Enrichment of a Plant Feedstuff Mixture's Nutritional Value through Solid-State Fermentation

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Biotechnology
• Animal Nutrition

Background:

• Plant feedstuffs are primary components of animal feed, facing competition with human food sources.
• Improving the nutritional efficiency of plant feedstuffs is crucial for sustainable animal nutrition.
• Solid-state fermentation (SSF) offers a promising approach to enhance feedstuff quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of solid-state fermentation (SSF) on the nutritional value of a plant feedstuff mixture (PFM).
• To assess the efficacy of specific fungal strains (Aspergillus ibericus, Aspergillus niger) in improving PFM characteristics.
• To determine the correlation between fermentation, enzyme production, and nutritional enhancement.

Main Methods:

• A plant feedstuff mixture (PFM) comprising rapeseed meal, soybean meal, rice bran, and sunflower meal was subjected to SSF.
• Three fungal strains (Aspergillus ibericus MUM 03.29, Aspergillus niger CECT 2088, Aspergillus niger CECT 2915) were used for fermentation.
• Nutritional content (protein, cellulose, hemicellulose) and enzyme activities (cellulase, xylanase, beta-glucosidase) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• SSF increased protein content by 5% and reduced cellulose (9-11%) and hemicellulose (21-34%) across all fungal treatments.
• Aspergillus niger CECT 2088 exhibited the highest enzyme production: cellulase (123.7 U/g), xylanase (431.8 U/g), and beta-glucosidase (117.9 U/g).
• Principal component analysis confirmed positive correlations between fermentation, enzyme production, protein content, digestibility, and fiber reduction.

Conclusions:

• Bioprocessing of PFMs via SSF significantly enhances nutritional value and digestibility.
• This improvement makes fermented PFMs a more valuable and appealing ingredient for animal feeds.
• Fungal-mediated SSF presents an effective strategy to address food-feed competition and improve feed utilization.