Animal feed supplement

Abstract

An animal feed supplement and an animal feed composition including said animal feed supplement and methods of making said animal feed supplement and animal feed composition. The animal feed supplement includes at least one organosulfur compound and at least one bioflavonoid.

1 . An animal feed supplement comprising:
 at least one organosulfur compound; and   at least one bioflavonoid.   
     
     
         2 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one organosulfur compound is independently selected from allicin, alliin, allylpropyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, s-allylcysteine, vinyldithiines (e.g. 3-vinyl-4H-1,2-dithiin and 2-vinyl-4H-1,3-dithiin) and diallyl disulfide. 
     
     
         3 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one organosulfur compound comprises allicin. 
     
     
         4 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , comprising at least two different bioflavonoids. 
     
     
         5 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 4 , wherein each of the bioflavonoids is independently selected from anthoxanthins, flavanones, flavonols, flavanonols, flavans, isoflavones, anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins. 
     
     
         6 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 4 , wherein each of the bioflavonoids is independently selected from the group consisting of naringin, neohesperidin, eriocitrin, isonaringin, naringenin, hesperidin, roifolin, diosmin, didymin, hesperetin, poncirin, catechin, rutin, acacetin, genistein, kaempferol, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin, gallate, epigallocatechin gallate, and gallocatechin gallate. 
     
     
         7 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one bioflavonoid comprises a combination of naringin and neohesperidin. 
     
     
         8 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , wherein a ratio of total organosulfur compounds to total bioflavonoid in the animal feed supplement ranges from about 10:1 to about 1:30. 
     
     
         9 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one organosulfur compound comprises an extract of  Allium  spp. 
     
     
         10 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one bioflavonoid comprises an extract of  Citrus  spp. 
     
     
         11 . The animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , wherein the animal feed supplement is a solid or liquid. 
     
     
         12 . An animal feed composition comprising an animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . The animal feed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the animal feed composition comprises from about 0.3 wt % to about 10 wt % of total organosulfur compounds based on a dry weight of the animal feed composition. 
     
     
         14 . The animal feed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the animal feed composition comprises from about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt % of total bioflavonoids based on a dry weight of the animal feed composition. 
     
     
         15 . The animal feed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the animal feed composition is a solid or liquid. 
     
     
         16 . The animal feed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the animal feed composition is a concentrate animal feed composition, a roughage animal feed composition or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         17 . Use of an animal feed supplement or an animal feed composition according to  claim 1  to reduce methane production by a ruminant animal. 
     
     
         18 . Use of an animal feed supplement or an animal feed composition according to  claim 1  to increase and/or increase efficiency of milk and/or meat and/or wool production by a ruminant animal. 
     
     
         19 . Use of an animal feed supplement or an animal feed composition according to  claim 1  to increase availability of nutrients to an animal. 
     
     
         20 . The use of  claim 17 , wherein the animal feed supplement or the animal feed composition is consumed by the ruminant animal. 
     
     
         21 . The use of  claim 17 , wherein the animal feed composition is provided to the ruminant animal such that the ruminant animal consumes up to 10 grams of the animal feed supplement per day. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A method of making an animal feed supplement according to  claim 1 , the method comprising combining at least one organosulfur compound and at least one bioflavonoid. 
     
     
         24 . A method of making an animal feed composition according to  claim 12 , the method comprising combining an animal feed composition with at least one organosulfur compound and at least one bioflavonoid. 
     
     
         25 . A method of reducing methane production by, and/or increasing milk, meat and/or wool production of, a ruminant animal, the method comprising introducing the animal feed supplement according to  claim 1  to feed of the ruminant animal, wherein the animal feed supplement is consumed by the ruminant animal.