7-29 FB Cow Rumens

 Cow Rumen Enzymes for Better Biofuels . According to the Journal Science Daily,when it comes to breaking down plant matter and converting it to energy, the cow has it all figured out. Its digestive system allows it to eat more than 150 pounds of plant matter every day. Now researchers report that they have found dozens of previously unknown microbial enzymes in the bovine rumen -- the cow's primary grass-digestion chamber -- that contribute to the breakdown of switchgrass, a renewable biofuel energy source. Here’s University of Idaho Extenions Professor Mirielle Chahine: “Those enzymes can actually unlock the energy found in some plants like the switchgrass otherwise they are very hard to digest. In order to use the energy in the plant we need to be able to break the fiber into sugar and those enzymes can do that.” 

 The study, in the journal Science, tackles a major barrier to the development of more affordable and environmentally sustainable biofuels. Rather than relying on the fermentation of simple sugars in food crops such as corn, beets or sugar cane (which is environmentally costly and threatens the food supply) researchers are looking for better ways to convert the leaves and stems of grasses or woody plants to liquid fuel.