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Urease and Nitrification Inhibitors—As Mitigation Tools for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Sustainable Dairy Systems: A Review
Byrne, Maria P. Tobin, John T. Forrestal, Patrick J. Danaher, Martin Nkwonta, Chikere Richards, Karl Cummins, Enda Hogan, Sean A. O'Callaghan, Tom
Byrne, Maria P.
Tobin, John T.
Forrestal, Patrick J.
Danaher, Martin
Nkwonta, Chikere
Richards, Karl
Cummins, Enda
Hogan, Sean A.
O'Callaghan, Tom
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2020-07-27
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Byrne, M.P.; Tobin, J.T.; Forrestal, P.J.; Danaher, M.; Nkwonta, C.G.; Richards, K.; Cummins, E.; Hogan, S.A.; O’Callaghan, T.F. Urease and Nitrification Inhibitors—As Mitigation Tools for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Sustainable Dairy Systems: A Review. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6018. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156018
Abstract
Currently, nitrogen fertilizers are utilized to meet 48% of the total global food demand.
The demand for nitrogen fertilizers is expected to grow as global populations continue to rise. The use
of nitrogen fertilizers is associated with many negative environmental impacts and is a key source
of greenhouse and harmful gas emissions. In recent years, urease and nitrification inhibitors have
emerged as mitigation tools that are presently utilized in agriculture to prevent nitrogen losses and
reduce greenhouse and harmful gas emissions that are associated with the use of nitrogen-based
fertilizers. Both classes of inhibitor work by different mechanisms and have different physiochemical
properties. Consequently, each class must be evaluated on its own merits. Although there are many
benefits associated with the use of these inhibitors, little is known about their potential to enter the
food chain, an event that may pose challenges to food safety. This phenomenon was highlighted
when the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide was found as a residual contaminant in milk products
in 2013. This comprehensive review aims to discuss the uses of inhibitor technologies in agriculture
and their possible impacts on dairy product safety and quality, highlighting areas of concern with
regards to the introduction of these inhibitor technologies into the dairy supply chain. Furthermore,
this review discusses the benefits and challenges of inhibitor usage with a focus on EU regulations,
as well as associated health concerns, chemical behavior, and analytical detection methods for these
compounds within milk and environmental matrices.