Fermentation of Cassava Leaves Using Microbial-Nutrient Additives: Impact on HCN and Fiber Content

Departement of Animal Science, Agriculture Faculty, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, Indonesia

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Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cassava leaf (Manihot esculenta sp.) fermentation using a combination of microbial (commercial EM4 and local microorganisms from fruit, MOL) and a nutrient additive (commercial Viterna) on the content of hydrocyanic acid (HCN), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and pH. The study used four treatments and five replications, namely: T0 (fresh cassava leaf without additives), T1 (fermentation with 40% EM4, 20% ml Viterna, and 40% ml MOL), T2 (20% EM4, 40% Viterna, and 40% MOL), and T3 (40% EM4, 40% Viterna, and 20% ml MOL). Each treatment was applied at a total rate of 0.5% (v/w) fresh cassava leaves. The samples were fermented anaerobically for 14 days. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance based on a completely randomized design and Duncan's further test. The results showed significant differences (P<0.05) in HCN, NDF, ADF and pH levels among the treatments. The content of HCN T2 (2.79±0.93 ppm) and T3 (3.43±0.56 ppm) was lower than that T0 and T1. The lowest pH values were found in T2 (4.01±0.00) and T3 (4.02±0.02). The lowest NDF and ADF values were found in T3, with 42.55±0.23% and 32.08±0.13%, respectively. It can be concluded that cassava leaf fermentation using a combination of microbial-nutrient additives in T3, effectively reduced the HCN content and improved the fiber quality.