The Effect of Treating Alfalfa with Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 on Silage Fermentation, Aerobic Stability, and Nutritive Value for Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract

Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 and enzymes (beta-glucanase, alpha-amylase, xylanase, and galactomannase) were applied to chopped alfalfa (39% DM) to study their effects on the fermentation and nutritive value of the silage. Alfalfa was treated with nothing, or L. buchneri 40788, for a final application rate of 1 x 10(5), 5 x 10(5), or 1 x 10(6) cfu/g of fresh forage and ensiled in laboratory silos for 2, 4, 8, and 56 d. Treatment with L. buchneri 40788 had few effects on the end products of fermentation through 8 d of ensiling. However, after 56 d of ensiling, treated silages had a higher pH (4.55 vs. 4.38) and higher concentrations of acetic acid (6.40 vs. 4.24%), propionic acid (0.18 vs. 0.06%), and ammonia-N (0.35 vs. 0.29%) when compared to untreated silage. Lactic acid was also numerically lower in treated (3.51%) than untreated (4.12%). Silages treated with the moderate and highest dose of L. buchneri 40788 also resulted in greater recoveries of DM than did untreated silage. Alfalfa (43% DM) was also untreated or treated with a commercial application of L. buchneri 40788 (4 x 10(5) cfu/g, a commercial dose) in farm-scale bag silo. Holstein cows were fed a diet comprised of 32% untreated or treated alfalfa silage, 11% corn silage, 5% chopped alfalfa hay, and 52% of concentrate (DMB) for a 6-wk treatment period. Dry matter intake and milk composition were unaffected by treatment, but cows fed silage treated with L. buchneri 40788 produced 0.8 kg more milk than did cows fed untreated silage. Treated silage had a higher concentration of acetic acid (5.67 vs. 3.35%) but lower lactic acid (3.50 vs. 4.39%) than untreated silage. When exposed to air, the total mixed ration containing treated alfalfa silage remained stable for 100 h, whereas the ration containing untreated silage spoiled after 68 h. Treating alfalfa silage with L. buchneri 40788 increased the concentration of acetic acid, and when the silage was combined into a total mixed ration and fed to lactating cows, it improved the aerobic stability of the ration and increased milk production.

Effects of Lactobacillus buchneri on the nutritive value of sugarcane silage for finishing beef bulls

“…Bulls fed TMR containing sugarcane silage inoculated with L. buchneri had higher DMI (P = 0.006; Table 4). Several studies have shown that when cattle or sheep are fed silages treated with L. buchneri, DMI is not affected (Driehuis et al, 1999;Taylor et al, 2002;Ranjit et al, 2002;Kung et al, 2003). However, in the present study, the inoculants were effective in mitigating NDF accumulation caused by sugar oxidation during the ensiling process and improved the DMI.…”

Chemical and microbiological evaluation of ensiled sugar cane with different additives

“…Data on microbial population and quality of sugar cane silage is still scarce, while data on the microbiology of other fodders silages such as sorghum, wheat, maize, alfalfa, and grasses in general has been reported by several researchers (8,13,15,18,25,29). In corn and sorghum silages stored for 90 days, yeasts counting were 3.86 and 4.18 Log CFU g -1 of silage, respectively, and lactic acid counting was 8.35 and 7.92 Log CFU g -1 of silage, respectively.…”

“…Yeasts play an important role on the silage quality. Some species might develop in anaerobic conditions, are capable of surviving at low pH values (3.5), and are not inhibited by lactic acid (13). These yeasts convert fodder soluble sugars into ethanol, CO 2 and water, which results in high dry matter loss and low quality forage (20).…”

“…From the total ethanol produced by the yeasts metabolism, 20-30% may be lost by volatilization and the animals may swallow around 30 to 40% of the ethanol (19). When swallowed, ethanol might be converted into acetate in rumen and used by the animal, the rest (60-70%) carries out a futile cycle without liquid energy production in the metabolism (13,19).…”

Estabilidade de silagens de grãos úmidos de milho e milho reidratado

“…Imediatamente após a abertura dos silos (45 dias após ensilagem), todo o conteúdo de silagem foi retirado, homogeneizado e acondicionados em baldes plásticos, mantidos em temperatura ambiente, para a avaliação da estabilidade aeróbica. A análise da estabilidade aeróbica foi realizada com base na diferença entre a temperatura da silagem e a temperatura do bulbo seco (TBS) do ambiente, na qual foi analisado o tempo (horas) necessárias para a temperatura do silo se igualar a TBS, e se elevar em 2, 5 e 10ºC acima da TBS, de acordo com a metodologia sugerida por Kung et al (2003). Após 24 horas de exposição aeróbica foram realizadas as análises de pH, posteriormente em intervalos de 24 horas até às 296 horas, de acordo com as metodologias preconizadas por Silva & Queiroz (2002).…”