The potential applications of brown seaweed as an alternative feed for ruminant livestock
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis builds on a growing areaof scientific research aimed at addressing the feasibility and potential benefits of feeding brown seaweed to ruminant livestock. The primary objectives of this research were to: identify gaps in current knowledge on the potential use of brown seaweed as a feed source for ruminant livestock; to establish a baseline knowledge of the nutritional composition of four commonly found brown seaweed species in Northern Ireland; to investigate the use of infrared spectroscopy as a tool to rapidly measure the nutritional composition of brown seaweed and to explore the use of ensilage as a preservation method for the application of brown seaweed as a ruminant livestock feed. Chapter 1 discusses a rationale forinvestigating alternative feeds for the ruminant livestock sector by discussingthe current challenges to modern agriculture (e.g. climate change, rising feedcosts and resource depletion) which accumulate in a series of unprecedentedthreats to the security of livestock feed supply chains. Following this,Chapter 2 presents a review of the current scientific literature on the use ofseaweed in ruminant diets. The first experimental chapter (Chapter 3) describesseason- and species-related trends in the nutritive value of a natural (i.e.uncultivated) population of seaweeds collected in Northern Ireland. Fourspecies (Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis, Fucusvesiculosus Linnaeus, Laminaria digitata (Hudson)J.V. Lamouroux and Saccharina latissimi (L.) C.E. Lane, C. Mayes,Druehl & G.W. Saunders) were chosen based on their availability in NorthernAtlantic regions. The chemical composition and in vitro drymatter digestibility of the species were screened over a 10-month period.Chapter 4 was designed to screen the effects of the four brown seaweed specieson in vitro gas and methane production compared to Medicagosativa, a terrestrial forage. Chapter 5 discusses the potential ofdeveloping rapid methods of measuring the nutritive value of seaweeds in t…
abstract: This thesis builds on a growing areaof scientific research aimed at addressing the feasibility and potential benefits of feeding brown seaweed to ruminant livestock. The primary objectives of this research were to: identify gaps in current knowledge on the potential use of brown seaweed as a feed source for ruminant livestock; to establish a baseline knowledge of the nutritional composition of four commonly found brown seaweed species in Northern Ireland; to investigate the use of infrared spectroscopy as a tool to rapidly measure the nutritional composition of brown seaweed and to explore the use of ensilage as a preservation method for the application of brown seaweed as a ruminant livestock feed. Chapter 1 discusses a rationale forinvestigating alternative feeds for the ruminant livestock sector by discussingthe current challenges to modern agriculture (e.g. climate change, rising feedcosts and resource depletion) which accumulate in a series of unprecedentedthreats to the security of livestock feed supply chains. Following this,Chapter 2 presents a review of the current scientific literature on the use ofseaweed in ruminant diets. The first experimental chapter (Chapter 3) describesseason- and species-related trends in the nutritive value of a natural (i.e.uncultivated) population of seaweeds collected in Northern Ireland. Fourspecies (Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis, Fucusvesiculosus Linnaeus, Laminaria digitata (Hudson)J.V. Lamouroux and Saccharina latissimi (L.) C.E. Lane, C. Mayes,Druehl & G.W. Saunders) were chosen based on their availability in NorthernAtlantic regions. The chemical composition and in vitro drymatter digestibility of the species were screened over a 10-month period.Chapter 4 was designed to screen the effects of the four brown seaweed specieson in vitro gas and methane production compared to Medicagosativa, a terrestrial forage. Chapter 5 discusses the potential ofdeveloping rapid methods of measuring the nutritive value of seaweeds in t…
author: Campbell, Mairead
language: eng
keywords: Brown seaweed, ruminant, rumen fermentation, methane, silage, spectroscopy, livestock feed, in vitro digestibility, Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus vesiculosus, Laminaria digitata, Saccharina latissimi
date published: 2021-7
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:55:58Z
provider: Queen's University Belfast
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Queen's University Belfast