{
  "abstract": "Enteric methane (CH₄) produced during ruminal fermentation is a major contributor to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and represents an energy loss to the animal. Plant-derived phenolic compounds have been proposed as dietary strategies to mitigate methane formation; however, their efficacy depends on compound identity and inclusion level. This study evaluated phenylpropanoid-derived phenolics identified in Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis and selected commercial feed additives for their effects on methane production and ruminal fermentation. Lucerne ( Medicago sativa ) pellets (0.5 g dry matter) were incubated for 24 h in three independent runs, each using rumen fluid collected from a pasture-fed, ruminally cannulated cow. Each treatment was represented by three technical bottles per run, run × treatment was the experimental unit, and variation among bottles was retained as residual error. Data were analysed separately by category using mixed models. Compound or product, active-treatment dose, and their interaction were fixed effects, whereas incubation run and run × treatment were random effects. Control-inclusive overall dose-response tests, compound- or product-specific orthogonal-polynomial contrasts, and Dunnett-adjusted comparisons with the control were conducted separately. Treatments included p-coumaric acid (5, 10, and 15 mM), trans-cinnamic acid (5, 10, and 15 mM), their 1:1 combination (2.5 + 2.5, 5 + 5, and 7.5 + 7.5 mM), gallic acid (5, 10, and 15 mM), tannic acid (actual concentrations of 0.41, 0.81, 1.22, and 4.05 mM after correction for 81% purity), N-carbamyl-L-glutamic acid (5, 10, and 15 mM), and two proprietary formulations (4.5% and 9% of substrate dry matter). The proprietary products comprised a medium-chain fatty-acid blend and an organic-acid blend with plant essential oils; individual ingredient concentrations were not disclosed by the manufacturer. Gas production, CH₄ concentration and yield, in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD), fermentation pH, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) profiles were measured. p-Coumaric acid reduced CH₄ concentration and yield in a dose-dependent manner, with CH₄ yield reduced by up to 43.3% at 15 mM; however, IVDMD was reduced at ≥ 10 mM. CH₄ yield decreased linearly with trans-cinnamic acid, although only the 27.4% reduction at 15 mM differed from the control. The combination reduced CH₄ yield by up to 41.4% and maintained IVDMD at the two lower inclusion levels. Gallic acid did not affect CH₄. Tannic acid reduced CH₄ yield by 19.4%–85.0%; the lowest dose caused no detectable reductions in gas production, IVDMD, or total VFA concentration, whereas higher doses increasingly inhibited fermentation. N-Carbamyl-L-glutamic acid and the two proprietary formulations did not reduce CH₄. The hypothesis was therefore partially supported: the lowest tested doses of p-coumaric acid and its combination with trans-cinnamic acid produced the clearest selective reductions in CH₄, while low-dose tannic acid was also effective but had a narrow margin before adverse fermentation effects emerged. These responses warrant in vivo validation and dose optimisation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Monique E. Hodgson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alex V. Chaves"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5zm9cqhdwx7k4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41598-026-73235-x",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "5zm9cqhdwx7k4",
  "issns": [
    "2045-2322"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-73235-x",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1102|Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7138971029",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-73235-x.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-12",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5zm9cqhdwx7k4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:26Z",
      "native_id": "10.1038/s41598-026-73235-x",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-73235-x"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1102|Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Screening compounds of the phenylpropanoid pathway and commercial products to mitigate methane emissions using batch culture in vitro incubations",
  "title_text": "Screening compounds of the phenylpropanoid pathway and commercial products to mitigate methane emissions using batch culture in vitro incubations",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:26Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5zm9cqhdwx7k4",
  "venue": "Scientific Reports",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.21203/rs.3.rs-8999036/v1",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "preprint",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}