A recent trial shows how small amounts of seaweed in cow diets in Australia showed significantly reduced methane emissions of 86%.
Methane is a greenhouse gas that has a significant warming potential of roughly 25 times Carbon Dioxide over a 100-year period.
Methane emissions produced in the rumen of livestock such as cows and cattle are responsible for over 14.5% of annual greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic activity.
Supplementing cow's daily feeds with either 0.25% or 0.5% with Asparagop Sis taxiforms -- red seaweed native to Australian coasts -- resulted in a drop of over 50% and 74% in methane production over a 147-day period, according to a study published in the journal Plos entitled "Red seaweed (Asparagopsis taxiformis) supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80 percent in beef steers".
Ermias Kebreab, lead author and animal science researcher from the University of California says that the potential emissions cut from cattle could significantly reduce the impacts of the beef industry on climate change.
Researchers note that cows with red seaweed supplemented feeds showed better feed conversion efficiency and gained more weight compared to cows with no supplemental feeds.
Primitive microbes in the cow's gut called archaea to use CO2 and hydrogen produced during the cow's digestion of food to produce its own energy. Methane is the by-product of the natural process in which cows mostly burp or fart out.
Science of Red Seaweed Feeds
Asparagopsis taxiformis, commonly known as red seaweed, contains bromoform that interrupts the cow's digestive process and stops methane production.
Rob Kinley, co-author, CSIRO, and chief scientists at Future Feed says that the results of the study show an unparalleled reduction in methane emissions. Stating that there are no other compounds that can take the methane down without causing harm to the animal.
Kinley explains that methane isn't necessary to any animal process, it is only a by-product of evolution.
Future Feed, a partnership between Meat and Livestock Australia, CSIRO, and James Cook University if primarily focusing on research and development of seaweed-based supplements for the cattle industry in hopes of reducing methane emissions.
Although the technology developed is primarily aimed at feedlot cattle, Future Feeds estimate that the global impact on the reduction of methane production would be significant.
On their website, Future Feed says that if livestock producers added at least 1% of red seaweed in the cow's daily feed intake, it would equate to removing 100 million cars from the road.
Kinley explains that advances in their research mean that 0.2% and 0.4% of daily cow feed needs to be supplemented with Aspargopsis.
The 21-day study, the longest field test of seaweed, randomly allocated red seaweed supplements that showed a significant decrease in the methane production of Angus-Hereford steers proving that cow gut microbiome could adapt to the seaweed.
Researchers note that neither meat quality nor taste showed discernible changes with bromoform not present in the meat.
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