SBIR-STTR Award

Investigate effects of denitrifying probiotic "‹Paenibacillus fortis"‹ and nitrate in beef steers and their potential to decrease methane while providing ancillary benefitsPI: "‹Dr. Elizabeth Latham Sheets "‹Company: "‹Bezoar Laboratories LLC Methane is attributed to 20% of global climate change of which methane originating from the gastrointestinal tracts of domestic ruminants contributes nearly 10%. Its formation creates up to a 12% loss of gross energy for animals which equates to a loss in potential energy for meat milk fiber or labor. Feeding of nitrate salts is an effective tool to decrease enteric methane formation in ruminants but it is often associated with a decrease in feed intake and poses the risk of nitrate toxicity thus preventing the widespread adoption of this technique for methane reduction. Bezoar Laboratories discovered and aims to commercialize a new species of hyper-nitrate and nitrite reducing probiotic: "‹Paenibacillus fortis "‹formerly 79R4 which enhances the methane reducing ability of nitrate while mitigating the risks and may provide ancillary benefits such as increased beef production. In addition it is shelf stable and affordable to produce. Potential outcomes of the "‹in vivo "‹study using "‹P. fortis "‹include further validation of its methane reduction potential and documentation of an increase in feed conversion rate in growing steers. Finding alternative strategies for growth enhancement and enteric methane mitigation are critical at the present time. The results from this proposal will allow assessment of the effectiveness of "‹P. for tis "‹and its commercial viability as a feed additive. This study will also further the understanding of methane formation in the rumen and aid in the development of techniques to mitigat