Effect of lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid on conservation characteristics,aerobic stability and in vitro gas production kinetics and digestibility of whole-crop corn based total mixed ration silage

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid on the fermentation quality, aer- obic stability and in vitro gas production kinetics and digestibility of whole-crop corn based totalmixed ration （TMR） silage. Total mixed ration was ensiled with four treatments： （1） no additives （control）; （2） an inoculant （Lactobacillus plantarum） （L）; （3） propionicacid （P）; （4） propionic acid＋lactic acid bacteria （PL）. All treatments were ensiled in laboratory-scale silos for 45 days, and then subjected to an aerobic stability test for12 days. Further, four TMR silages were incubated in vitro with buffered rumen fluid to study in vitro gas production kinetics and digestibility. The results indicated that all TMR silages had good fermentation characteristics with low pH （〈3.80） and ammonia nitrogen （NH3-N） contents, and high lactic acid contents as well as Flieg points. Addition of L further improved TMR silage quality with more lactic acid production. Addition of P and PL decreased lactic acid and NH3-N contents of TMR silage compared to the control （P〈0.05）. After 12 days aerobic exposure, P and PL silages remained stable, but L and the control silages deteriorated as indicated by a reduction in lactic acid and an increase in pH, and numbers of yeast. Compared to the control, addition of L had no effects on TMR silage in terms of 72 h cumulative gas production, in vitro dry matter digestibility, metabolizable energy, net energy for lactation and short chain fatty acids, whereas addition of PL significantly （P〈0.05） increased them. L silage had higher （P〈0.05） in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility than the control silage. The results of our study suggested that TMR silage prepared with whole-crop corn can be well preserved with or without additives. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggested that propionic acid is compatible with lactic acid bacteria inoculants, and when used together, although they reduced lactic acid production of TMR silage, they improved aerobic stability and in vitro nutrients digestibility of TMR silage.

Ensiling Whipgrass in Large Containers with Lactobacilus plantarum andLactobacillus buchneri

[Objective]To compare the effectiveness of Lactobacillus buchneri（LB）,alone or in combination with Lactobacilllus plantarum（LP）at ensiling on the fermentation,aerobic stability and nutritive value of whipgrass（Hemarthria compressa（L.f.）R.Br.）silage in 1.5-l mili-silos and 50-l plastic containers.[Method]Treatments comprised control（no additives）,LP,LB and LP ＋ LB.After 90 d of storage,overall,inoculation increased the concentration of acetic and 1,2-propanediol,but it reduced the concentrations of lactic acid,water suluble carbohydrates and enthanol.[Result]The whipgrass silages treated with LB had higher acetic acid contents than the control or LP treated silages,and were free of mold,whereas the top layers of the control or LP-treated silages were moldly.In an aerobic stability test the LB-treated silages were stable,whereas those treated with LP deteriorated.In the whipgrass silages the effects of LB made less CO 2 production and stable pH.[Conclusion]It is concluded that LB has a potential as a whipgrass silage additive that protects the silage upon aerobic exposure.

Effects of applying lactic acid bacteria to the fermentation on a mixture of corn steep liquor and air-dried rice straw

This study was to determine the fermentation quality of a mixture of corn steep liquor(CSL)(178 g/kg wet basis) and air-dried rice straw(356 g/kg wet basis) after being treated with inoculants of different types of lactic acid bacteria(LAB). The treatments included the addition of no LAB additive(control),which was deionized water; homo-fermentative LAB alone(^(ho)LAB), which was Lactobacillus plantarum alone), and a mixture of homo-fermentative and hetero-fermentative LAB(^(he+ho)LAB), which were L. plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus buchneri. The results showed that the inoculation of the mixture of CSL and air-dried rice straw with ^(he+ho)LAB significantly increased the concentration of acetic acid and lactic acid compared with the control(P < 0.05). The addition of ^(he+ho)LAB effectively inhibited the growth of yeast in the silage. The concentration of total lactic acid bacteria in the ^(he+ho)LAB-treated silage was significant higher than those obtained in other groups(P < 0.05). The duration of the aerobic stability of the silages increased from 56 h to >372 h. The control group was the first to spoil, whereas the silage treated with ^(he+ho)LAB remained stable throughout the 372 h period of monitoring. The results demonstrated that the ^(he+ho)LAB could effectively improve the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of the silage.