Coconut meal (CM) is an industrial byproduct of coconut oil and coconut milk production which may be modified for use as fodder. Here we study the effects of the physical modification of CM. Four modification methods were tested: water soaking, microwave-, γ-, and electron-beam irradiation. We determined the CM chemical composition, physicochemical properties, and in vitro carbohydrate digestibility by digestive enzyme extracts from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and silver barb (Barbonymus gonionotus). CM modifications decreased the level of crude fibre but increased the available carbohydrates (p < 0.05). Furthermore, water soaking changed the physicochemical properties including pH, water solubility, microstructure, thermal properties, and crystallinity. Water soaking also increased the carbohydrate digestibility by the fish enzymes tested. The findings of this study therefore suggest that the quality of CM as a feedstuff can be improved by water soaking.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.