Abstract
Simple SummaryMethane produced by enteric fermentation contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere. Methane is one of the GHG arising from anthropogenic activities with the greater contribution to global warming. This paper provides a brief introduction to the potential use of tropical foliage trees, pods, and secondary metabolites to reduce methane emissions from ruminant supply chains. A better knowledge of the available strategies for efficient foliage use in the tropics is essential in order to ensure increasing livestock production while preserving the environment. The mitigation of rumen methane production through the use of the foliage and metabolites of tropical trees represents an interesting challenge for scientists working in the field of ruminant nutrition.Methane produced by enteric fermentation contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere. Methane is one of the GHG resulting from anthropogenic activities with the greater global warming contribution. Ruminant production systems contribute between 18% and 33% of methane emissions. Due to this, there has been growing interest in finding feed alternatives which may help to mitigate methane production in the rumen. The presence of a vast range of secondary metabolites in tropical trees (coumarins, phenols, tannins, and saponins, among others) may be a valuable alternative to manipulate rumen fermentation and partially defaunate the rumen, and thus reduce enteric methane production. Recent reports suggest that it is possible to decrease methane emissions in sheep by up to 27% by feeding them saponins from the tea leaves of Camellia sinensis; partial defaunation (54%) of the rumen has been achieved using saponins from Sapindus saponaria. The aim of this review was to collect, analyze, and interpret scientific information on the potential of tropical trees and their secondary metabolites to mitigate methane emissions from ruminants.
Highlights
Methane (CH4 ) gas is a byproduct of the anaerobic microbial fermentation of carbohydrates in the rumen [1,2], and it is one of the six greenhouse gases (GHG) included in the Kyoto Protocol, with a global warming potential 23 times that of Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) [3,4]
Studies conducted in Mexico showed that in 2015, CH4 emissions reached a magnitude of 70 567.60 Gg CO2 e, with enteric fermentation making up 76% of the total CH4 released into the environment [28]
Several microorganism species known as methanogens convert feed such as proteins and starch into amino acids and sugars which are fermented to become volatile fatty acids, while molecular hydrogen (H2 ) released during the production of acetate and butyrate in the rumen [32,33] and CO2 are reduced to CH4 [34]
Summary
Methane (CH4 ) gas is a byproduct of the anaerobic microbial fermentation of carbohydrates in the rumen [1,2], and it is one of the six greenhouse gases (GHG) included in the Kyoto Protocol, with a global warming potential 23 times that of Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) [3,4]. The relatively low quality of tropical forages determines, to a large extent, an increasing fibrous material intake and, the production of rumen CH4 [14,15]. In this sense, tropical trees (TT) may contribute to an improvement in ruminants’ feeding due to their high nutritive value (136 to 325 g crude protein (CP/kg) dry matter (DM) and 50 to 60% apparent digestibility) [16]. The aim of this review was to collect, analyze, and interpret scientific information on the potential of using tropical trees and their secondary metabolites to mitigate CH4 emissions from ruminants
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