Enhancement of the feeding value of wheat offal for broiler feeding after its solid state fermentation with Aspergillus niger

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of wheat offal (WTO) after its biodegradation with Aspergillus niger and also to determine the effect of degraded WTO on the performance parameters of broiler birds at starter and finisher phases. A. niger was used for the  biodegradation of WTO. There were five dietary treatments of 33 birds each. Having degraded the WTO, it was observed that there was improvement in crude protein value from 2.43 g/100 gDM to 4.00 g/100 gDM (39.25% improvement). The crude fibre had 28.02% reduction after the degradation. At the starter phase, body weight gain was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the birds fed degraded wheat offal (DWTO). At the finisher phase, feed conversion ratio was significantly (P>0.05) lower in birds placed on DWTO. The relative cost benefit (RCB) showed that economically, the birds placed on DWTO gave better profit margin than the ones placed on the undegraded wheat offal (UWTO). The results revealed that A. niger was able to enhance better availability of energy, crude protein and other nutrients which were hitherto encapsulated in the undegraded WTO.

Key words: Wheat offal, Aspergillus niger, biodegradation, broiler birds.