed tannins and has high concentrations of crude fat; both these substances can reduce enteric methane (CH4) production when fed to ruminants. This experiment examined the effects of dietary supplementation with either dried, pelleted grape marc or ensiled grape marc on yield and composition of milk, enteric CH4 emissions, and ruminal microbiota in dairy cows. Thirty-two Holstein dairy cows in late lactation were offered 1 of 3 diets: a control (CON) diet; a diet containing dried, ..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries (Ellinbank, Victoria, Australia), and by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture (Canberra, Australia), Dairy Australia (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), The Geoffrey Gardiner Foundation (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), and Meat and Livestock Australia (North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia). We thank Colin Pitcher (Tarac Technologies Pty. Ltd., Nuriootpa, Australia) for analysis of tartaric acid in grape marc. This work would not have been possible without the excellent work of the technical staff at the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (Victoria, Ellinbank Centre).