Fermentation profile, chemical composition and dry matter losses of orange pulp silage with different microbial inoculants

Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of microbial inoculants on the reduced concentration of gases and effluent, dry matter recovery, pH, volatile fatty acids, and chemical composition of orange pulp silage, using a completely randomized design, with four treatments and four replicates per treatment. The treatments were: orange pulp silage (CONT), citrus pulp silage + Lactobacillus plantarum (LAC), citrus pulp silage + Lactobacillus buchneri (BUCH), citrus pulp silage + Lactobacillus plantarum and buchneri (LACBUCH). Inoculants were applied at a rate of 25 liters of solution per ton of citrus pulp containing 1x103 CFU respectively of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus buchneri per gram of silage. There was no effect of the usage of different inoculants on the reduction of gas and effluent, as well as the pH of the silage. The dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC), mineral matter (MM), ether extract (EE) and the profile of fatty acids did not change significantly with the inclusion of the inoculants. The contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were higher for silage with Lactobacillus buchneri compared to control. The administration of microbial inoculants in orange pulp silage did not result in benefits relative to the dry matter losses during ensiling or the nutritional components.