Enhancing the nutritional profile of de‐oiled rice bran through solid‐state fermentation with Aspergillus oryzae

An experiment was conducted to explore the impact of fermenting de‐oiled rice bran (DORB) with Aspergillus oryzae on its nutrient composition and anti‐nutritional factors. DORB was inoculated with 7‐day‐old A . oryzae culture grown on potato dextrose agar. The experiment was conducted in triplicate for 120 h, with samples collected at 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h. After 72 h of fermentation crude protein, and ether extract content contents increased significantly ( p < 0.05) whereas the nitrogen‐free extract decreased significantly ( p < 0.05). The fermentation of DORB with A . oryzae resulted in an increase in the crude protein content from 14.51% to 18.05% after 72 h of fermentation and then gradually decreased thereafter. The ether extract content peaked at 72 h before decreasing. Fermentation resulted in a significant increase ( p < 0.05) in the crude fiber and total ash content. A significant decrease ( p < 0.05) in the phytate and trypsin inhibitor activity was also observed. Trypsin inhibitor activity decreased by 8.34% after 72 h whereas phytate content decreased by 1.95% after 120 h of fermentation with A . oryzae . The findings of the present study demonstrate that A . oryzae enhances the nutritional quality of DORB by improving nutrient profile and reducing the anti‐nutritional factors.