A note on the utilisation of spent mushroom composts in animal feeds

An Aspergillus species (Aspergillus candidus 362) was isolated from contaminated spent Lentinus edodes compost. Using synchronous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) by the isolate and a yeast strain (Endomycopsis fibuliger 253) under solid-state conditions, the crude protein contents were increased from 24.1 to 32.3% and from 28.4 to 36.7% for Pleurotus ostreatus- and Lentinus edodes-spent-compost media, respectively. The crude fibre contents of the composts were substantially decreased. After fermentation the in vitro digestibility of crude protein was improved to 70%. The total and essential amino acid contents made up 73.3 and 37.1% of the crude protein, respectively. The fermented spent composts media were highly-nutritious fodder for poultry and animals.