July 23, 2007

British study says garlic can reduce methane emission in cattle

Garlic may reduce methane discharge in cattle by up to fifty percent which could help ease growing concerns on global warming, according to a study conducted in United Kingdom.

The study, led by the Institute of Rural Sciences at the University of Aberystwyth, Wales, is part of a 750,000 GBP (US$1.54 million) three-year research project funded by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in part by the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) and the University of Reading.

Feed additives are hoped to suppress methane emissions -- a gas feared to have 23 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide -- from cows which are believed to have been responsible for the environment-damaging discharge.

Project leader Professor Jamie Newbold said initial results show garlic extracts compound could lessen the amount of methane produced by animals by 50 percent as it attacks the organisms in the gut that produce methane.

Other studies under the project include the University of Reading's research into the use of traditional fodder legume, saifoin, and IGER's research into how bird's foot trefoil- a traditional meadow flower- might reduce methane emissions.