Journal of Bioscience and Biotechnology Discovery

Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) is extensively grown in tropical areas like the Philippines, yet inefficient post-harvest practices result in substantial losses. Integrating cassava into poultry feed could help curb this waste and lower the rising expenses of poultry nutrition. However, its broader use is still constrained due to its comparatively low protein and amino acid levels, the presence of anti-nutritional elements, and the dusty texture it produces in feed formulations. This study aimed to improve the nutrient content of cassava through microbial fermentation and the addition of amino acids post-fermentation, and evaluated its effects on broiler chicken (Gallus domesticus, L.) growth performance over 21 days. A total of 180 heads of fourteen-day-old broilers were randomly assigned to six treatments replicated three times with 10 broilers in each replication following a Completely Randomised Design (CRD) factorial experiment. Factor A involved two protein-enrichment methods: microbial fermentation (M1) and adding amino acids L-lysine and DL-methionine post-fermentation (M2). Factor B represented different inclusion levels of microbial fermented cassava meal (MFCM): 50%, 55%, and 60%. Chemical laboratory analyses confirmed that synthetic amino acid supplementation (L-lysine and DL-methionine) significantly enhanced crude protein content and metabolizable energy (p<0.01) in MFCM. However, variations in protein enrichment methods and inclusion levels did not considerably affect key performance indicators, including feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, production cost, dressing percentage, morbidity, and mortality rates (P>0.05). These findings demonstrate that synthetic amino acids significantly improve the crude protein and metabolizable energy content of microbial-fermented cassava. Furthermore, 50%-60% amino acid-enriched MFCM can be incorporated into broiler diets with no negative effect on the performance of broiler chicken. This study highlights the potential of microbial fermented cassava meal as an alternative to ground yellow corn, offering farmers a viable way to utilise other locally available farm produce in broiler production.