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GC-MS ANALYSIS OF THE HYDROCARBONS PRODUCED BY THE CONVERSION OF ANIMAL FEED BY MICROBIOMES EXTRACTED FROM THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACK OF PORCINE AND CATTLE**

Abstract

Studies have shown that pigs and cows release methane gas resulting from the digestion of their feed by microorganisms found in their guts. How does that apply to the feed used and the animals raised in South GA? Is methane the only hydrocarbon produced? The feed consumed by cows and pigs was mixed with samples of fecal matter from those animals in a pH 7.5 phosphate buffer at temperatures similar to the ones inside the guts of those animals. The expectation was that methane, and possibly other hydrocarbons, depending on the make-up of the microbiome in the guts of the animals, would be produced. The amounts of gases that were produced from the decomposition of the feed by the microorganisms were measured and the gases were analyzed by Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GCMS). The next goal is to extend the digestion substrates from cow and pig feed to agricultural waste materials, which could contribute to the reduction of materials sent to landfills and the increase in sources of renewable energy. The results will be presented at the 2026 meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science.

Acknowledgements

Mr. Anfernee McDonald, farmer

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