Selection of Lactic Acid Bacteria from Alfalfa Silage and Its Effects as Inoculant on Silage Fermentation

Abstract

The first part of the study aimed to isolate, characterize, and identify wild lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains from alfalfa silage produced in a tropical area. LAB strains were isolated from alfalfa silage ensiled for 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 56 days (d) and were identified by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The second part aimed to investigate the effects of wild LAB strains on the nutritive and fermentative characteristics of alfalfa silage. This trial was conducted according to a completely randomized design in a 4 × 2 factorial scheme [four inoculants (I) × two harvests (H)], (n = 4). The inoculants were: (1) no inoculant (CTRL), (2) Lactobacillus pentosus (AV 14.17); (3) L. pentosus + Lactobacillus brevis + Pediococcus acidilactici (Combo); and (4) commercial inoculant (CI). Alfalfa forage (7 kg) was ensiled in 10 L buckets and opened after 90 d. Seventy-seven strains were isolated. Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, and Weissella represented 52.0, 24.7, and 20.8% of the isolates, respectively. For the first harvest, Combo, CI, and all inoculated silages showed lower acid detergent fiber ADF, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), respectively. Silage fermented with AV14.17 presented greater residual water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) in the second harvest and showed the lowest pH in both harvests. AV14.17 strain has potential as an inoculant for alfalfa silage production.

Selection of lactic acid bacteria from native grass silage and its effects as inoculant on silage fermentation

“…LAB has been shown to improve fermentation quality in various forage species (Cai et al, 1999a;Contreras-Govea et al, 2013). In the present study, all the isolated strains and commercial inoculants had positive effects on reducing pH and NH 3 -N content, and increasing LA content, LA/AA ratio and LAB counts, which in accordance with the previous findings that Lactobacillus plantarum can improve silage fermentation (Guo et al, 2020;Mugabe et al, 2019;Zhao et al, 2019;Silva et al, 2020).…”

Effects of Sugar Cane Molasses Addition on the Fermentation Quality, Microbial Community, and Tastes of Alfalfa Silage

“…In the ensiling process, WSC played a critical role in silage fermentation and acted as the fermentable substrate in the early stage [ 24 ]. It was widely accepted that alfalfa alone was related to a weak fermentability due to its insufficiency of WSC [ 25 ].…”

Do regrowth age and microbial inoculant usage affect the microbial diversity and fermentation characteristics of forage peanut silage?

“…The use of microbial inoculants containing facultative heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains include Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ; Lactiplantibacillus pentosus ; Lacticaseibacillus casei and many Pediococcus species during ensiling enhances fermentation, have a high growth rate, increase produce lactic acid, which promotes pH reduction, reduces DM losses, and suppresses the growth of unwanted microorganisms in diverse forage species across, especially in legume and grass silage both temperate and tropical climates when compared with untreated (Agarussi et al, 2019; Đorđević et al, 2019; Muck et al, 2018; Silva et al, 2020).…”