A metagenomic survey of the fecal microbiome of the African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana).

The African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest terrestrial animal on Earth and is found primarily in Southern and Eastern Africa. It is a hindgut, colonic fermenter and subsists on a diet of raw plant materials found in its grazing area. In this study the bacterial, archaeal and fungal populations of seven African savanna elephant fecal metagenomes were first characterized using amplicon sequencing.

Application of solid-state fermentation using mushrooms for the production of animal feed.

The increasing growth of agroindustrial activity resulting in excessive amounts of agriwaste has led to the accumulation of a large quantity of lignocellulosic residues all over the world, in particular in deforestation initiatives for the removal of invasive trees in South Africa. These lignocellulosic residues are rich in energy resources and consist of a mixture of natural polymers based on lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. The use of lignolytic fungi such as mushrooms in solid-state fermentation could sufficiently degrade the indigestible lignocellulosic components and add medicinal and nutritional value to otherwise unusable, high-energy waste material, which in turn could yield a new method of producing energy-rich fodder for ruminant animals.