Alejandro Belanche

Tell us about yourself (Who are you? Where are you from? What is your educational background?)

Name: Alejandro Belanche
Nationality: Spain
Education: Veterinary and PhD on Ruminant Nutrition and rumen microbiology
Working place: EEZ-CSIC, Granada, Spain
Contact: a.belanche@csic.es

What is your area of expertise?

Ruminant Nutrition
Rumen Microbiology
R&D programs and technology transfer to the sector

Where does your focus lie within your current project(s)? (related to methane)

iSAGE project (H2020). Innovation for sustainable sheep and goat production in Europe.
RumenStability project (FACE-JPI): Early life interventions to decrease methane emissions in ruminants.

What would be the added value for you of joining an international researchers network? (such as the METHAGENE network)

Network with international researchers
Up-dates in methane mitigation strategies

What and/or who inspired you to make a career in science?

Veterinary vocation and rural development.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Designing and conducting experiments. Interaction and knowledge transfer to the ruminant sector.

What is your most stand-out or surprising moment in science so far?

Main Publications:

• Belanche A., Erroa I.R., Balcells J., Calleja L. 2010 “Use of quantitative real-time PCR to assess the in vitro survival of specific DNA gene sequences of rumen microbes under simulated abomasum conditions“ Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition. 94, pp 204-211.
• Belanche A., Balcells J., de la Fuente G., Yañez-Ruíz D.R., Fondevila M. and Calleja L. 2010. Description of development of rumen ecosystem by PCR assay in milk-fed, weaned and finished lambs in an intensive fattening system. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 94: 648-658.
• Belanche A., de la Fuente G., Yáñez-Ruiz,. D.R., Newbold D.J., Calleja, L. and Balcells, J. (2011) Technical note: The persistence of microbial-specific DNA sequences through gastric digestion in lambs and its potential use as microbial markers. Journal of Animal Sciences. 89(9): 2812-2816.
• Belanche A, Abecia L, Holtrop G, Guada JA, Castrillo C, de la Fuente G & Balcells J (2011) Study of the effect of presence or absence of protozoa on rumen fermentation and microbial protein contribution to the chyme. Journal of Animal Science 89(12): 4163-4174.
• de la Fuente, G; Belanche, A; Abecia, L; Dehority, B.A; Fondevila, M. (2009). “Rumen protozoal diversity in the Spanish Ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica) as compared with domestic goats (Capra hircus)”. European Journal of Protistology, 45, pp. 112-120.
• G. de la Fuente; A. Belanche; M. Fondevila. (2008) “Estudio in vitro de la fermentación ruminal de carbohidratos en cabra montés“ (2008). Archivos de Zootecnia 58 (223) pp. 357-362.
• Belanche A, Doreau M, Edwards JE, Moorby JM, Pinloche E, Newbold CJ. (2012) Shifts in the Rumen Microbiota Due to the Type of Carbohydrate and Level of Protein Ingested by Dairy Cattle are Associated with Rumen Fermentation. Journal of Nutrition 142: 1684-1692.
• Belanche A, de la Fuente G, Moorby JM, Newbold CJ. (2012) Bacterial protein degradation by different rumen protozoal groups. Journal of Animals Sciences 90(12):4495-4504.
• Belanche A, de la Fuente G, Pinloche E, Newbold CJ, Balcells J. (2012) Effect of diet and absence of protozoa on the rumen microbial community and on the representativeness of bacterial fractions used in the determination of microbial protein synthesis.. Journal of Animal Sciences 90(11):1-13.
• Belenguer, A. Abecia, L. Belanche, A. Milne, E., Balcells, J. (2012) Effect of carbohydrate source on microbial nitrogen recycling in growing rabbits. Livestock Sciences 150: 94-101.
• Belanche A, M.R.F. Lee, J.M. Moorby and C.J. Newbold (2013). Comparison of ryegrass and red clover on the fermentation pattern, microbial community and efficiency of diet utilization in the rumen simulation technique (Rusitec). Animal Production Sciences 53 (10) 1052-1064.
• Guadagnin M, F. Tagliapietra, M. Cattani, S. Schiavon, A. Belanche, C.J. Newbold, L. Bailoni (2013) In vitro rumen fermentation and microbial yield of high- or low-protein diets containing ground soybean seeds or home-made rapeseed expellers. Canadian Journal of Animal Sciences. 93(3): 363-371.
• Belanche A., Weisbjerg M. R., Allison G. G., Newbold C. J. and Moorby J. M. (2013) Estimation of feed crude protein concentration and rumen degradability by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). J. Dairy Sci. 96 (12) 7867-7880.
• Belanche A., Weisbjerg M. R., Allison G. G., Newbold C. J. and Moorby J. M. (2014) Measurement of rumen dry matter and neutral detergent fiber degradability of feeds by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. J. Dairy Sci. 97:2361-2375.
• De la Fuente G, Belanche A, Girwood SE, Pinloche E, Wilkinson T, Newbold CJ. (2014) Pros and Cons of Ion-Torrent Next Generation Sequencing versus Terminal Restriction Fragment Lenght Polymorphism T-RFLP for Studing the Rumen Bacterial Community. PlosOne 9 (7): 1-13.
• Belanche A, de la Fuente G, Newbold C.J. (2014). Study of methanogen communities associated with different rumen protozoal populations. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 90, 663-377.
• Belanche A, de la Fuente G, Newbold C.J. (2015). Effect of progressive inoculation of fauna-free sheep with holotrich protozoa and total-fauna on rumen fermentation, microbial diversity and methane emissions. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 91: 1-10.
• Belanche A, Ramos-Morales E, Newbold C J (2015) In vitro screening of natural feed additives from crustaceans, diatoms, seaweeds and plant extracts to manipulate rumen fermentation. Journal of the Sciences of the Food and Agriculture 96: 3069-3078
• Newbold C J, de la Fuente G, Belanche A, Ramos-Morales E and McEwan N R 2015. The role of ciliate protozoa in the rumen: a review. Research Topic: Engineering rumen metabolic pathways: where we are, and where are we heading. Frontiers in Microbiology 6(1313): 1-13. All authors equally contributed.
• Belanche A, Pinloche E, Preskett D, Newbold CJ (2015). Effects and mode of action of chitosan and ivy fruit saponins on the microbiome, fermentation and methanogenesis in the rumen simulation technique. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 92:(1) 1-13.
• Belanche A, Jones E, Parveen I, Newbold CJ (2016). A metagenomics approach to evaluate the impact of dietary supplementation with Ascophyllum nodosum or Laminaria digitata on rumen function in rusitec fermenters. Frontiers in Microbiology 7(299): 1-14.
• Belanche A, Kingston-Smith, AH, Newbold CJ (2016). An integrated multi-omics approach reveals the effects of supplementing grass and grass hay with vitamin E on the rumen microbiome and its function Frontiers in Microbiology 7(905):1-17.