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Published on: October 31, 2019
The Potential Role of Two Red Macroalgae (Asparagopsis taxiformis and A. armata) That Promote Anti-Methanogenic
Byeng R Min1, Giuseppa Genovese2, Damiano Spagnuolo2
1Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama, USA.
Abstract:
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of two red macroalgae species (RMS; Asparagopsis taxiformis and A. armata) on rumen fermentation profiles, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, microbiome changes, and anti-methanogenic activities. The two RMSs were included at dietary levels of 0%, 2%, and 4% (as-fed basis) in an in vitro experiment with triplicate incubations (n = 3). Gases were collected using an ANKOM Gas Production system and analyzed for methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) via gas chromatography. The RMS supplementation increased total gas, lactate, butyrate, valerate, hexanoate, heptanoate, 4-ethylphenol production, and AGR (non-glucogenic [acetate + butyrate]/glucogenic [propionate]) ratio (p < 0.01), while reducing production of CH4 (mg/g DM), acetate, propionate, iso-butyrate, phenylpropionate, phenylacetate, and acetate/propionate (A/P) ratios (p < 0.01), and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD; % DM) (p < 0.01) as RMS supplementation increased. With both algal species present, there were decreases in Actinobacteria, Firmicutes (p < 0.001), Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B), and Methanobrevibacter sp. (p < 0.01), but increases in Spirochetes, Proteobacteria (methanotrophs; p < 0.001), Candidatus methanomethylophilus alvus (CMC), and non-methanogenic archaea Thermoplasma sp. (p < 0.001) at 2% and 4% DM. Therefore, it may be possible to suppress methanogenesis both directly and indirectly by adding RMS.
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