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Mootral Ruminant is the result of extensive research and development involving pre-eminent scientists and universities
We constantly undertake extensive research to further validate the efficacy of Mootral Ruminant and to gain a deeper understanding of the specific mode of action. For this, we use different experimental methods and state of the art genomics approaches. These studies also guide us in further fine-tuning the application of Mootral Ruminant in vivo to achieve the highest efficacy in reducing methane while maintaining the animal’s welfare and productivity.
Mootral Ruminant emanates from an ecosystem of deep foundational research expertise. Combining an increasing understanding of the most efficient modes of action allow us to screen for and develop more effective solutions to help reduce climate change. This helps us to develop future higher-performance versions of mootral to ever increase our impact on climate change.
Archaea are a specific group of microbes that are responsible for the production of methane inside the rumen. We were able to show that Mootral Ruminant directly inhibits the activity of the archaea leading to the profound methane reduction. Importantly, Mootral Ruminant has no adverse effects on the bacteria that are necessary to digest the feed material in the rumen.
"Mootral Ruminant resulted in increases in SCFA production rate and changes of the microbial community of archaea.... this has to be assumed as the major mechanism of how methane production is reduced in response to Mootral."
In a study carried out by the group of Prof. Gerhard Breves at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover (Germany), the rumen simulation technique (Rusitec) was applied to quantify the effect of different doses of Mootral on the production of methane. Monensin, an antibiotic used in livestock with known anti-methanogenic properties, was used as control.
Publication: Eger M, Graz M, Riede S and Breves G (2018) Application of Mootral™ Reduces Methane Production by Altering the Archaea Community in the Rumen Simulation Technique. Front. Microbiol. 9:2094. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02094
On a farm in the UK with two breeds, Holstein Friesian and Jersey, the diet was supplemented with Mootral Ruminant in the form of concentrate pellets for twelve weeks. Animal welfare and productivity parameters were recorded and methane was measured using hand-held laser devices on a representative subgroup of animals. The trial was performed under the scientific supervision of Prof. Jamie Newbold from SRUC, Scotland.
Publication: Vrancken H, Suenkel M, Hargreaves P, Chew L and Towers E (2019) Reduction of Enteric Methane Emission in a Commercial Dairy Farm by a Novel Feed Supplement. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 9, 286-296. doi: 10.4236/ojas.2019.93024
On a commercial farm in the Netherlands, the effect of Mootral Ruminant on the performance of dairy cattle and the quality of milk was assessed. In a six-week trial, two groups of cows were either fed the normal ration (control) or were supplemented with Mootral in the form of concentrate pellets.
Poster presentation: IDF conference International Dairy Federation, Belfast, Nov 2017
In the feedlot of the UC Davis university campus, 20 finishing Angus-Hereford cross steers were blocked by initial bodyweight to reduce initial weight variability, then randomly allocated to one of the following treatments: control (no Mootral Ruminant) or treatment, supplemented with Mootral Ruminant in the form of alfalfa pellets for twelve weeks. Animal welfare and productivity parameters were recorded and methane was measured using Greenfeed. The trial was performed under the scientific supervision of Prof Ermias Kebreab of UC Davis.
Publication: Roque B, Van Lingen H, Vrancken H, Kebreab E (2019) Effect of Mootral—a garlic- and citrus-extract-based feed additive—on enteric methane emissions in feedlot cattle. Translational Animal Science. Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2019, Pages 1383–1388, https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txz133
The effect of Mootral Ruminant on methane emissions and performance of Holstein veal calves was investigated on a commercial farm in the Netherlands. Over 70 days of trial 10 calves each were allocated to either the Control or Mootral group. Mootral Ruminant was fed mixed with a small amount of sugar once a day after the feeding of milk replacer. GreenFeed units, to which the calves had free access, were used to measure methane emissions.
Publication: Tassilo Brand, Matthias Miller, Deepashree Kand (2021) Effect of Natural Feed Supplement on Methane Mitigation Potential and Performance in Holstein Bull Calves, Open Journal of Animal Sciences, Vol.11 No.2, April 2021
At the Purdue University feedlot a two-part trial was performed to assess the effect of forage concentration and Mootral Ruminant on methane emissions, performance and carcass traits of 144 crossbred steers. In the first trial half three different forage concentrations as well as Mootral were tested, whereas in the second half only the effect of Mootral in one forage concentration was investigated. Methane emissions were measured using the SF6 tracer technique over 5 days in each trial half.
Publication: Bryce Bitsie, Andrea M Osorio, Darren D Henry, Breno C Silva, Leticia A Godoi, Chanadol Supapong, Tassilo Brand, Jon P Schoonmaker (2022) – Enteric methane emissions, growth, and carcass characteristics of feedlot steers fed a garlic and citrus based feed additive in diets with three different forage concentrations
Journal of Animal Science, 2022 Apr. 15
The Scientific Advisory Board are a fully independent group of experts in animal health, feed technology and enteric fermentation who helps us develop Mootral technology.
If you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to reach out via our contact form
Mootral is a British-Swiss company that develops innovative, scalable and sustainable solutions for the agricultural systems of tomorrow.
Since 1997 Gerhard Breves has been the Director of the Department of Physiology at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover until his retirement in 2020. He continues his research as well as his work as our scientific advisor.
His major research focus is gastrointestinal physiology in ruminants and monogastric animals with a special emphasis on comparative aspects of rumen and hindgut microbial metabolism, as well as mechanisms and regulation of epithelial transport processes. This includes both, functional and molecular characterisation of nutrient and electrolyte transport systems.
Jamie Newbold graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne with a BSc Honours in Agricultural Biochemistry and Nutrition in 1981. He went on to do his PhD on Microbial Metabolism of lactic acid in the rumen at the Hannah Research Institute in Scotland.
His research interests are focused on the understanding and manipulation of gut ecosystems to improve animal productivity while reducing the environmental impact of animal husbandry.
Ermias Kebreab has conducted extensive research in developing strategies for using feed additives to reduce methane emissions from livestock and has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications. He is chair of the United Nations FAO Technical Working Group on Feed Additives, a committee member for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Panel on Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States and also serves on the NAS Committee for Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle. He is a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2019 Update on Good Practices Guideline in Chapter 4, “Emissions from Livestock and Manure Management.
Veerle Fievez obtained her PhD in Applied Biological Sciences, Ghent University in 2002 and is currently Professor of Animal Nutrition at Ghent University’s Department of Animal Production. Her focus is on ruminant nutrition, microbial digestion and environmental challenges.