Metabolic Priming of Hordeum vulgare for Enhanced Feed Efficiency

Overview

Cows and sheep waste about a third of the energy in their hay because their bodies cannot fully break it down, and all that undigested grass produces methane, a gas that warms the planet. This project discovered that by growing barley sprouts in mildly acidic water, the plants go into survival mode and produce more of their digestive enzymes. When those stressed sprouts were added to hay in a simulated digestion experiment, they broke down nearly 30% more feed than normal sprouts, and a control group with the same nutrients but no active enzymes barely digested anything, proving the enzymes were doing the work. This matters because the same technique could be applied to existing barley fodder systems on farms, giving livestock better nutrition from the same amount of feed, reducing waste, and potentially cutting methane emissions that come from poorly digested food, using nothing more than water and acid.

Awards (2)

• Special Award
• Selected for CWSF 2026

Competition history

• CWSF 2026 Agriculture, Fisheries & Food

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