Antinutritional Factors (ANFs) are compounds produced by plants as defense mechanisms, and in high concentrations, they inhibit nutritional properties. Reducing these ANFs increases the presence of proteins, antioxidants, and vitamins, which is crucial for optimizing animal feed, particularly in developing countries where traditional methods may be costly. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) has the potential to improve the nutritional quality of animal feed derived from cereals and legumes cultivated and non-commercially cultivated by reducing antinutrients and enhancing nutrient availability. This review also considers the potential of non-native species, including those exhibiting invasive behavior and taxonomic similarity to cultivated varieties, as alternative substrates for SSF. Additionally, SSF highlights the biological properties of ANFs when extracted and utilized for technological and industrial advancements. Solid-state fermentation with lactic acid bacteria could be an effective and straightforward method for reducing these antinutritional factors while simultaneously enriching protein content. The aim is to present solid-state fermentation as a biotechnological tool to reduce antinutritional factors and enhance the nutritional content of legumes and cereals that are not cultivated for animal feed. This perspective contributes to expanding the range of raw materials considered for SSF by including taxonomically related but underutilized and ecologically problematic plant resources.

The genus Mucuna is a potential protein source, but it has been underutilized due to the presence of antinutritional factors, especially L-DOPA. Solid-state fermentation with lactic acid bacteria could be an effective and simple method for reducing these antinutritional factors while simultaneously enriching the protein content. In this work, an experimental analysis identified the variables with the greatest influence on the solid-state fermentation of Mucuna deeringiana. In general, we observed a decrease in pH due to the production of and increase in lactic acid, resulting in a 91% (6.40 to 0.55 g/100 g sample) reduction in L-DOPA, 51% decrease in phenolic compounds (11.65 to 5.70 g/100 g sample), 97% decrease in tannins (1.26 to 0.04 g/100 g sample), and the antioxidant capacity of the fermented flour was 97%, with an increase in protein content of 12%. Furthermore, it demonstrated greater stability over 24 days compared to the control samples, which remained stable for only 3 days. These results suggest that the bacterium has a positive effect on the production of lactic acid, and the nutritional composition can be enhanced by reducing antinutritional factors, especially L-DOPA, that limit the use of this legume. This process proves to be a cost-effective and sustainable method for developing nutritious feed products derived from Mucuna flours.

A growing interest in finding accessible and low‐cost sources of melanin has emerged due to its wide range of applications. This work demonstrated the use of Mucuna deeringiana as a source of L‐DOPA, and Solanum tuberosum of tyrosinase in eumelanin biosynthesis. The protocol employed crude extracts, resulting in significant melanin production (67%). The resulting melanin exhibits an amorphous structure, high thermal stability, and strong UV absorption, with an antioxidant capacity comparable to vitamin C. These findings underscore the potential of M. deeringiana as a source of melanin with promising properties.