Interpretive Summary: Effects of cashew nutshell extract inclusion into a high-grain finishing diet on methane emissions, nutrient digestibility, and ruminal fermentation in beef steers
By: Wilmer Cuervo, Camila Gomez, Federico Tarnonsky, Ignacio Fernandez-Marenchino, Federico Podversich, Araceli Maderal, Tessa M Schulmeister, Juan de J Vargas, Nicolas DiLorenzo
In the near future, the U.S. beef industry will face the challenge of meeting a significant increase in global demand for beef, which could contribute to an increase in methane emissions from livestock. To mitigate methane (CH4) emissions, the use of plant secondary metabolites, such as anacardic acid found in cashew nutshell extract (CNSE) has been explored. This study investigated the effects of supplementing CNSE in a high-grain diet on the performance and CH4 emissions of Angus crossbred steers. Supplementation of CNSE increased propionate in the rumen, resulting in a decrease in CH4 emissions, without affecting organic matter digestibility. Steers fed CNSE exhibited a greater final body weight, increased intake, and tended to improve feed efficiency. Additionally, steers supplemented with CNSE spent more time eating and showed greater nutrient digestibility. Overall, incorporating CNSE into high-grain finishing diets can effectively reduce CH4 emissions from beef production by shifting ruminal fermentation, without compromising animal performance. Including CNSE in high-grain diets of beef cattle could play a crucial role in decreasing the environmental impact of beef production while helping meet the growing global demand for this animal protein.
Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.
