Characterisitcs of Saccharomyces boulardii for reducing ammonia emission from livestock manure

Abstract

Ammonia from livestock manure acts as a precursor to produce particulate matter (PM) by reacting with atmospheric chemical components volatilized from various sources. Ammonia itself acts as a toxic substance to human health, and thus has direct or indirect adverse effects on human health. This study aimed to verify the effectiveness and mechanism of action of Saccharomyces boulardii (SB) in reducing the ammonia emission from livestock manure. The specific ability of SB was confirmed through comparative verification with S. cerevisiae (SC) belonging to the same genus. SB and SC could use 50% of ammonia–nitrogen as inorganic nitrogen source in minimal medium. In the control group, the pH level of manure was significantly increased compared to the pH level at 0 h, and the DNA concentration of Proteus mirabilis, which increase the manure pH through ammonia production, was found to increase by 2.7-fold. Significant decrease in pH and proliferation of P. mirabilis was found in SB group compared to control (p < 0.05). The SB group also reduced the amount of ammonia emitted from manure by 25% for 35 days. These results suggested that SB contributed to reducing ammonia emission from manure by reducing pH and inhibiting HAB as well as removing ammonia–nitrogen. Accordingly, SB as a microbiological agent is expected to contribute not only to reduce ammonia emission but also to improve manure quality as a fertilizer.