Jokes aside, methane, released in the form of cow burps and farts, is actually a major source of greenhouse gases. But that could change quickly, thanks to the bacteria in baby kangaroo poop.
Recently, cattle feed additives such as seaweed, tropical leaves and fish oil have been proposed to prevent the bacteria in the cow’s stomach from producing methane when digesting food. All of these additives have been used to varying degrees.
Chemical bacterial inhibitors and vaccines are also being investigated. Unfortunately, methane-producing bacteria develop resistance to chemicals, and a wide variety of vaccines will be needed against all the different types of cattle gut bacteria found worldwide.
Additionally, some supplements, inhibitors, and vaccines can adversely affect other biological functions in cows, causing problems such as reduced milk production.
In search of a more effective alternative, a team at Washington State University recently turned to a type of bacteria found in the kangaroo’s foregut. Previous studies had already shown that kangaroo microbes produce acetic acid instead of producing methane. Further research revealed that the bacteria only occurs in baby kangaroos, not adults.
Scientists have not been able to isolate the exact bacteria responsible, but mixture Bacterial culture using baby kangaroo poop samples. The culture was then introduced into the rumen (part of the stomach) of a simulated bovine immediately after chemicals were used to temporarily reduce the number of methanogenic bacteria already present in the model. I was.
Over a period of several months, the acetic acid-producing bacteria from the culture were found to compete and replace the methane-producing bacteria, growing to the numbers required for the digestive process. No methane was produced from This success is largely due to the fact that both types of bacteria grow at about the same rate.
Live cattle tests are currently planned.
“This is a very good culture. There is no doubt that it is promising,” said lead scientist Professor Birgitte Ahring. “It could be very interesting to see if that culture can run for a long period of time, so we only need to suppress the production of methane every now and then. Then it could actually become a practice.”
Research paper published in journal Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology.
Source: Washington State University
