Effect of a mix essential oil of Pinus merkusii (Jungh. And de Vriese) and Melaleuca leucadendra (L.) on ruminal nutrient digestibility

This research was aimed to observe the effect of mix essential oil at different doses on nutrient digestibility in the in vitro rumen fermentation. Mix essential oil consisted of pine (Pinus merkusii (Jungh. and de Vriese)) and eucalyptus (Melaleuca leucadendra (L)) essential oil in ratio of 1:1. The doses of mix essential oils added were 0, 100 and 200 μL/L of fermentation media. Feed material included elephant grass, rice bran and pollard in ratio of 60:20:20 dry matter were used as fermentation substrate. Fermentation was conducted at 39 C for 24h. Data collected included dry matter (DMD), organic matter (OMD), crude protein (CPD) and crude fibre digestibility (CFD). Results showed that the addition of mix essential oil at the level of 100 μL/L increased DMD (P<0.05), without an effect on OMD, CPD, and CFD. Furthermore, the addition of mix essential oil at the level of 200 μL/L reduced OMD and CPD (P<0.05) and did not affect DMD and CFD. In conclusion, combination of pine (Pinus merkusii (Jungh. and de Vriese)) and eucalyptus (Melaleuca leucadendra (L)) essential oil in ratio of 1:1 improve the effect of both essential oils particularly at doses 100 μL/L hence this mix essential oil potential to be used as feed additive. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.