Anaerobic fermentation of rice bran using rumen liquor for desirable chemical changes as animal feed

The objectives of this research are to overcome the limitations of rice bran (RB) and de-oiled rice bran (DORB) by fermentation anaerobically using inoculum from the rumen of a canulated sheep for desirable chemical changes.

Initially, RB and DORB were fermented by 10% rumen liquor for 12 h at 39°C at different moisture levels (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60% phosphate buffer). Again, DORB was fermented for 24, 48, and 72 h at 39°C using 10% rumen liquor at different moisture levels (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60% phosphate buffer). Before and after fermentation, RB and DORB were analyzed for pH, proximate components, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total-P, inorganic-P, and phytate-P.

Fermentation of RB and DORB for 12 h reduced (p < 0.05) pH, crude fiber (CF),NDF, and phytate-P, but increased (p < 0.05) the content of inorganic-P. Subsequent fermentation of DORB for 24, 48, and 72 h reduced pH, CF, and NDF. Total-P of fermented DORB remained similar till 72 h fermentation (p < 0.05). But, inorganic-P increased with the increasing duration (24, 48, and 72 h) of fermentation and increased (30, 40, and 50) moisture level (p < 0.05). Alternatively, phytate-P decreased with increasing duration and moisture level (p < 0.05).

Inoculation of rumen microbes and incubation of RB (12 h) and DORB (24 h) at room temperature reduced phytate-P and fiber content (CF and NDF) when the moisture level was up to 50%; those are the indicators to reduce the limitation of RB and DORB to use as feed for non-ruminant animals like poultry and pigs.