Effects of Fermentation on the Nutritional Composition, Mineral Content and Physical Characteristics of Banana Leaves

Abstract

Banana leaves are one of the most abundant agriculture wastes in Malaysia. However, it is not suitable to be given directly to ruminant as feed and need to be pre-treated. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the nutritional composition of banana leaves fermented with different additives including molasses, effective microorganisms (EM) and urea on the nutritional composition, mineral content and physical characteristics. Samples of banana leaves were divided into three treatment groups; control (no additives), treatment 1 (3% of molasses + 3% EM + 0.5% urea) and treatment 2 (5% of molasses + 4% EM + 1% urea). Samples were fermented for 21 and 35 days. The pH value, nutritional composition, mineral content and physical characteristics were determined and subjected to analysis of variance. There is significance different (P<0.05) in pH value for treated samples fermented for 35 days. Moisture and crude protein content were significantly higher (P<0.05) for both treatment groups, fermented for 21 and 35 days. The aroma for treated samples were pleasantly acidic compared to the control. In conclusion, fermentation for 21 days with molasses, EM and urea improves the nutritional composition of banana leaves, therefore it can be considered as an appropriate pre-treatment method to produce an alternative material for animal feed.