PSXIV-15 - Evaluation of the methanogenic population in cattle treated with the natural additive Fator P®

Abstract: The emission of greenhouse gases from the enteric fermentation of ruminants contributes to the worsening of the world climate, and has serious consequences for the environment. The use of additives in animal diets modulates the population of rumen microorganisms, reduces metabolic losses through methanogenic pathways, and brings benefits in improving the energy balance of volatile fatty acids in the rumen, but, the traditional antibiotics, increase the risk of contamination to the environment and antimicrobial resistance. Fator P is a natural additive composed by aminoacids (lysine, methionine, and tyrosine), choline, minerals, probiotics and essential fatty acids (omega 3 and omega 6). The advantage of using the natural additive Fator P, is that it can to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance, maintain the balance of the ruminal ecosystem, and avoid possible destabilization of the flora even with constant use of the additive. The aim of this study was to quantify methanogenic microorganisms in grazing animals treated with the additive Factor P, and show that the additive is able to reduce and maintain the methanogenic population stable for a period of 365 consecutive days. The experiment was conducted using 3 cattle per treatment randomized based on the initial methanogenic population, and received a daily dose of 6 g of Factor P additive in the treated group, and 6 g of placebo in the control group. Samples of ruminal fluids from the animals were collected weekly for DNA extraction (Qiagem 51604). The evaluation of the profile of methanogenic microorganisms was performed by the relative quantification method using qPCR with primer sequences for total bacteria and methanogenic (target) bacteria, described in the literature and previously standardized in calibration curves. The statistics analyzes were performed according to the ANOVA test followed by the Tukey mean test (p< 0.05) in GraphPad PRISM Program 7.00 version. These results of the difference between the means of the weekly relative quantifications of the treated group (0.197) and control group (0.279), showed a reduction of 29.9% (p value = 0.0022**). The results indicate that the natural additive Fator P is an efficient and sustainable product for reducing and maintaining the methanogenic population of the treated group stable throughout the 365 days of the year. In this case, it can be considered as a safe solution to reduce the methanogenic population and has been shown to be effective in increasing the productivity of commercial cattle.