Fermented cassava peel with Pleurotus ostreatus as a functional feed: Effects on growth performance, gut health, microbiota, and meat quality in broiler chickens

Summary

This controlled feeding trial evaluated the nutritional and functional benefits of fermenting cassava peel using Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom, an agro-industrial by-product processing innovation aimed at broiler production. At 20% dietary inclusion, fermented cassava peel improved average daily weight gain and carcass metrics, enhanced intestinal structure and immune organ development, shifted gut microbiota towards beneficial lactic acid bacteria whilst reducing pathogenic E. coli, and improved blood lipid profiles (reduced cholesterol and triglycerides, increased HDL). The findings suggest fermented cassava peel is a viable functional feed ingredient addressing both feed cost and poultry health outcomes.

Regional applicability

The study was conducted in Indonesia where cassava is a major crop and cassava processing generates substantial peel waste. The fermentation technology and findings are directly transferable to other tropical and subtropical regions with similar cassava cultivation, though efficacy may vary with local cassava varieties and fermentation conditions. United Kingdom poultry producers rarely use cassava-based feeds, making direct application limited, though the methodology of value-adding agro-industrial by-products through beneficial fermentation aligns with circular economy principles relevant to UK sustainable intensification policy.

Key measures

Average daily weight gain, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, live body weight, carcass weight, thymus weight, intestinal villus height, crypt depth, villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, Escherichia coli and lactic acid bacteria populations, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, meat cholesterol, and fatty acid composition

Outcomes reported

The study measured growth performance (weight gain, feed intake, conversion), carcass traits, immune organ weights, intestinal morphology, gut microbiota composition, blood lipid profile, and fatty acid composition in thigh meat of broiler chickens fed fermented cassava peel at 0–20% dietary inclusion.

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