Tag: Fiber breakdown

Over 90% of people in some Western countries don't consume enough fiber. This is partly because humans lack a specific enzyme that breaks down fiber, but our gut microbes more than make up for it.

Over 150 different species of ruminant animals rely on a specialized digestive process to survive on a diet of fibrous plants. A key component of this process is cud, the name for the partly digested cellulose these animals regurgitate and re-chew.