According to the research cows consume a natural polyester produced by plants called cutin, which shares a similar chemical structure as PET. The different plastics were incubated in rumen liquid for one to three days. Released byproducts could then be measured to determine how the materials were broken down into their component parts.
As the paper further informs the research team then went on to sample DNA from the liquid to find out which microbes were responsible for plastic degradation. 98 percent belonged to bacteria, with the most predominant genus being Pseudomonas, which already has been shown to break down plastics in past studies.
The study finishes with the outlook of rumen fluid being an affordable source for polymer-degrading enzymes. Now the aim for future studies should be to identify and cultivate those to potentially produce them in large quantities.
Original research: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2021.684459/full
