Alternative pathways for hydrogen sink originated from the ruminal fermentation of carbohydrates: Which...

Agriculture is responsible for a great share of the anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases that, by warming the earth, threaten its biodiversity. Among greenhouse gas emissions, enteric CH₄ from livestock is an important target to slow down climate changes. The CH₄ is originated from rumen fermentation and its concentration is affected by several factors, including genetics and nutrition. Ruminants have an extraordinary symbiosis with microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) that ferment otherwise indigestible carbohydrates, from which they obtain energy to grow and continue actively producing, among other products, volatile fatty acids, CO₂ and H₂. Detrimental ruminal accumulation of H₂ is avoided by methanogenesis carried out by Archaea methanogens. Importantly, methanogenesis is not the only H₂ sink pathway. In fact, other bacteria can reduce substrates using metabolic hydrogen formed during carbohydrate fermentation, namely propionate production and reductive acetogenesis, thus lowering the CH₄ produced. Although the complexity of rumen poses challenges to mitigate CH₄ production, the emergence of sequencing techniques that allow the study of microbial communities, gene expression, and metabolome are largely contributing to unravel pathways and key players in the rumen. Indeed, it is now recognized that in vivo emissions of CH₄ are correlated to microbial communities, and particularly with the abundance of methanogens, several bacterial groups, and  their genes. The goal of CH₄ mitigation is to work in favor of the natural processes, without compromising rumen function, animal health, and productivity. Notwithstanding, the major challenge continues to be the feasibility and affordability of the proposed solutions.