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Agriculture remains a major
economic driving force in South Africa. Improving the
digestibility and nutritive value of animal feeds can
significantly benefit the growth of livestock (cattle, sheep, pigs
and poultry), such as increasing milk production in dairy cows and
weight gain in beef cattle. The overwintering of livestock on dry
grass often results in drastic loss of condition because of the
poor digestibility of hardy grasses. Microbial enzymes could
enhance animal digestion through the degradation of woody fibres
by fibrolytic enzymes.
This consortium project centred
on the identification and characterisation of moulds (fungal
strains) capable of producing fibrolytic enzymes that can
specifically improve the digestibility of South African animal
feed formulations. Subsequently, fermentation technology will be
develop to produce these enzymes by natural and recombinant fungal
strains from laboratory scale to pilot scale, to eventual
semi-commercial trials and commercialisation.
Eventually, this project
envisages the establishment of a unique South African fermentation
enterprise, utilising the development of academic-based technology
and supported by interest from well-established animal feed
companies to commercialise the technology. The technology will be
advantageous to the South African agricultural sector as a whole,
also offering potential benefit to emerging farming communities. |