Microbiome-based cattle breeding: Improving the beef fatty acid profile and reducing methane output

Abstract

Dietary n-3 fatty acids have many health benefits for humans, but beef products have less of them compared to fish. But this situation is not immutable. Fatty acids are primarily produced by bacteria which are influenced by cows' diet and genetics. So, researchers examined the possibility of breeding cattle based on microbiome traits for a better fatty acid profile in their meat and identified a set of bacterial genes that could be used in such a breeding program. First, they identified genes from ruminal bacteria that are influenced by host genetics. They then determined which of these potentially heritable microbial genes also correlated with a favorable meat fatty acid profile. Further analysis found that this set of microbial genes also corresponded to reduced methane output, meaning that a breeding program based on these microbial genes could both improve the fatty acid profiles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While data from a larger group of animals and more direct trials are needed, this study suggests that microbiome-based livestock breeding strategies could be used to improve microbiome-related traits.