Dietary Coleus Amboinicus Herb Decreases Ruminal Methanogenesis and Biohydrogenation, and Improves Meat Quality and Fatty Acid Composition in Longissimus Thoracis of Lambs

Abstract Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of biologically active compounds (BAC) of Coleus amboinicus Lour. (CAL) herb fed to growing lambs on ruminal methane production, ruminal biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids and meat characteristics. An in vitro trial (Experiment 1) comprising of control and three experimental diets (CAL constituting 10%, 15%, and 20% of the total diet) was conducted to determine an effective dose for in vivo experiments. After the in vitro trial, two in vivo experiments were conducted on six growing, rumen-cannulated lambs (Experiment 2) and 16 growing lambs (Experiment 3), which were assigned into the control (CON) and one experimental diet (20% of CAL). Several parameters were examined in vitro (pH, ammonia and VFA concentrations, protozoa, methanogens and select bacteria populations) and in vivo (methane production, digestibility, ruminal microorganism populations, meat quality, fatty acids profiles in rumen fluid and meat, transcript expression of 5 genes in meat). Results: The CAL lowered in vitro methane production by 51%. In the in vivo experiments, lambs fed CAL decreased methane production by 20% compared with the CON animals (Experiment 3), which corresponded to the reduced total methanogens counts in all experiments up to 28%, notably Methanobacteriales. In Experiment 3, CAL increased or tended to increase the numbers of Ruminococcus albus, Megasphaeraelsdenii, Butyrivibrioproteoclasticus, and Butyrivibriofibrisolvens. Dietary CAL suppressed the Holotricha population, but increased or tended to increase Entodiniomorpha population in Experiments 2 and 3. An increase in the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) proportion in the rumen of lambs was noted in response to the CAL diet, which was mainly attributable to the increase in C18:3 cis-9 cis-12 cis-15 (LNA) proportion. The CAL reduced the mRNA expressions of four investigated genes in meat (fatty acid synthase, stearoyl-CoA desaturase, lipoprotein lipase, and fatty acid desaturase 1). Conclusions:Summarizing, polyphenols of CAL (20% in diet) origin can mitigate ruminal methane production by inhibiting the methanogens communities. Supplementation of CAL also provides favorable conditions in the rumen by modulating ruminal bacteria involved in fermentation and biohydrogenation of fatty acids. CAL elevated the LNA concentration, which led to improved meat quality through increased deposition of n-3 PUFA.