Enrichment of Cassava (Manihot Esculenta) Peels Through Pleurotus Ostreatus Fermentation for Use As Animal Feed

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Date
2009
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Abstract
Livestock feeding is quite problematic in Ghana due to the high cost of feed ingredients. Cassava (Manihot esculenta) peel is a major by-product of the cassava processing industry and in Ghana where cassava is grown and tubers processed, the peel is largely underutilized as livestock feed. The application of biotechnology can help add value to agro-wastes for use as cheap sources of animal feed. Cassava peels were collected, dried and after pretreatment, the particle size was reduced to an average area of about 0.6cm2, the peels were then composted and sterilized. The composted sterilized peels were then inoculated with the spawn of the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) and incubated at room temperature. Fermentation of cassava peels with the oyster mushroom over a seven week period significantly improved its nutritional value (P<0.05) when compared to the uninoculated peels. Six weeks of fermentation was found to be the optimum to produce the observed significant results. The protein content of the mushroom fermented peels more than doubled from 2.18% to 5.6% after fermentation, whereas cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents decreased significantly by 26.73%, 45.43% and 35.78% respectively. The fermented peels also had a significant increase in the calcium, potassium and phosphorous contents. The tannin content of the oyster mushroom fermented peels reduced drastically by 75.5% after six weeks of fermentation when compared with the uninoculated peels. In vitro digestibility studies revealed that, after the Pleurotus fermentation over a six week period, the peels were three times more digestible than the uninoculated peels. These results indicate the potential use of Pleurotus ostreatus for improving the feed value of cassava peels for the livestock industry in Ghana. The fermented peels can partially replace corn, the main ingredient in poultry feed formulation.
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A Thesis Submitted To the Dapartment of Biochemistry And Biotechnology of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology in Partial Fuifillment of the Requirement For The Degree Of MSc. BIOTECHNOLOGY.
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