Prebiotic Feed Additive Offers a Sustainable Solution to Ruminant Methane

Scientists from China have found a promising way to lower greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farming. In a 60-day study, Jersey cows fed a daily prebiotic called xylooligosaccharides (XOS) made from corncobs produced significantly less methane gas than cows on a regular diet. This approach could help dairy farmers turn discarded corncobs into a feed additive that could help curb livestock emissions.

16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics decoded that dietary XOS enhanced the overall species richness and abundance of ruminal microbiota without disrupting gut health. The population of beneficial rumen bacteria such as Chloroflexi and Actinobacteriota significantly increased, which altered how food was broken down. Cows supplied with XOS showed a reduction in daily methane output from 486 grams per cow down to 380 grams.

Supplying XOS to the cows' diets also led to boosted levels of lauric acid, a natural fatty acid known to block methane-producing gut microbes. By suppressing methane-producing microbes in the rumen and redirecting metabolic energy toward volatile fatty acid synthesis, corncob-derived XOS prebiotics offer a solution that can be potentially leveraged to slash methane emissions and advance sustainable dairy farming.

Read the full study in Animal Biotechnology for more information.