The Impact of Three White-Rot Fungi on Nutrient Availability, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Volatile Fatty Acid Production in Myceliated Sorghum

Abstract

Our study employed Pleurotus ostreatus, P. djamor, and Trametes versicolor (white rot fungi = WRF) in the process of solid-state fermentation (SSF) to convert sorghum grains into myceliated sorghum (MS). The MS was then used for in vitro studies to assess changes in nutrient content compared to untreated sorghum (control). The results demonstrated a significant (p < 0.001) increase in dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of MS. Specifically, CP and ash values saw a remarkable increase from 68 to 330% and 40 to 190% in MS, respectively. Additionally, NDF and ADF degradability values increased significantly (p < 0.001) by 81.5% and 56.2% in P. djamor-treated MS at 24 h post-incubation. The treatment × time interaction was also significant (p < 0.001) for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. T. versicolor MS exhibited the highest total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) and propionate production. The use of WRF in the SSF process led to a significant improvement in the nutritional value of sorghum. Despite the varying effects of different WRF on the nutritional parameters in MS, they show potential for enhancing the feed value of sorghum in animal feed.