Effects of Obligate Heterofermentative Lactic Acid Bacteria Alone or in Combination on the Conservation of Sugarcane Silage.

Our objective was to determine the effects of two strains of obligate heterofermentative bacteria, alone or in combination, on the fermentation profile, gas production kinetics, chemical composition, and aerobic stability of sugarcane silage. A plot of sugarcane was manually harvested, mechanically chopped and treated with: distilled water (5 mL kg; Control), CNCM I-4785 [3 × 10 colony-forming units (cfu) g; LH], NCIMB 40788 (3 × 10 cfu g; LB), and LH+LB (1.5 × 10 cfu g of each strain). Treated forages were packed into 1.96-L gas-tight silos (0.40 porosity) and stored at 25 ± 1.5°C for 70 days (4 replicates per treatment). All heterolactic inoculants were effective to increase acetic acid concentration and inhibit yeast metabolism, as treated silages had lower formation of ethanol, ethyl esters and gas during fermentation. Lower fungal development spared soluble carbohydrates, consequently resulting in silages with higher digestibility. Nevertheless, was the most effective strain to extend the aerobic stability of sugarcane silage (based on both temperature and pH rise). The use of alone or in combination with , applied at 3 × 10 cfu g, is a feasible strategy to inhibit yeast metabolism and increase the nutritional quality of sugarcane silage.