4 CONCLUSIONS
SSF using A. niger NRRL 334 and A. oryzae NRRL 5590 was applied on CP and HE canola meals to modify their nutritional value with ~50% DH achieved after 72 h of fermentation. While HE meal naturally contains more protein than CP meal, 72 h SSF with A. niger increased the protein content of CP meal to levels comparable to unfermented HE meal. Similar fermentation conditions did not result in the same increase in protein in HE meals. The SSF lowered the lipid content of both meals. The levels of phytic acid and total phenolics decreased significantly after fermentation with % reduction (after 72 h) being 74-85% for PAC and 65-81% for TPC in both CP and HE meals. Enzymes from fungal cells, including lipase, proteinase and phytase, played critical roles in changing meal composition. In terms of fungal strain, A. nigerperformed better to reduce PAC in CP meals and TPC in HE meals. The effective reduction of PAC and TPC, as well as similar DH values between meals, indicates that the high residual oil content in CP meals did not interfere with the growth of the fungi. SSF for 72 h brought decreases in IVPD to all meals except for HE by A. niger (unchanged) whereas 24 h fermentation improved IVPD for both HE meals and the CP meal fermented with A. oryzae . The recommended fungal strain and fermentation time for canola meal will depend on the desired outcome as increased protein content, decreased ANFs, and increased IVPD could not all be achieved at the same time under the conditions tested.