WIPO China: IP at Work: Saving the Climate, One Cow at a Time
本文原载于2024年第1期《WIPO杂志》。
The article was originally published in the issue 1/2024 of WIPO Magazine.
一头奶牛平均每天产生约500升甲烷。Mootral的创新天然动物饲料补充剂从一头奶牛做起，应对气候变化。
An average cow produces around 500 liters of methane per day. Mootralʼs innovative natural animal feed supplement is tackling climate change, one cow at a time.
图：Courtesy of Mootral
Photo: Courtesy of Mootral
Mootral是一家瑞士农业技术创业公司，生产可显著减少反刍动物甲烷排放的天然动物饲料补充剂。反刍动物即反复咀嚼已部分消化的食物的动物，例如绵羊和牛。
Mootral, a Swiss AgriTech startup, produces a natural animal feed supplement that significantly reduces methane emissions from ruminants – animals that chew their cud, like sheep and cattle.
Mootral创始人：托马斯·哈夫纳
Thomas Hafner, Founder of Mootral.
您可能会问，这又如何？好吧，在过去五年中，甲烷排放量增加了50%。并且根据美国国家海洋与大气管理局（NOAA）研究消息，在20年间，甲烷捕获的热量是二氧化碳的84倍。奶牛作为反刍动物会产生甲烷；一头奶牛平均每天排放500升甲烷。因此，尽管牲畜通过食用稻草和草，生产高价值食品（例如牛奶和奶酪），并为人类健康饮食和全球粮食安全作出了重要贡献，但找到一种降低牲畜甲烷排放水平的方法着实非常重要。
You might ask, whatʼs the problem? Well, over the last five years methane emissions have increased by 50%. And over a 20-year period, methane traps up to 84 times more heat than carbon dioxide (CO2), according to NOOA Research News. As ruminants, cows produce methane; the average cow emits 500 liters of methane every day. So, while livestock produce high-value foods such as milk and cheese from straw and grass, and make an important contribution to a healthy human diet and global food security, it is really important that we find a way to reduce the levels of methane they produce.
关于该项技术
About the technology
Mootral是一种经过大量研究和开发获得的天然饲料补充剂。Mootral以大蒜中的活性成分和柑橘中的生物类黄酮的专有组合为基础。该公司研究表明，在实验室实验中（体外），它几乎完全抑制了甲烷排放。根据动物品种、年龄、农场条件和饲喂方式的不同，在真实农场条件下（体内），最多可减少38%的排放。Mootral可以轻易融入饲料链，以适应不同养殖系统的需求。
Mootral is a natural feed supplement that is the result of extensive research and development. It is based on a proprietary combination of active compounds from garlic and bioflavonoids derived from citrus. The companyʼs research shows a nearly complete inhibition of emitted methane in laboratory experiments (in vitro) and, depending on animal breed, age, farm conditions and feed regime, a reduction of up to 38% under real farm conditions (in vivo). Mootral can be easily integrated into the feed chain to suit the needs of different farming systems.
Mootral是一种天然饲料补充剂，可显著减少反刍动物肠内发酵产生的甲烷排放。
Mootral is a natural feed supplement that significantly reduces methane emissions from enteric fermentation of ruminants.
Mootral与知识产权
Mootral and intellectual property rights
Mootral受多项专利保护。这些权利可以保护创新，排除他人制造、使用和销售该发明的可能。在此阶段，该公司的创新重点是减少反刍动物产生的甲烷。Mootral还寻求通过产权组织《专利合作条约》在国际范围内保护其技术。
Mootral is covered by a number of patents. These rights protect the innovation and make it possible to exclude others from making, using and selling the invention. At this stage, the companyʼs innovation focus is on reducing the methane production of ruminants. Mootral has also sought to protect its technology internationally through WIPOʼs Patent Cooperation Treaty.
Mootral这样的初创公司市场影响力不比大型竞争者，因此知识产权保护对其尤为重要。初创企业需要保护其创新，因为只有这样，继续创新和开发新的解决方案才有意义。专利的20年专有权期限，为这些公司提供了改进其工作的机会，以及做出可专利的新创造的机会，能够进一步丰富寻求解决现有和未来问题的现有平台技术。
IP protection is especially important for a startup like Mootral that doesnʼt have the same market power as big players. Startups need to protect their innovations because only then does it make sense for them to keep innovating and developing new solutions. The 20-year term of exclusivity that a patent provides gives these businesses an opportunity to advance their work and to come up with new patentable creations that further enrich existing platform technologies that seek to solve existing and future problems.
“气候变化是我们时代的决定性问题，”Mootral的团队说。走向成功则需要在每个污染领域进行创新。
“Climate change is the defining issue of our time,” says the team at Mootral. The path to success will require innovation across every polluting sector.
通过在地球上15亿头奶牛的饲料中加入Mootral，有可能实现每年减排二氧化碳15亿吨**。
By feeding the 1.5 billion cows on earth with Mootral it would be possible to achieve annual CO2 reductions** of 1.5 gigatons.
**100年间全球变暖潜势（政府间气候变化专门委员会标准）
**Global warming potential over 100 years (IPCC Standard)
图：Courtesy of Mootral
Photo: Courtesy of Mootral
欢迎扫描下列二维码在线阅读更多关于Mootral向消费者以及牛肉和乳制品行业传达的信息。
Scan the QR code below to read more about Mootral's messages to consumers and the beef and dairy industry online.
欢迎扫描下列二维码进行WIPO杂志订阅
Scan the QR code below to subscribe to WIPO Magazine!
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Simply follow these steps:
1. 在第一步中选择"WIPO杂志“；
Select "WIPO Magazine" in the step 1；
2. 在第二步中填写必填项信息；
Fill in the required information in the step 2;
3. 根据个人邮箱收到的验证邮件进行确认；
Confirm your subscription by clicking the verification link in the email sent to your inbox.
订阅成功，阅读愉快！
That's it! You're now subscribed to WIPO Magazine. Enjoy your reading!
点击阅读原文查看关于WIPO中国办事处的更多信息。
Click on Read more for more information about the WIPO Office in China.
