Washington State University researchers used a microbial culture obtained from feces
Researchers at the University of Washingtonstudied the behavior of bacteria that contribute to the production and release of methane during digestion in ruminants. They found that this greenhouse gas is produced by anaerobic fermentation in the rumen of ruminants. At the same time, the production of methane is an important process, since it utilizes the hydrogen produced during the anaerobic fermentation of sugars in the rumen.
Looking for a way to reduce emissionsgreenhouse gases without harming the animals, they found that some kangaroos have bacteria in their foregut that produce acetic acid rather than methane in a similar process. Further research showed that such bacteria are mainly found in baby kangaroos, but not in adult kangaroos.
Unable to isolate specific bacteria,that produce acetic acid, the researchers used a stable mixed culture derived from baby kangaroo feces. The study showed that when this concentrate is placed in a ruminant simulator, the process of methane formation is replaced by the conversion of hydrogen into acetates - derivatives of acetic acid.
It is estimated that cattle produce up to 50%of all methane entering the atmosphere, the second most common greenhouse gas. At the same time, this methane heats the atmosphere about 30 times more than carbon dioxide. Reducing emissions will help slow climate change on Earth. The researchers plan to test in further experiments how the implantation of a foreign microbiota would work directly in the stomachs of cattle.
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