Chitosan/Calcium–Alginate Encapsulated Flaxseed Oil on Dairy Cattle Diet: In Vitro Fermentation and Fatty Acid Biohydrogenation

Simple Summary Most unsaturated fatty acids in the ruminant’s diet are hydrogenated in their rumen so that the composition of the fatty acids entering the rumen and their output is significantly different. Therefore, minimizing the ruminal biohydrogenation process of unsaturated fatty acids is one of the most important issues for feed supplements manufacturers and animal nutritionists to increase the availability of these fatty acids in the intestine. In recent years, encapsulation has been used to preserve the active ingredient in livestock; it is a method used to control the release of feed additives during digestion. There is a clear need to find a more effective method by which unsaturated fatty acids present in fat supplements can be protected to bypass rumen environment and its biohydrogenation, without negative effect on digestive efficiency, and be available in lower digestive tracts. For these reasons, this study aims to evaluate the use of natural materials to encapsulate fats and their effect on in vitro fermentation and fatty acid biohydrogenation. The results indicated that the percentage of ruminal saturated fatty acids decreased by encapsulation of flaxseed oil with chitosan (14% and 7%). The percentage of oleic unsaturated fatty acid by encapsulating flaxseed oil with chitosan (14%) had a significant increase compared to the control treatment (p < 0.05). Encapsulation of flaxseed oil with chitosan (14%) reduced the unsaturated fatty acids of ruminal biohydrogenation. Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using chitosan nanoparticles and calcium alginate in the encapsulation of flaxseed oil on the biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids and in vitro fermentation. The experiments were performed in a completely randomized design with 7 treatments. The experimental treatments included: diets without oil additive (control), diet containing 7% flaxseed oil, diet containing 14% flaxseed oil, diet containing 7% oil encapsulated with 500 ppm chitosan nanocapsules, diet containing 14% flaxseed oil encapsulated with 1000 ppm chitosan nanocapsules, diet containing 7% of flaxseed oil encapsulated with 500 ppm of calcium alginate nanocapsules, diet containing 14% flaxseed oil encapsulated with 1000 ppm calcium alginate nanocapsules. The results showed that encapsulation of flaxseed oil with calcium alginate (14%) had a significant effect on gas production (p < 0.05). The treatment containing calcium alginate (14%) increased the digestibility of dry matter compared to the control treatment, but the treatments containing chitosan caused a significant reduction (p < 0.05). The results indicated that the percentage of ruminal saturated fatty acids decreased by encapsulation of flaxseed oil with chitosan (14% and 7%). The percentage of oleic unsaturated fatty acid by encapsulating flaxseed oil with chitosan (14%) had a significant increase compared to the control treatment (p < 0.05). As a result, encapsulating flaxseed oil with chitosan (14%) reduced the unsaturated fatty acids generated during ruminal biohydrogenation.