Biology subjects

Roque, B. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Roque, B. M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Red seaweed (Asparagopsis taxiformis) supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80 percent in beef steers

The red macroalgae (seaweed) Asparagopsis spp. has shown to reduce ruminant enteric methane (CH4) production up to 99% in vitro. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Asparagopsis taxiformis on CH4 production (g/day per animal), CH4 yield (g CH4/kg dry matter intake (DMI)), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion efficiency (FCE), and carcass and meat quality in growing beef steers. Twenty-one Angus-Hereford beef steers were randomly allocated to one of three treatment groups: 0% (Control), 0.25% (Low Dose; LD), and 0.5% (High Dose; HD) A. taxiformis inclusion based on organic matter intake. Steers were fed 3 diets: high, medium, and low forage total mixed ration (TMR) representing typical life-stage diets of growing beef steers. The LD and HD treatments over 147 days reduced enteric CH4 yield 45 and 68%, respectively; however, there was an interaction between TMR type and the magnitude of CH4 yield reduction. Supplementing the low forage TMR reduced CH4 yield 69.8% (P <0.001) for LD and 80% (P <0.001) for HD treatment. Hydrogen (H2) yield (g H2/DMI) increased significantly (P<0.001) 336 and 590% compared to Control for the LD and HD treatments, respectively. No differences were found in carbon dioxide (CO2) yield (g CO2/DMI), ADG, carcass quality, strip loin proximate analysis and shear force, or consumer taste preferences. DMI tended (P = 0.08) to decrease 8% in steers in LD treatment but significantly (P = 0.002) reduced 14% in steers in HD treatment. Conversely, FCE tended to increase 7% in steers in LD treatment (P = 0.06) and increased 14% in steers in HD (P < 0.01) treatment compared to Control. The persistent reduction of CH4 by A. taxiformis supplementation suggests that this is a viable feed additive to significantly decrease the carbon footprint of ruminant livestock and potentially increase production efficiency.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Methane Reduction Potential of Two Pacific Coast Macroalgae During in-vitro Ruminant Fermentation.

With increasing interest in feed based methane mitigation strategies, fueled by local legal directives aimed at methane production from the agricultural sector in California, identifying local sources of biological feed additives will be critical in keeping the implementation of these strategies affordable. In a recent study, the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis stood out as the most effective species of seaweed to reduce methane production from enteric fermentation. Due to the potential differences in effectiveness based on the location from where A. taxiformis is collected and the financial burden of collection and transport, we tested the potential of A. taxiformis, as well as the brown seaweed Zonaria farlowii collected in the nearshore waters off Santa Catalina Island, CA, USA, for their ability to mitigate methane production during in-vitro rumen fermentation. At a dose rate of 5% dry matter (DM), A. taxiformis reduced methane production by 74% (p [≤] 0.01) and Z. farlowii reduced methane production by 11% (p [≤] 0.04) after 48 hours and 24 hours of in-vitro rumen fermentation respectively. The methane reducing effect of A. taxiformis and Z. farlowii described here make these local macroalgae promising candidates for biotic methane mitigation strategies in the largest milk producing state in the US. To determine their real potential as methane mitigating feed supplements in the dairy industry, their effect in-vivo requires investigation.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Effect of the macroalgae Asparagopsis taxiformis on methane production and the rumen microbiome assemblage

BackgroundRecent studies using batch-fermentation suggest that the red macroalgae Asparagopsis taxiformis might reduce methane (CH4) emission from beef cattle by up to ~99% when added to rhodes grass hay, a common feed in the Australian beef industry. These experiments have shown significant reductions in methane without compromising other fermentation parameters (i.e. volatile fatty acid production) with A. taxiformis organic matter (OM) inclusion rates of up to 5%. In the study presented here, A. taxiformis was evaluated for its ability to reduce methane production from dairy cattle fed a mixed ration widely utilized in California; the largest milk producer in the US.\n\nResultsFermentation in a semi-continuous in-vitro rumen system suggests that A. taxiformis can reduce methane production from enteric fermentation in dairy cattle by 95% when added at a 5% OM inclusion rate without any obvious negative impacts on volatile fatty acid production. High-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene amplicon sequencing showed that seaweed amendment effects rumen microbiome communities consistent with the Anna Karenina hypothesis, with increased beta-diversity, over time scales of approximately three days. The relative abundance of methanogens in the fermentation vessels amended with A. taxiformis decreased significantly compared to control vessels, but this reduction in methanogen abundance was only significant when averaged over the course of the experiment. Alternatively, significant reductions of methane in the A. taxiformis amended vessels was measured in the early stages of the experiment. This suggests that A. taxiformis has an immediate effect on the metabolic functionality of rumen methanogens whereas its impact on microbiome assemblage, specifically methanogen abundance, is delayed.\n\nConclusionsThe methane reducing effect of A. taxiformis during rumen fermentation makes this macroalgae a promising candidate as a biotic methane mitigation strategy in the largest milk producing state in the US. But its effect in-vivo (i.e. in dairy cattle) remains to be investigated in animal trials. Furthermore, to obtain a holistic understanding of the biochemistry responsible for the significant reduction of methane, gene expression profiles of the rumen microbiome and the host animal are warranted.

systems biology↗