Athian Introduces New Protocol for Reducing GHG Emissions from Cattle

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. [April 08, 2025] – Athian, a technology-based supply chain solutions provider today announced the publishing of the AjiPro®-L protocol developed by Ajinomoto Co., Inc., a global leader in biotechnology and food innovation. The protocol outlines how US dairy farmers can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by replacing conventional feed with amino-acid-balanced, low-protein feed that includes AjiPro®-L.

“The best innovations not only have a positive environmental impact, but also increase farmer efficiency,” said Kendra Tolley, chief product officer for Athian. “This protocol enables producers to easily change their feed composition, which decreases GHG emissions as well as their overall potential feed costs without requiring significant upfront investment.”

Athian helps dairy farmers reduce environmental impact through monetizing on-farm practices, like the one outlined in this new protocol, by selling the verified outcomes to downstream supply chain partners, such as consumer-packaged goods companies, grocery stores and restaurant chains. These food brands then claim and report project outcomes as Scope 3 insets that help them make progress toward their corporate goals, reward farmers and meet increasing consumer demand for sustainable products.  

“AjiPro®-L is one of the crucial and integral components of the Ajinomoto Group’s purpose of contributing to the well-being of all human beings, our society and our planet with ‘AminoScience’.” Makoto Bannai, general manager of the Customized Feed Solution Department at Ajinomoto said. “The solution with AjiPro®-L and our partnership with Athian are contributing to reduce GHG emissions while increasing economic value for dairy and beef farmers worldwide.”

Amino-acid balanced, low-protein feed including AjiPro®-L allows the essential amino acid, lysine, in feed to bypass the rumen for better absorption, which helps meet dairy cow nutritional requirements while decreasing the amount protein they need to consume. Lower protein diets reduce the amount of nitrogen dairy cows must metabolize and therefore, how much they excrete through their manure.

AjiPro®-L already is available and used by US dairy producers but feeding it in accordance with Athian’s protocol reduces emissions in several ways, including by:  

• Decreasing the amount of conventional feed protein cultivated, transported and fed, without sacrificing animal health or productivity.
• Replacing feed protein sources containing excess amino acids (that contribute to GHG emissions) with the more precise and bio available nutrition dairy cows need.
• Lowering the nitrogen excreted through manure and therefore, the ammonia and nitrous oxide that form during the natural process of manure decomposition.

The AjiPro®-L protocol joins three others in the Athian library, including those for additional feed ingredients and alternative manure management practices. This latest protocol was completed and validated in just three months thanks to Athian’s efforts to streamline the review process while still maintaining scientific rigor.

“Protocols represent the on-farm practices available for producers to implement and Athian to support them by monetizing on their behalf,” said Tolley. “We want to double the number of protocols in 2025 because the more protocols there are, the more opportunities there are for producers and supply chain companies to meet their sustainability goals.”

Despite the increased speed to market, all protocols still must go through a thorough review by Athian’s Scientific Advisory Board, which deliberates the scientific evidence and integrity of the proposal, and third-party validation by an ANSI National Accreditation Board-accredited Validation and Verification Body, which audits the protocol against both Athian governance and ISO standards.      

Protocol providers interested in submitting a proposal to get their market-ready technology or innovation published for implementation by farmers, can reach out at: athian.ag/contact. Athian also has certified Scope 3 inset reductions available for companies looking to purchase and claim credit toward corporate sustainability goals and always is looking for farmers interested in unlocking financial rewards on their operation.

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About Athian

Athian helps the livestock value chain capture and claim greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions by aggregating, verifying and certifying them, and then monetizing those reductions for farmers through the sale of the resulting insets. Athian’s platform is a secure software tool that simplifies data entry, upload, measurement and verification at scale, resulting in high-quality and credible GHG emission reductions that help satisfy Scope 3 goals and fund livestock producer sustainability measures. Athian is an Alloy Partners company based in Indianapolis, Ind. Learn more at www.athian.ag.

About the Ajinomoto Group

The Ajinomoto Group will contribute to the well-being of all human beings, our society and our planet with “AminoScience” based on the corporate slogan “Eat Well, Live Well.” The Ajinomoto Group has offices in 34 countries and regions and sells products in more than 130 countries and regions. In fiscal 2023, sales were 1.4392 trillion yen (9.9 billion US dollars). To learn more, visit www.ajinomoto.com.

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