Abstract
Moringa oleifera Lam. (MO) is a fast-growing multi-purpose deciduous tree with high biomass and nutritional value. However, the presence of antinutritional factors, poor palatability, and indigestibility of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) restrict its application to animal feed. This study aimed to obtain high-quality protein feeds via solid-state fermentation (SSF) of MOLM. The process conditions for increasing the true protein (TP) content using Aspergillus niger, Candida utilis and Bacillus subtilis co-cultures were optimized, and the chemical composition of MOLM was compared before and after fermentation. The results of this study showed that the highest TP content could be obtained through mixed-strain culture of A. niger, C. utilis and B. subtilis at a ratio of 1:1:2. The MOLM was inoculated with A. niger, followed by C. utilis and B. subtilis 24 h later. The optimized co-culture parameters were as follows: total inoculation size, 24%; temperature, 32 °C; fermentation time, 6.5 days; and initial water content, 60%. The maximum TP yield was 28.37%. Notably, in the fermented MOLM (FMOLM), the content of nutrients such as crude protein (CP), small peptides, and total amino acids (AAs) were significantly increased relative to unfermented MOLM, whereas the contents of crude fiber (CF), tannin, and phytic acid were significantly decreased. MOLM analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that SSF disrupted the surface structure of MOLM, and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) indicated that macromolecular proteins were degraded. The in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of FMOLM was also improved significantly. Our findings suggest that multi-strain fermentation with A. niger, C. utilis and B. subtilis improves the nutritional quality of MOLM, rendering it a viable functional feedstuff for use in livestock industries in the future.
Highlights
The world population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 (UN, 2017), and the global demand for meat and milk is projected to increase by 57% and 48%, respectively (Alexandratos & Bruinsma, 2012)
To study the effect of the order of microorganism inoculation on the true protein (TP) yield, Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) was inoculated with A. niger, C. utilis and B. subtilis using nine different treatment orders
solid-state fermentation (SSF) of MOLM by a mixed-strain culture comprising A. niger, C. utilis, and B. subtilis was optimized for maximum TP content using response surface methodology (RSM)
Summary
The world population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 (UN, 2017), and the global demand for meat and milk is projected to increase by 57% and 48%, respectively (Alexandratos & Bruinsma, 2012). Livestock production is predicted to increase by 21% between 2010 and 2025 (Mottet et al, 2017). Current feedstocks include cereals that are suitable for human consumption. Up to 50% of global cereal is expected to be used as feed instead of human food by 2050 (Legg, 2017). The global demand for animal protein for human nutrition is continuously rising, leading to an increase in the cost of livestock feed concentrates (Tufarelli, Ragni & Laudadio, 2018). To meet the increasing demand for animal products, an alternative source of feed not required as a human food must be developed
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