A biotechnological process for treatment and recycling poultry wastes manure as a feed ingredient

Poultry wastes manure was diluted by adding the same amount of water 50-50 (w/v). They were then mixed with 10% molasses. The mixture was inoculated w ith a starter culture of Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus acidolacti ci, and incubated at 30 degreesC for 10 days. Changes in nutritional qualit y and biochemical properties (pH, total nitrogen, total volatile nitrogen, non protein nitrogen, carbohydrates and ash) were determined for the raw an d the transformed product. In parallel, microbiological analyses, including standard plate count, enterobacteria and enterococci, were performed. Resu lts indicated that the product obtained from the wastes fermentation showed low counts of enterobacteria. and enterococci. Chemical determinations sho wed a net decrease of the pH to around 4.0 and the growth curve of the lact ic acid bacteria showed the success of the acidification process. The total nitrogen was conserved in the product and the total volatile nitrogen was totally eliminated. The product was used for substituting some protein sour ces in a conventional formula used in laying feeding of three lots. Two for mulae containing, respectively, 20% and 40% of the product were compared to the control (0%). The food consumption and laying performances were monito red for 30 days. The nutritional test indicated that the incorporation of t he poultry manure silage at a rate of up to 40% gave laying performances si milar to those obtained with the conventional formula. These results show t hat it is possible to transform poultry manure by controlled fermentation a nd that the product has an added value as a feed ingredient. (C) 2001 Publi shed by Elsevier Science Ltd.