• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1252-1264
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• 2020

Objective: To effectively utilize crop by-product resources to address the shortage of animal feed during the dry season in Africa, the community of natural lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of corn stover and sugarcane tops and fermentation characteristics of silage were studied in Mozambique. Methods: Corn stover and sugarcane tops were obtained from agricultural field in Mozambique. Silage was prepared with LAB inoculant and cellulase enzyme and their fermentation quality and microbial population were analyzed. Results: Aerobic bacteria were the dominant population with 10⁷ colony-forming unit/g of fresh matter in both crops prior to ensiling, while 10⁴ to 10⁷ LAB became the dominant bacteria during ensiling. Lactobacillus plantarum was more than 76.30% of total isolates which dominated silage fermentation in the LAB-treated sugarcane top silages or all corn stover silages. Fresh corn stover and sugarcane tops contain 65.05% to 76.10% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and 6.52% to 6.77% crude protein (CP) on a dry matter basis, and these nutrients did not change greatly during ensiling. Corn stover exhibits higher LAB counts and water-soluble carbohydrates content than sugarcane top, which are naturally suited for ensiling. Meanwhile, sugarcane tops require LAB or cellulase additives for high quality of silage making. Conclusion: This study confirms that both crop by-products contain certain nutrients of CP and NDF that could be well-preserved in silage, and that they are potential roughage resources that could cover livestock feed shortages during the dry season in Africa.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.247-253
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• 2014

In the silage quality, the process of fermentation and use of micro-organism as starter cultures are crucial. The present study investigated the effect of homo and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria as a starter culture strain on the silage quality and its aerobic stability using meta-analysis. Total 19 studies were used in the analysis. According to the strains of lactic acid bacteria used, experimental groups were assigned to heterofermentative (HEL), mixture of hetero and homofermentative (HHO), homofermentative (HOL) and various homofermentative (HOM). In each experimental group, standardized result of the treatment (with inoculant) was compared with the control (without inoculant) using risk ratio calculation method. The effect of experimental group was also compared. Different starter culture strains did not influence on silage pH and propionic acid production. However, lactic acid and acetic acid production were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by the start culture strains. HOM showed the greatest lactic acid production and HEL was the lowest. In contrast, HEL showed the greatest in acetic acid production and HOM and HOL were the lowest. In terms of ammonia nitrogen, HHO produced more (p<0.05) than the rest of the treatment. In crude protein and water soluble carbohydrate contents, there were no significant effects among treatments. Different strain of lactic acid bacteria significantly influenced on the effect of aerobic stability (p<0.05). Use of heterofermentative showed greater aerobic stability and the use of homofermentative lactic acid bacteria.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1429-1436
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• 2006

Fermentation characteristics, nutrient retention and aerobic stability of barley silages prepared using 6 commercial inoculants were evaluated using 126 mini-silos (3-L) in a completely randomized design. Whole barley forage was chopped, wilted to 39% DM and treated with water (control, S) or one of six inoculants: A (containing Lactobacillus plantarum); B (L. plantarum and Enterococcus faecium); C (L. plantarum and Pediococcus cerevisiae); D (L. plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Propionibacterium freudenreichii, plus hydrolytic enzymes); E (Lactobacillus buchneri plus hydrolytic enzymes); F (L. buchneri and P. pentosaceus plus hydrolytic enzymes). Samples of treated forage were collected for analysis at the time of ensiling, and then 18 silos of each treatment were filled, capped and weighed. Triplicate silos were weighed and opened after 1, 3, 5, 7, 33, and 61 d. On d 61, $400{\pm}5g$ of material from each silo was placed in 1-L styrofoam containers, covered with cheesecloth and held at room temperature. Silage temperature was recorded hourly for 14 d via implanted thermocouple probes. Chemical composition of the forage at ensiling was consistent with previously reported values. At d 61, pH was lowest (p<0.01) in silage S. Ammonia-N was lower (p<0.05) in silage A than in silages S, B, E, or F. Compared to pre-ensiling values, water soluble carbohydrate concentrations were elevated in silages S, A, B, C and D, and decreased in E and F. Lactic acid concentrations were similar (p>0.10) across treatments. Acetic acid levels were highest (p<0.01) in silage E and lowest (p<0.01) in silage D. Recovery of DM was lower (p<0.01) in silage F than in silages S, A, B, C, or D. On d 61, yeasts were most numerous (p<0.01) in silage D, which was the only silage in which temperature rose more than $2^{\circ}C$ above ambient during aerobic exposure. Silage D also had the highest (p<0.01) pH and ADIN content after aerobic exposure. Lactic acid and WSC content of silage D decreased dramatically during the 14-d aerobic exposure period. Yeast counts (at d 14 of exposure) were lowest (p<0.01) in silages E and F. In general, the commercial inoculants did not appear to enhance the fermentation of barley silage to any appreciable extent in laboratory silos.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.522-529
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• 1998

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculation either alone or in combination with cell wall degrading enzymes on the fermentation characteristics and chemical compositions of Rhodesgrass silage. Over to 1 kg of fresh Rhodesgrass sample a treatment of inoculant LAB with or without addition of an enzyme of Acremoniumcellulase (A) or Meicelase (M) or a mixture of both enzymes (AM) was applied. The treatments were control untreated, LAB-treated (application rate $1.0{\times}10^5cfu/g$ fresh sample), LAB+A 0.005%, LAB+A 0.01%, LAB+A 0.02%, LAB+M 0.005%, LAB+M 0.01%, LAB+M 0.02 %, LAB+AM 0.005%, LAB+AM 0.01%, and LAB+AM 0.02%. The sample was ensiled into 2-L vinyl bottle silo, with 9 silages of each treatment were made. Three silages of each treatment were incubated at 20, 30 and $40^{\circ}C$ for 2-months of storage period. All silages were well preserved with their fermentation quality has low pH values (3.91-4.26) and high lactic acid concentrations (4.11-9.89 %DM). No differences were found in fermentation quality and chemical composition of the control untreated silage as compared to the LAB-treated silage. Combined treatment of LAB+cellulases improved the fermentation quality of silages measured in terms of lower (p < 0.01) pH values and higher (p < 0.05) lactic concentrations than those of LAB-treated silages. Increasing amount of cellulase addition resulted in decrease (p < 0.05) of pH value and increase (p < 0.05) of lactic acid concentration. LAB + cellulase treatments (all cellulase types) reduced (p < 0.01) NDF, ADF and in vitro dry matter digestibility of silages compared with the control untreated silages. The fermentation quality and the rate of cell wall reduction were higher (p < 0.01) in the silages treated with LAB + cellulase A than in the silages treated with either LAB+cellulase M or LAB + cellulase AM. Incubation temperature of $40^{\circ}C$ was likely to be more appropriate environment for stimulating the fermentation of Rhodesgrass silages than those of 20 and $30^{\circ}C$.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1568-1574
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• 2017

Objective: The effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and cellulase enzyme on fermentation quality, microorganism population, chemical composition and in vitro gas production of sorghum silages were studied. Methods: Commercial inoculant Lactobacillus plantarum Chikuso 1 (CH), local selected strain Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) TH 14 and Acremonium cellulase (AC) were used as additives in sorghum silage preparation. Results: Prior to ensiling Sorghum contained $10^4LAB$ and $10^6cfu/g$ fresh matter coliform bacteria. The chemical compositions of sorghum was 26.6% dry matter (DM), 5.2% crude protein (CP), and 69.7% DM for neutral detergent fiber. At 30 days of fermentation after ensiling, the LAB counts increased to a dominant population; the coliform bacteria and molds decreased to below detectable level. All sorghum silages were good quality with a low pH (<3.5) and high lactic acid content (>66.9 g/kg DM). When silage was inoculated with TH14, the pH value was significantly (p<0.05) lower and the CP content significantly (p<0.05) higher compared to control, CH and AC-treatments. The ratio of in vitro methane production to total gas production and DM in TH 14 and TH 14+AC treatments were significantly (p<0.05) reduced compared with other treatments while in vitro dry matter digestibility and gas production did not differ among treatments. Conclusion: The results confirmed that L. casei TH14 could improve sorghum silage fermentation, inhibit protein degradation and decrease methane production.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2022

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the quality of high moisture rye silage. Rye forage (Secale cereale L.) was harvested at the heading stage (27.3% of dry matter (DM)) and cut into approximately 3-5 cm lengths. Then, the forage divided into 4 treatments with different inoculants: 1) No additives (CON); 2) Lactobacillus brevis strain 100D8 at a 1.2 × 10⁵ colony-forming unit (cfu)/g of fresh forage (LBR); 3) Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain 5H4 at a 1.0 × 10⁵ cfu/g of fresh forage (LHO); and 4) Mixture of LBR and LHO (1:1 ratio) applied at a 1.0 × 10⁵ cfu/g of fresh forage (MIX). About 3 kg of forage from each treatment was ensiled into a 20 L mini-bucket silo in quadruplicate for 100 days. After silo opening, silage was collected for analyses of chemical compositions, in vitro nutrient digestibilities, fermentation characteristics, and microbial enumerations. The CON silage had the highest concentrations of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber (p = 0.006; p = 0.008) and a lowest in vitro DM digestibility (p < 0.001). The pH was highest in CON silage, while lowest in LBR and MIX silages (p < 0.001). The concentrations of ammonia-N, lactate, and acetate were highest in LBR silage (p = 0.008; p < 0.001; p < 0.001). Propionate and butyrate concentrations were highest in CON silage (p = 0.004; p < 0.001). The LAB and yeast counts were higher in CON and LHO silages compare to LBR and MIX silages (p < 0.001). However, the mold did not detect in all treatments. Therefore, this study could conclude that L. brevis 100D8 and Leu. holzapfelii strain 5H4 can improve the digestibility and anti-fungal activity of high moisture rye silage.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.96-112
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• 2023

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is a valuable annual forage crop in Korea but there is limited information about the impact of chemical and biological additives on fermentation characteristics of the crop. This experiment was conducted to investigate fermentation dynamics of wilted forage rye treated with the following six additives; control (no additive), sodium diacetate applied at 3 g/kg wilted forage weight (SDA3), 6 g/kg wilted forage weight (SDA6), inoculations (10⁶ CFU/g wilted forage) of Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), L. buchneri (LB), or LP+LB. The ensiled rye sampled at 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 45 days indicated that the acidification occurred fast within five days of storage than the rest of the storage period. The microbial inoculants decline the pH of ensiled forage, more rapidly than the control or SDA treated, which accompanied by the decrease of water-soluble carbohydrates and increase of lactic acid. Compared with the control silage, all treatments suppressed ammonia-nitrogen formation below to 35 g/kg DM throughout the sampling period. Suppression of total microbial counting occurred in SDA6, LP, and LP + LB. The lactic acid production rates were generally higher in microbial inoculation treatments. Acetic acid concentration was lowest in the LP-treated silage and highest in the SDA- and LB-treated silages. The in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility and total digestible nutrients were the highest in the silage treated with SDA (6 g/kg) at day 45 of ensiling. Based on lower ammonia-nitrogen concentrations and higher feed value, ensiling forage rye treated with SDA at 6 g/kg is promising through enhanced silage quality.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.642-651
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of different roughages in total mixed ration (TMR) inoculated with or without coculture of Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) on in vitro rumen fermentation and microbial population. Methods: Three TMRs formulations composed of different forages were used and each TMR was grouped into two treatments: non-fermented TMR and fermented TMR (F-TMR) (inoculated with coculture of L. acidophilus and B. subtilis). After fermentation, the fermentation, chemical and microbial profile of the TMRs were determined. The treatments were used for in vitro rumen fermentation to determine total gas production, pH, ammonianitrogen (NH3-N), and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Microbial populations were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All data were analyzed as a 3×2 factorial arrangement design using the MIXED procedure of Statistical Analysis Systems. Results: Changes in the fermentation (pH, lactate, acetate, propionate, and NH3-N) and chemical composition (moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, and ash) were observed. For in vitro rumen fermentation, lower rumen pH, higher acetate, propionate, and total VFA content were observed in the F-TMR group after 24 h incubation (p<0.05). F-TMR group had higher acetate concentration compared with the non-fermented group. Total VFA was highest (p<0.05) in F-TMR containing combined forage of domestic and imported source (F-CF) and F-TMR containing Italian ryegrass silage and corn silage (F-IRS-CS) than that of TMR diet containing oat, timothy, and alfalfa hay. The microbial population was not affected by the different TMR diets. Conclusion: The use of Italian ryegrass silage and corn silage, as well as the inoculation of coculture of L. acidophilus and B. subtilis, in the TMR caused changes in the pH, lactate and acetate concentrations, and chemical composition of experimental diets. In addition, F-TMR composed with Italian ryegrass silage and corn silage altered ruminal pH and VFA concentrations during in vitro rumen fermentation experiment.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2018

This study was carried out to estimate the effect of selected inoculants on chemical compositions and fermentation characteristics of rye silage. Rye was harvested at dough stage and divided into 5 treatments, following: No additives (CON); L. plantarum R48-27 (LP27); L. buchneri R4-26 (LB26); Mixture of LP27 and LB26 at 1:1 ratio (MIX); and L. buchneri (LB). The rye forage was ensiled into 10 L bucket silo for 100 days. The contents of NDF and ADF were lowest (P<0.05) in LB26. The pH in LB26, MIX, and LB were lower (P<0.05) than CON and LP27. Lactate content in LB was higher (P<0.05) than the others, while acetate content in LB26 and LB were higher (P<0.05) than that in CON and LP27. Lactate to acetate ratio was highest (P<0.05) in LB, but lowest in LB26. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count in LB was higher (P<0.05) than that in CON, while yeast count in CON was lower than in all silages applied inoculants. In conclusion, silages inoculated with LB26 could improve potentially the aerobic stability caused by increases of acetate and propionate concentrations.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.1123-1132
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• 2015

Winter wheat is a suitable crop to be ensiled for animal feed and China has the largest planting area of this crop in the world. During the ensiling process, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play the most important role in the fermentation. We investigated the natural population of LAB in whole-crop wheat (WCW) and examined the quality of whole-crop wheat silage (WCWS) with and without LAB inoculants. Two Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum strains, Zhengzhou University 1 (ZZU 1) selected from corn and forage and grass 1 (FG 1) from a commercial inoculant, were used as additives. The silages inoculated with LAB strains (ZZU 1 and FG 1) were better preserved than the control, with lower pH values (3.5 and 3.6, respectively) (p<0.05) and higher contents of lactic acid (37.5 and 34.0 g/kg of fresh matter (FM), respectively) (p<0.05) than the control. Sixty LAB strains were isolated from fresh material and WCWS without any LAB inoculation. These LAB strains were divided into the following four genera and six species based on their phenotypic, biochemical and phylogenetic characteristics: Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Leuconostoc citreum, Weissella cibaria, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus buchneri, and Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum. However, the prevalent LAB, which was predominantly heterofermentative (66.7%), consisted of Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Leuconostoc citreum, Weissella cibaria, and Lactobacillus buchneri. This study revealed that most of isolated LAB strains from control WCWS were heterofermentative and could not grow well at low pH condition; the selective inoculants of Lactobacillus strains, especially ZZU 1, could improve WCWS quality significantly.