THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ESTABLISH AN EFFECTIVE MICROBIAL FERMENTATION PROCESS TO CONVERT CANOLA MEAL (CM), A LOW-VALUE BYPRODUCT FROM CANOLA OIL EXTRACTION, INTO A MORE VALUABLE FEED INGREDIENT WITH IMPROVED NUTRITIONAL PROFILE FOR NONRUMINANTS. THIS PROJECT IS BASED ON A PRELIMINARY STUDY FUNDED BY THE NORWEGIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL, IN WHICH WE OBSERVED THAT THE CM PORTIONS PROCESSED BY MECHANICAL FRACTIONATION CAN BE MORE EFFECTIVELY FERMENTED BY THE SELECTIVE FUNGAL STRAINS, LEADING TO THE DRAMATIC REMOVAL OF ANTINUTRIENT COMPOUNDS AND THE ELEVATION OF PROTEIN LEVEL IN CM. IN THIS PROJECT, WE INTEND TO CONDUCT MORE COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATIONS TO STUDY THE BIOCONVERSION CONDITIONS, AND UNDERSTAND FERMENTATION AND NUTRITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THIS PROCESS. THE GOAL OF IDENTIFYING A PRACTICAL AND EFFECTIVE FERMENTATION PROCESS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY SCREENING DIFFERENT FUNGAL AND BACTERIAL SPECIES AND INVESTIGATING THEIR CULTURE, MAINTENANCE, AND INOCULUM PREPARATION. THE BIOCONVERSION WILL ENHANCE THE NUTRITIONAL PROFILE OF FERMENTED CM FOR ANIMAL FEEDING, INCLUDING REMOVAL OF ANTINUTRIENT PHYTOCHEMICALS, DECREASE OF INSOLUBLE FIBER, AND INCREASE OF PROTEIN CONTENT. AN INDUSTRIAL ADVISORY GROUP WILL BE SET UP TO HELP GUILD OUR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND DEVELOP EXTENSION MATERIALS. OVERALL, AN IMPROVED ANIMAL FEED FROM CM WILL INCREASE THE PROFITABILITY OF CANOLA PLANTATION AND EXPAND THE APPLICATION OF CM IN LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY. THIS WILL PROVIDE FARMERS MORE CHOICES FOR CROP ROTATION AND BETTER PREPARATION FOR VOLATILE GLOBAL MARKET. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES PRIORITY AREA OF A: CANOLA AT THE PROGRAM OF SUPPLEMENTAL AND ALTERNATIVE CROPS (SAC).