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MOS Powder from bioprocessed coconut residue
Mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) is the most used prebiotic in aquaculture. It has been shown in various studies to be effective in enhancing the growth and disease resistance of milkfish and other fishes like tilapia, and common carp. MOS is produced from the hydrolysis of mannan, a polysaccharide commonly found in yeast and plant cell walls. Coconut residue or “sapal” is the by-product after the extraction of coconut milk either for virgin coconut oil production or household use. It is high in fiber. And the fiber is mostly composed of mannan making it a good source of MOS. The project aims to bioprocess coconut residue using solid state fermentation and a mannanase producing microorganism to produce a MOS prebiotic product that can be used in aquafeeds formulations. The microbe’s mannanase will produce MOS from the mannan, reducing the fiber content. The fermentation will also improve the protein content. Since coconut residue also contains residual oil, the resulting MOS prebiotic bioprocessed coconut residue can also be used as partial substitute for fish oil, and soybean meal in aquafeeds. The solid fermentation parameters will be optimized using the expertise in bioprocessing that has have developed in BIOTECH-UPLB.
