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Effect of inoculant and enzyme additives on fermentation characteristics and gas production of grass silage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

Z.S. Davies ,
A.E. Brooks ,
M.K. Theodorou ,
G.W. Griffith  and
R.J Merry
Z.S. Davies
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EB, UK
A.E. Brooks
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EB, UK
M.K. Theodorou
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EB, UK
G.W. Griffith
Affiliation:
Institute of Biological Sciences, Edward Llwyd Building, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, UK
R.J Merry
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EB, UK
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Extract

Inoculants containing lactic acid bacteria, added to herbage at time of cutting, aid the natural process of fermentation to produce lactic acid during ensilage. This lowers the pH and preserves the silage. It is also claimed that enzyme additives break down polysaccharides in plant cell walls, releasing fermentable sugar to stimulate fermentation and increase the digestibility of the silage. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of inoculants and enzymes on silage fermentation characteristics and gas production during in vitro fermentation.

A second cut of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) was mown, chopped to 2 – 4 cm lengths, divided into aliquots and treated at a rate of 10 ml kg-1. The treatments were: 1) control (water), 2) inoculant (Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Propionibacter jensenii at 1.6 x 105 cells g-1 herbage) 3) enzyme (xylanase, β-glucanase and amylase, applied at a rate of 0.001 g kg-1 herbage) and 4) inoculant + enzyme.

Type
Programme
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 1999 , 1999 , pp. 145
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 1999

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References

Davies, D.R., Theodorou, M.K., Baughan, J., Brooks, A.E. & Newbold, J.R. (1995) An automated pressure evaluation system (APES) for determining the fermentation characteristics of ruminant feeds. Annales de Zootechnie, 44: 36 Google Scholar
France, J., Dhanoa, M.S., Theodorou, M.K., Lister, S.J. Davies, D.R. & Isaac, D. (1993) A model to interpret gas accumulation profiles associated with in vitro degradation of ruminant feeds.Journal of Theoretical Biology,163;99–111 Google Scholar
Merry, R.J., Dhanoa, M.S. & Theodorou, M.K. (1995) Use of freshly cultured lactic acid bacteria as silage inoculants. Grass and Forage Science 50: 112–123 CrossRefGoogle Scholar