A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON EFFECT OF YEAST DOSAGES ON RICE BRAN AS A POTENTIAL FISH FEED AT 35 oC

Abstract

Ingredients cost is a major factor affecting the cost of feed and fish production. Rice bran is abundantly produced and mostly becomes a waste, because of its low nutrients that is not easily digested by animals. Thus, protein extraction from it is done using several treatment methods (physical, heat, enzymic and chemical). The need to determine the appropriate dosage of Yeast (Saccharomyces ceresisiae) that will improve nutrients availability in Rice bran at 35 0C necessitate this study. The nutrients composition of Rice bran was determined using proximate analysis, the undigested Rice bran crude protein and crude fibre composition are 7.75 % and 26.89 % respectively. Yeast (0 %, 3 %, 4 % and 5 %) was evenly mixed into rice bran and water added to it, then digested at 35 0C in a thermo-regulator. The digestion at 0 %, 3 %, 4 % and 5 % yeast yielded these Crude Protein: 7.75 %, 10.50 %, 8.00 %, and 7.88 % and crude fibre: 26.89 %, 20.21 %, 21.56 % and 22.30 % respectively, which signifies an increase in crude protein and a reduction in crude fibre in all the treatments. Digestion done with 3 % yeast inclusion level produced the highest crude protein and lowest crude fibre at 35 0C. This shows a nutritional composition improvement that may lower cost of production, environmental and waste management, if used as an ingredient in feed production.