Agricultural production in Southeast Asia generates large quantities of lignocellulosic biomass, particularly rice straw and oil palm residues, which are frequently underutilized or disposed of through open burning practices. Biotechnological conversion of these residues into silage offers a sustainable strategy to improve feed availability while reducing environmental impacts. This study reviews the potential of upgrading agricultural waste into high-value ruminant feed through microbial fermentation combined with fungal enzyme supplementation. Fungal fibrolytic enzymes enhance lignocellulosic degradation, increase fermentable carbohydrate availability, and improve silage fermentation quality. Enzyme-treated rice straw silage consistently demonstrates improved pH reduction, fiber degradation, crude protein retention, digestibility, and aerobic stability. Feeding studies have indicated enhance feed intake, rumen fermentation efficiency, and animal performance when enzyme-treated silage partially replaces conventional forages. Environmentally, valorization of agricultural residues reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports circular bioeconomy frameworks. Overall, fungal enzyme-assisted ensiling represents a promising and sustainable feeding strategy for ruminant production systems.
Mazlan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.