Sequential fermentation of wheat straw and fruit-vegetable discards to produce circular feed in support of sustainable dairy production

作者：Xiao Sun, Zhengxia Dou, G. C. Shurson, Dipti Pitta, Kapil Singh Narayan, Yingcheng Wang, Terry Webb, Alexa M. Johnson, Linda D. Baker, Bo Hu · 发表于：Resources Conservation & Recycling Advances · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.rcradv.2025.200279 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact、Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability、Food Industry and Aquatic Biology

Developing novel circular feed from plant-based biomass unfit for direct human consumption is imperative to mitigate environmental degradation. In this study, we tested a sequential fermentation strategy to treat wheat straw (WS) and preserve fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) discards in making circular feed for ruminants. First, ground wheat straw (particle size less than 20 mm) moisturized (moisture content 70-80% by weight) by pure water and by FFV were treated with feed grade fungal strains Tramates versicolor (TV) and Pleurotus ostreatus (PO) at 28 °C for six weeks. Fungal treated mixture resulted in reduced lignin content by 35-55% and decreased lignin-to-cellulose ratio. Each fungal treated biomass was then mixed with additional FFV and anaerobically fermented at 28 °C for 16 days. Organic acids (over 80% was lactic acid) accounted for 9-10% dry matter of the substrates and lowered pH from 5 to about 3.5, which is adequate for preservation of the fermented feed. In vitro dry matter digestibility was not different between the standard diet and sustainability-plus diets that contained 10% or 25% of the double-fermented circular feed materials. Fungal fermentation coupled with bacteria-based ensiling of under-valued or wasted biomass can produce novel feeds to support sustainable dairy farming.