Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42337676›Full record

ArticleJournal of animal science and biotechnology2026

Apple pomace and hempseed cake can reduce methane intensity (CH₄/DMI) and alter the rumen microbiome in dairy cows: a shotgun metagenomic approach.

Abdolvahab Ebrahimpour Gorji, Benchu Xue, Tianhai Yan, Tomasz Sadkowski, Xianjiang Chen, Omar Cristobal-Carballo, Steven Morrison, Vahid Razban, Laurence Smith, Sokratis Stergiadis and 2 more

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Article in Journal of animal science and biotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Abdolvahab Ebrahimpour Gorji *Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK.
Benchu Xue *Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK.
Tianhai YanAgri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK.
Tomasz SadkowskiDepartment of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, 02-787, Poland.
Xianjiang ChenAgri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK.
Omar Cristobal-CarballoAgri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK.
Steven MorrisonAgri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK.
Vahid RazbanAgri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK.
Laurence SmithSchool of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6EU, UK.
Sokratis StergiadisSchool of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6EU, UK.
Katerina TheodoridouSchool of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 5DL, UK. K.Theodoridou@qub.ac.uk.
Masoud ShiraliAgri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK. Masoud.Shirali@afbini.gov.uk.

Funding

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Project No. 21/5/01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWith growing attention to environmental impacts, the dairy sector is increasingly focused on implementing strategies that lower methane emissions and enhance sustainability while maintaining productivity and economic viability. Utilizing agro-industrial by-products as alternative feed ingredients supports circular economy goals, lowers feed costs, and may benefit rumen fermentation and environmental performance in dairy cows.

methodsForty-five mid-lactation Holstein cows were assigned to three diets, Control, Apple Pomace (AP), or Hempseed Cake (HC) for 24 d. Feed intake, milk yield, rumen fermentation, methane emissions, and nutrient use were measured. Rumen samples underwent shotgun metagenome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis to assess microbial and functional changes.

resultsValues are reported as mean ± SEM. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing revealed that both supplements significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidota (AP: 56.7% ± 2.8%, P = 0.032; HC: 54.5% ± 3.4%, P = 0.048) compared to the Control (48.2% ± 3.1%). Concurrently, Bacillota (formerly Firmicutes) abundance decreased, significantly reducing the Bacillota/Bacteroidota ratio (formerly the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio) from 0.81 ± 0.06 (Control) to 0.58 ± 0.05 for AP (P = 0.012) and 0.64 ± 0.05 for HC (P = 0.034). Functional analysis showed that AP increased the abundance of Segatella bryantii (2.1-fold, P < 0.01), associated with a 1.52-fold enrichment in propionate metabolism pathways (P = 0.019). Phenotypically, AP significantly reduced the acetate-to-propionate ratio (AP: 2.41 vs. Control: 4.50; P = 0.0075) and methane emissions per unit of dry matter intake (CH

conclusionsIn this short-term (24-d) controlled feeding study in mid-lactation Holstein cows, AP and HC were associated with distinct microbial and functional shifts alongside lower methane intensity, with AP linked to propanoate-related signals and HC to fiber-degrading functions; however, ruminal H

Indexed as

Apple pomaceDairy cowsHempseed cakeMethane mitigationRumen microbiome

Identifiers

PMID42337676
PMCPMC13292333

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.