SAMA HOOLE: The rumen detoxifies things that would hospitalise you. The rumen turns poison into protein. You're not eating what the cow ate: you're eating what the rumen made safe and bioavailable.

The rumen detoxifies things that would hospitalise you.

Here are 10 things cows safely convert into meat:

Mycotoxins - Breaks down 80-90% of aflatoxins from mouldy grain before absorption

Cyanide compounds - Detoxifies cyanogenic glycosides that are lethal to humans

Gossypol… pic.twitter.com/9jCUkqLy8C

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) October 23, 2025

The rumen detoxifies things that would hospitalise you. Here are 10 things cows safely convert into meat: 

1. Mycotoxins - Breaks down 80-90% of aflatoxins from mouldy grain before absorption. 

2. Cyanide compounds - Detoxifies cyanogenic glycosides that are lethal to humans. 

3. Gossypol - Neutralizes cottonseed toxins that cause organ damage in humans. 

4. Phytates - Breaks down 60-90% of mineral blockers in grains and legumes. 

5. Nitrates - Converts fertiliser nitrates into protein instead of methemoglobinemia. 

6. Oxalates - Neutralises kidney stone compounds from high-oxalate plants. 

7. Tannins - Breaks down compounds that cause liver/kidney failure in humans. 

8. Pesticide residues - Degrades organophosphates better than human organs can. 

9. Lignin - Digests woody plant material humans can't process at all. 

10. Linoleic acid - Saturates 70-95% of PUFAs through biohydrogenation before absorption. The rumen turns poison into protein. You're not eating what the cow ate: you're eating what the rumen made safe and bioavailable.

The rumen contains over 200 species of bacteria that can break down and detoxify compounds that would poison humans.

Cows can eat plants with oxalates, alkaloids, and tannins that would make you sick, and convert them into perfectly safe, nutrient-dense meat.

The rumen is the…

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) October 23, 2025

SAMA HOOLE: The rumen is natural seed oil mitigation . . .

The reason grain-fed is largely irrelevant for beef but a problem for chicken/pork:

Grain-finished beef: protected by biohydrogenation (2-4% PUFA)

Grain-fed pork: no protection (20% PUFA)

Grain-fed chicken: no protection (25% PUFA)

The rumen is natural seed oil mitigation.…

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) October 15, 2025

A Cow's 4 Stomachs Can Digest Grasses and Extract All Its Nutrients. Man Has 1 Stomach.

from the University of Minnesota:

Ruminant stomachs have 4 compartments: the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum and the abomasum.

Rumen microbes ferment feed and produce volatile fatty acids, which is the cow’s main energy source. Rumen microbes also produce B vitamins, vitamin K and amino acids.

In calves, the esophageal grooves allows milk to bypass the rumen and directly enter the abomasum. Rumen development occurs following a change in diet and microbial growth.