Fiber reduction and lipid enrichment in carotenoid-enriched distillers dried grain with solubles produced by secondary fermentation of Phaffia rhodozyma and Sporobolomyces roseus

Carotenoid-enriched distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) developed as a value-added animal feed to provide carotenoids from mono and mixed culture (Mx) fermentation of red yeasts Phaffia rhodozyma (PR) and Sporobolomyces roseus (SR) were evaluated for their nutritional composition and compared to the control (C) DDGS. Apart from providing carotenoids, all three fermentation treatments reduced fiber with best reduction of 77% in PR, enhanced crude fat with highest of 81% in Mx, and reduced protein, amino acids and nitrogen by 50% in PR. DDGS fiber reduction by 77% was achieved by P. rhodozyma in the absence of any pretreatment. Qualitative and quantitative differences in fatty acid profiles were seen among the treatments. Vaccenic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid produced in SR and Mx fermentation, was absent in C and PR. All these nutritional modifications are highly desirable in different DDGS-based animal feeds and can be explored to obtain tailor-made feeds/feed blends for specific animal diets.