Transforming Camellia oleifera meal into feedstuff: Enhancing value through detoxification and fermentation

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Animal Nutrition
• Food Science

Background:

• Saponins in Camellia oleifera meal (COM) restrict its use as animal feed.
• Developing effective detoxification strategies is crucial for utilizing COM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate sodium carbonate solution as a detoxifier for COM.
• To assess the impact of subsequent fermentation on detoxified COM.
• To determine the effects of fermented COM on chicken growth and carcass traits.

Main Methods:

• COM was treated with a sodium carbonate solution to reduce saponin content.
• Detoxified COM underwent fermentation to further improve its quality.
• Microbial community structure and metabolites were analyzed.
• Chicken feeding trials were conducted to evaluate growth performance and carcass traits.

Main Results:

• Sodium carbonate treatment significantly reduced saponin content by up to 82.71%.
• Fermentation further decreased saponin levels (21.83-23.61%) and enhanced nutritional composition.
• Beneficial bacteria abundance increased, while harmful microorganisms decreased post-fermentation.
• Untreated COM negatively impacted chicken weight gain, whereas fermented COM showed no adverse effects.

Conclusions:

• Sodium carbonate treatment followed by fermentation is an effective method for detoxifying COM.
• Fermented COM can be safely used as a feed ingredient without compromising chicken growth or carcass quality.
• This process provides a theoretical basis for the industrial application of fermented COM.