A Two-step Biotechnological Process for Improving Nutrition Value of Feather Meal by Bacillus licheniformis S6

A two-step biotechnological process was developed using Bacillus licheniformis S6 to provide a simple and economical procedure which significantly improved feather meal nutrition value. Compared with IFM (initial feather meal) and CFM (commercial feather meal), SFEFM (feather meal gained by solid fermentation and enzymolysis with continuous agitation) had a significant improvement (P<0.05) in vitro digestibility, contents of oligopeptides and soluble protein released in digestive juice by pepsin-pancreatin digestion procedure, furthermore, some deficient essential amino acids in feather protein (histidine, methionine, lysine) were enhanced. Comapared with CFM, the oligopeptides released into digestive juice of ISFM (feather meal obtained by the biotechnological process described in the paper with intermittent shaking) was significantly enhanced (P<0.05), and its in vitro digestibility was statistically (P>0.05) equivalent to CFM. The summary of the finding to IFM treatment and possible means of further improvements were also listed.