Microbial enhancement of the pink shrimp (<i>Penaeus notialis</i>) waste

Abstract

Shellfish processing generates a large amount of wastes which is rich in chitin and protein. This shrimp waste is indiscriminately disposed resulting in environmental pollution. Biofermentation of this waste could enhance its protein content and improve digestibility, making it a cheap alternative for supplementing fish meal, which is expensive. In this study, bacteria and fungi were isolated from shrimp waste. Two bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Serratiamercescens) and 2 fungi (Thanatephoruscucumeris, Penicilliumcorylophilum)were selected (based on their ability to degrade chitin) and used for solid state fermentation of shrimp waste and then proximate analyses of the fermented products were carried out. The fermentation of the shrimp waste with the four organisms increased the nutritional quality of the substrates. Bacillus subtilis gave the highest increase in crude protein (28.95%) Hence, the bioconversion of shrimp waste into products with enriched microbial biomass could be achieved through solid state fermentation. In addition, such products could be used to develop simpler components with higher nutritional value. These simpler components could be applied as a feed ingredient in livestock and aquaculture industries.