Abstract
Residual feed intake (RFI) is a widely used indicator of feed efficiency in cattle; however, its relationship with the fecal microbiota of Hanwoo, a Korean native cattle breed, has not yet been explored. This study aimed to examine the fecal microbiota composition of Hanwoo steers exhibiting divergent RFI at the fattening stage. Sixty-three Hanwoo steers were raised under the same dietary and environmental conditions and fed a total mixed ration. A 78-day feeding trial was conducted (from 19 to 21 months of age), during which growth performance was evaluated. Steers were ranked by RFI, and those with RFI values < − 0.6 or > 0.6 were selected to represent two extreme RFI phenotypes: low RFI (L-RFI; efficient; −0.96 ± 0.14, n = 6) and high RFI (H-RFI; inefficient; 0.96 ± 0.48, n = 5). Fecal samples were collected from both L-RFI and H-RFI steers at the end of the feeding trial for metataxonomic analysis using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and the QIIME2 pipeline. Average daily gain (ADG) and body weight were similar between the two groups, but dry matter intake (DMI) and RFI values were significantly higher in H-RFI steers. Bacterial alpha- or beta-diversity did not differ significantly between the two RFI groups. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) coupled with Effect Size measurements (LEfSe) revealed that the phylum Verrucomicrobiota and its representative genus Akkermansia were the most abundant in the L-RFI group (LDA score > 2, P < 0.05). In contrast, the genera Acetitomaculum and Kandleria were the most abundant in the H-RFI group (LDA score > 2, P < 0.05). Functional analysis based on PICRUSt2 predictions revealed that H-RFI steers had higher abundances of genes associated with carbohydrate utilization and amino acid biosynthesis compared to L-RFI steers (LDA score > 2, P < 0.05). The findings of this study demonstrate that feed efficiency is associated with the fecal microbial composition and functional features in Hanwoo steers, highlighting the importance of microbial characteristics in nutrient utilization and production efficiency.
Data availability
The raw 16 S rRNA amplicon reads are available in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) under BioProject accession PRJNA1348594.
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Funding
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (RS-2025-23963320). Additional support was also partly provided by IPET and KosFarm through the Smart Farm Innovation Technology Development Program, funded by MAFRA, MSIT, and RDA (RS-2025-02307074). This work was also supported by the “Regional Innovation System & Education (RISE)” through the Gwangju RISE Center, funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Gwangju Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea (2025-RISE-05-011).
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C.P. and M.K. designed and conceptualized the study. C.P., M.S.K., S.J., and S.M. performed the experimental work and laboratory analyses. C.P., Z.Y., S.H.K., and M.K. conducted the data analysis and drafted the manuscript. C.P., Z.Y., M.K. contributed to manuscript preparation and revision. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
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Park, C., Kim, MS., Yu, Z. et al. Effect of divergent residual feed intake on the fecal microbiota in fattening Hanwoo steers. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39485-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39485-5
