Effects of Food Waste Fermented with Rhizopus oligosporus on the Performance and Carcass Quality of Alabio Ducks

The incorporation of food waste as an alternative feed ingredient has attracted considerable academic attention, owing to its potential to decrease feed costs and promote sustainable practices within livestock production systems. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of food waste from Pesantren (FWP), Indonesia, fermented with Rhizopus oligosporus (R. oligosporus) as feed on the performance and carcass quality of Alabio ducks. A completely randomized design with four replications was used in the present study. A total of 200 one-day-old male Alabio ducks, with an average initial body weight of 39 ± 2 grams, were raised for eight weeks and randomly divided into five dietary groups, consisting of 40 ducks per group and five ducks per replicate with different FWP inclusion levels. The treatments varied based on the inclusion levels of FWP fermented with R. oligosporus in the diets of Alabio ducks which included FWP 0% (Treatment A, the control group), FWP 10% (Treatment B), FWP 20% (Treatment C), FWP 30% (Treatment D), and FWP 40% (Treatment E). Different parameters were observed at 56 days of age, including feed consumption, final body weight, feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein intake, carcass percentage, and abdominal fat percentage. The current results indicated that FWP significantly affected feed consumption, final body weight, FCR, and protein intake. Treatment D resulted in the highest body weight, protein intake, and the best FCR. However, there were no significant differences among treatments in carcass and abdominal fat percentages. In conclusion, incorporating up to 30% of FWP fermented with R. oligosporus, based on dry matter, into the diet of male Alabio ducks does not negatively impact their performance or carcass quality. Using FWP fermented with R. oligosporus as part of the duck feed offered a sustainable and cost-effective method for organic waste management in Pesantren poultry systems.