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Reduction of carbon dioxide to methane is one of the terminal steps in electron transfer within the network of fermentation reactions conducted by rumen micro-organisms. Clearing the rumen of hydrogen gas by methanogenesis allows ongoing regeneration... and the continuous conversion of dietary carbohydrate and protein into microbial cells and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Given this mechanistic link between fermentation and methanogenesis, it is not surprising that stoichiometric associations based on hydrogen recovery have been considered to be the basis for linking methane production and VFA production data (8,16,26). The association is quite strong when fermentation occurs in a normal manner but is uncoupled when methane inhibitors are included, presumably because alternative hydrogen pathways are induced. |
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