METHANE AND RUMINAL TANNINS USE AS CONDENSED MITIGATION STRATEGY

Abstract

Concerns about the environment, with emphasis on global warming, are growing. In this context, human activities such as burning fossil fuels, generation of urban waste, coupled with agricultural and animal production, are considered the main activities responsible for the emission of gases that cause the increase of the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, such as dioxide carbon (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Brazil, for having the largest commercial cattle herd in the world and for using primarily a tropical forage based diet to feed these animals, has been identified as an considerable producer of CH4. This has caused great concern to the scientific community, due to the fact that CH4 has more detrimental effect than CO2, in relation to the environmental damage it can cause. Thus, there is a need to implement practices focusing a higher efficiency of livestock systems, associated with the nutritional management of animals. Improving dietary practices in animal production systems in the tropics, such as the use of foods containing condensed tannins seems to be an interesting alternative in an attempt to mitigate the emission of CH4 and may also result in environmental benefits as well as economic. Thus, this review aims to examine the main issues of CH4 emissions from ruminant enteric and highlights the role of condensed tannins in the diet of ruminants as methanogenesis inhibitors.