Theobromine. Article Type: Full Length Research Article. The study investigated the suitability of cocoa bean shell (CBS), a by-product from cocoa processing ...
IJAMBR 3 (2015) 20-30
ISSN 2053-1818
Enhancement of the nutritive value of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) bean shells for use as feed for animals through a two-stage solid state fermentation with Pleurotus ostreatus and Aspergillus niger Bentil, J. A.1*, Dzogbefia, V. P.2 and Alemawor, F.2 1
Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. 2 Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Article History Received 10 December, 2014 Received in revised form 07 January, 2015 Accepted 14 January, 2015
ABSTRACT The study investigated the suitability of cocoa bean shell (CBS), a by-product from cocoa processing industry as alternative energy source for animal feeding when subjected to a two-stage solid state fermentation with Pleurotus ostreatus and Aspergillus niger. It involved the optimization of the fermentation period by the afore-mentioned fungi. The already dried shells were milled into 2 mm particle size, composted and pasteurized. The pasteurized substrate was fermented with the spawn of P. ostreatus (oyster mushroom) for six weeks followed by A. niger fermentation for seven days. The fermentation of the shells with P. ostreatus significantly increased (p
