Solid state fermentation with Bacillus subtilis subject to determination of the feed value in sunflower meal

In this study, It is aimed to determine the feed value of sunflower seeds (ATK) subjected to Solid Phase Fermentation (KFF) with Bacillus subtilis (BS). For this purpose, we tested the effect of two different moisture levels of sunflower meal in solid state fermentation (66% and 80%) over a course of four different incubation periods (0, 24, 48, 72 hours). Dry matter, crude protein, crude ash, pH, volatile fatty acids and phytic acid contents of all feed samples were analyzed and their viable cell counts of Bacillus subtilis were counted. When examined all these results, the quantity of dry matter remarkably increased at the 24th hour at low humidity level (P<0.05) and decreased at 72nd hour (P>0.05). However, this decrease was not significant. During the fermentation process, a statistically significance decrease in the dry matter content at high humidity level was not seen. A significant increase of crude protein (P<0.05) was obtained at low humidity level and. At high humidity level, a significant increase in crude protein was obtained at 24th hour (P<0.05), but no statistically remarkable increase was obtained at 72th hour (P>0.05). The level of free amino nitrogen remarkably increased at the 24th hour at low humidity level (P<0.05), but at 72th hour the increase was not significant (P>0.05). At high humidity level, a remarkable increase in the level of free amino nitrogen (P<0.05) was observed. It was observed that at the end of fermentation conducted at low humidity level the quantity of crude ash reached the maximum quantity, but this maximum quantity was only reached at 48th hour at high humidity level. A remarkable decrease was seen in the quantity of phytic acid at 48th hour at low humidity level (P<0.05). However, a remarkable decrease was insignificant at 72th hour (P>0.05). Statistically remarkable increase was seen at 48th hour both at low and high humidity levels for pH values (P<0.05).Statistically remarkable changes were observed for the viable counts of Bacillus subtilis and organic acid (especially acetic and lactic acid) (P<0.05). A statistically remarkable decrease was observed in the quantity of acetic acid at low humidity level, but a remarkable increase was seen at high humidity level (P<0.05). As a conclusion, with the fermentation of Bacillus subtilis the sunflower seed meal were successfully fermented at high moisture content conditions to obtain significant nutritional and microbiological improvements. The results obtained indicate that the best moisture content for the Bacillus subtilis bacterium is the higher moisture content, with the HP content being equally higher in the higher moisture content. When the effect on SAN fermentation was observed, it was determined that it was better in high moisture content.