Application of microbiological technology in processing animal feed

(Baonghean) - In order to create a large source of food from locally available materials, the Department of Science and Technology has contracted with Green Nghe An Company to implement the project "Building a model applying microbiological technology to process animal feed in Nghe An". The project has been implemented in Thanh Ngoc commune, Thanh Chuong district since December 2013 and has brought about practical results.

Thanh Ngoc commune currently has about 1,500 buffaloes and cows, about 5,000 pigs. Like other localities in the province, the source of feed used for livestock in Thanh Ngoc is mainly mixed feed, pellets and supplemented with natural vegetables in the fields, while natural fields are increasingly narrowing. In Thanh Ngoc commune, about 200 hectares of cassava and 70 hectares of corn are produced annually.

With 1 hectare of corn, on average after harvesting corn, there are still 20 - 24 tons of plants, which is a source of green roughage for livestock with nutritional value that can replace grass. However, after harvesting corn, people here use a few leaves to feed cattle, the rest is completely discarded. With cassava, after harvesting, in addition to cassava tubers imported as raw materials for the cassava starch processing factory located in the area, a large amount of cassava leaves cannot be used because cassava leaves contain toxins that make livestock unable to eat if there is a silage process. According to analysis, cassava leaves have a very high protein content, about 20 - 22%, half the value of soybean meal. Meanwhile, the selling price of soybean meal is about 12,500 VND/kg and cassava leaves are only about 700 VND/kg (but in reality, cassava leaves are mainly discarded). With such nutritional value, if this food source can be utilized, people will greatly reduce costs in raising livestock. The project "Building a model applying microbiological technology to process animal feed in Nghe An" has initially solved this problem and brought about effectiveness. After nearly 1 year of implementation, the project has attracted 26 households in Thanh Ngoc commune to participate, and has composted 12 tons of cassava tubers, 6 tons of cassava leaves and stems, and 3 tons of corn.

Instructions for fermenting animal feed in Ngoc Quang hamlet, Thanh Ngoc commune (Thanh Chuong).

Mr. Vo Van Son - Head of the Farmers' Association of Ngoc Xuan 1 Hamlet, is one of the pioneers with Green Nghe An Company to test the microbiological technology to process animal feed from cassava trees and leaves. His family's cows and pigs love to eat fermented cassava leaves, and using this food source, the livestock are healthy and grow well. With this method of processing and preserving food, he can store and proactively feed the livestock during the cold rainy season. He shared that from this success, his family decided to build 2 more barns to raise 10 more pigs.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Cuong - Ngoc Quang Hamlet, is also a household actively participating in the project from the very beginning. He said that up to now, there have been many sources of food in the countryside but they did not know how to preserve and use them, so they all spoiled. Thanks to the application of corn and cassava silage technology, his family as well as the people in the hamlet have an additional source of food for buffaloes and cows, without causing foul odors, keeping the fields clean. On the other hand, taking advantage of available food sources helps his family significantly reduce food costs. Previously, the average cost of buying food for buffaloes, cows, goats and pigs of his family was about 1 million VND/month, when raising many pigs, it had to be up to 2-3 million VND, even 5 million VND/month. With this food processing technology, his family can reduce about 1/3 of the cost of investing in animal feed.

Processing animal feed using microbiological technology is actually very simple and easy to apply. With a certain amount of selected microorganisms mixed evenly into the feed, under anaerobic conditions, it will ferment, creating lactic acid that reduces the pH of the feed to 4 - 4.5, inhibiting the growth of yeast and mold, similar to the traditional pickling method. Therefore, this method is also simply called by farmers as the silage method. If farmers adhere to the two basic principles of using the right type of probiotics and anaerobic conditions, the products will ensure the following advantages: First, this method helps preserve food, proactively providing feed for livestock in the cold rainy season, especially for corn and cassava after harvest, if not properly dried, they will quickly become moldy, rot and will produce carcinogenic toxins, affecting the health of livestock and humans. Second, silage does not lose much nutrition, and is supplemented with beneficial microorganisms for the digestive tract, helping livestock to be less susceptible to disease, reducing the rate of antibiotics required, thereby creating clean products that do not contain antibiotic residues. Third, silage does not require expensive equipment investment, helping farmers make the most of agricultural by-products, reducing feed costs, so product prices are low, and easy to apply in household farming conditions as well as large farms.

According to Mr. Vu Duy Can - Project Manager, people have previously tried to ferment cassava leaves but were unsuccessful because they were made by natural fermentation without adding yeast. The most important factor of this method is adding microbial yeast, which are the most active yeasts, ensuring the best fermentation process. Therefore, through research, he and his colleagues have come up with yeast strains suitable for the growth of cassava tubers and corn plants.

There is a special note that with corn, after mixing, livestock can eat immediately or ferment and preserve for later consumption, but with cassava, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the incubation period of 15 days to eliminate all toxins in the cassava stem and leaves, then it can be fed to buffalo, cows, and pigs. With corn kernels, the kernels can be left whole or dried and ground, mixed with yeast from cassava at a ratio of 1/1, bagged, vacuumed and tightly tied the mouth of the bag or bag, after 5-7 days the food is cooked, keep it in a dry place for storage.

In the process of fermenting food, there are two difficulties that people encounter, which are tools to cut the ingredients into small pieces and create an anaerobic environment for the product. Mr. Can and his colleagues have researched and assembled a motorized cutting machine for corn and cassava, helping people reduce a lot of effort. With the requirement of vacuuming, the project implementation team has also come up with a very effective and easy-to-implement solution, which is to use a vacuum cleaner, just put the ingredients in a sealed plastic bag, within half a minute can create a vacuum, anaerobic.

With fermentation technology, people can preserve cassava for 1 year, and corn for 3 months. Farmers can prepare 70-80% of the food, only need to buy 20-30% of concentrated food including soybeans, meat powder, and micronutrients to supplement adequate nutrition for livestock. And so, according to Mr. Nguyen Huu Loi - General Director of Con Heo Vang Corporation, the unit coordinating the project in providing concentrated food, this technology helps reduce the cost of food to 22,000 VND/kg of pig weight gain, compared to complete pellet feed costing about 32,000 VND/kg of weight gain, which greatly reduces the cost for farmers.

This is a technology for processing and preserving animal feed that has been widely used in developed countries. Microbiological technology is not only applied to process animal feed but can also be used to preserve rice, corn, potatoes, and cassava when harvesting in bad weather, helping farmers avoid crop failure. This is a simple but effective technology that can be popularized and replicated by a large number of farmers in the whole province, especially in areas with a lot of corn and cassava such as Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, Tan Ky, Quy Hop, etc.

Le Hien