FI63328C - ENSILERINGMEDELKOMPOSITION FOER ENSILERING AV GROENFODER OCH LIKNANDE - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a preservative composition for the preservation of fresh feed and the like, which mixture contains a component which increases the hydrogen ion concentration of the preservative feed, such as, for example, mineral acid or formic acid or formic acid or formic acid.

The use of acids as a preservative in the preservation of fresh fodder is a well-known way of preparing good quality silage. The best known and surest procedure is based on the so-called To the AIV method, according to which the pH of the feed mass is lowered by the addition of acid to 3-4. Initially, only concentrated mineral acids, such as a mixture of hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, were used in the AIV method, but later they were replaced by formic acid in particular. Formic acid has also been used as a salt with calcium, magnesium and sodium as cations, together with a phosphate such as urea phosphate and / or mono-calcium phosphate.

Due to the buffering effect of the preservative feed material, it has already proved practically unwise to reach pH 4 by direct acid addition due to the abundance of acid supplement required. Achieving the desired pH range is therefore dependent on acid-forming fermentations in the feed, the most preferred of which is pure lactic acid fermentation by acid-tolerant lactic acid bacteria. The essential role of acid addition is therefore essentially that acidification promotes pure lactic acid fermentation by reducing or preventing less acid-tolerant microbes which cause harmful fermentations and, in particular, those which greatly reduce the quality of the feed and cause high nutrient losses and nutrient losses. The aim is therefore to reduce or prevent competition from other microbes with lactic acid bacteria from a common energy source such as the sugars in the feed material.

The ideal preservative is thus a substance or mixture of substances which, in addition to having an immediate pH-lowering effect, specifically inhibits the vital functions of microorganisms competing with lactic acid bacteria from the energy source without interfering with pure lactic acid fermentation. In this case, the desired final degree of acidity is achieved as advantageously as possible by converting the sugars of the feed material into lactic acid in the most efficient manner and with the lowest possible consumption of sugars.

Hitherto known preservatives or preservative mixtures have not been shown to have specific anti-fermentation properties which favor lactic acid fermentation as described above, but their beneficial effect is limited to an amount that can be explained by the increase in hydrogen ion concentration they provide.

It has now surprisingly been found in accordance with the present invention that by combining a hydrogen ion enhancing component and a benzoic acid component, a highly effective preservative mixture can be obtained. The invention therefore relates to a preservative mixture for preserving fresh fodder and the like, which mixture contains a hydrogen ion concentration-increasing component of the preservative fodder, such as mineral acid or formic acid or a formic acid salt, together with an acidic phosphate compound that the mixture contains not more than 100 equivalents per tonne of feed as a component that increases the hydrogen ion concentration of the feed when its acidity is determined by titration with a strong base to pH 7 and 0.1-2 kg per tonne of feed based on the benzoic acid component. The amounts of the components may vary so that the preservative mixture contains about 40-98% by weight of the hydrogen ion enhancing component and about 2-60% by weight of the benzoic acid component, calculated as benzoic acid.

Benzoic acid and its salts and some of its derivatives are already known as preservatives and have also been tried in the preservation of fresh feed. However, except in special cases, the results of the experiments have been unsatisfactory. A possible explanation for this is that in these previous experiments no acid addition has been used in addition to the benzoic acid component to effectively increase the hydrogen ion concentration. It is true that, within both physiologically and economically acceptable application rates, the effect of benzoic acid on the hydrogen ion concentration remains negligible and is completely absent when benzoic acid is used as a salt.

Instead, the preservative composition of the invention provides results that exceed those obtained by using the components of the composition separately. To illustrate this, the results of grass preservation performed using different amounts of hydrochloric acid or formic acid as the hydrogen ion concentration-increasing component, either without the addition of benzoic acid or by adding two different amounts of benzoic acid, are shown below. In all experiments, the benzoic acid was as the ammonium salt. A corresponding preservation without a hydrogen ion concentration-increasing component is presented as a reference.

Table 1 below shows the amount of lactic acid in the feed, expressed as a percentage by weight on the one hand and 4 63328 on the other hand in brackets in equivalents per tonne of feed.

It can be seen from Table 1 that at each level of "other acid" addition, starting from zero, the amount of lactic acid formed in the feed is approximately constant.

This indicates that the benzoic acid supplement has not prevented lactic acid fermentation. In contrast, an increase in the dosage of "other acid" has reduced the amount of lactic acid formed, and in this respect formic acid has a stronger effect than hydrochloric acid. From the amounts of lactic acid shown in equivalents in Table 1, it can be readily seen that an equivalent increase in the dose of hydrochloric acid has reduced the amount of lactic acid by approximately the same amount. In contrast, an increase in formic acid dosage reduces the amount of lactic acid by an equivalent amount.

table 1

Lactic acid in feed,% by weight (eq / t)

Other acid, Benzoic acid, kg / t eq / t_ 0_0.25_0.50 0 2.07 2.11 2.10 _ (230) (234) _ (233) 20 1.93 1.97 1.62 (214) (219) (180) HCl 40 1.75 1.77 1.73 (194) (197) (192) 60 1.55 1.46 1.52 (172) (162) (169) 20 1.71 1 .83 1.80 (190) (203) (200) HCOOH 40 1.19 1.28 1.38 (132) (142) (153) 60 0.98 0.99 0.93 (108) _ (110) ) _ (103) 5 63328

Table 2 shows the percentage of reducing sugars at the end of fermentation in the feed. It can be seen from the table that the combination of a benzoic acid supplement with hydrogen ion-raising acids reduces the loss of sugars in the latter at all dosage levels in fermentation-unfavorable fermentations. The amount of residual sugars has at best been equal to or even greater than that originally observed in canned grass. This can only be explained by the formation of sugars from other carbohydrates in the feed material, which have remained unused in the feed mass.

It is clear from Table 2 that the preservative composition according to the invention has the advantageous effect of protecting sugars from fermentations which are unfavorable or detrimental to preservation. This effect is clearly greater with the mixture than with its components used alone.

The preferred combination effect is most evident from that shown in the lower part of Table 2. It is found that when formic acid is used alone and the addition increases, the amount of residual sugars is reduced, which is in stark contrast to when hydrochloric acid is used alone. On the other hand, when examining the effect of benzoic acid supplementation on the amount of residual sugar added alone and with formic acid, it is found that the sugar content remained at best double (top row) more abundant (bottom two lines).

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Table 2

Reducing sugars in feedingstuffs,% by weight (average raw sugar 3,57% by weight)

Other acid, Benzoic acid, kg / t eq / t_ _0_0.25_0.50 O 1.27 1.96 2.53 20 1.97 2.73 3.31 HCl 40 2.92 3.83 3.78 60 3, 11 3.67 3.54 20 2.26 2.33 2.78 HCOOH 40 1.24 2.39 3.06 60 1.11 1.43 2.66

Table 3 shows the loss of feed dry matter during storage. The experimental results presented in this table further confirm that the beneficial effect of benzoic acid in the preservative composition of the invention is more than additive. This is evident from the fact that at all levels of hydrochloric acid addition, the benzoic acid component has been significantly more effective in reducing dry matter loss than when used alone.

The above applies equally to the loss of organic matter, since no must was removed from the silos in the described experiment. There was thus no loss of minerals, and the loss of organic matter can be calculated as caused by fermentation.

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Table 3

Dry matter loss in preservation,% by weight

Other acid, Benzoic acid, kg / t eq / t_0_0.25_0.50 0 12.75 8.64 8.34 20 9.45 10.80 3.70 HCl 40 6.52 3.85 2.58 60 12.93 4.47 2.90 20 7.90 8.49 10.00 HCOOH 40 19.03 13.97 10.09 60 18.22 17.62 10.72

Table 4 shows the results of the ethanol fermentation study. Ethanol fermentation may be one of the reasons for the above losses. From the results shown in Table 4, it can be seen that when used in combination with hydrochloric acid, benzoic acid has significantly reduced ethanol formation than when used alone. When used in combination with formic acid, the same effect is clear, but in some cases still relatively smaller. The explanation for this seems to be the unexpected ethanol-promoting effect of formic acid.

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Table 4

Ethanol in feed,% by weight

Other acid, Benzoic acid, kg / t eq / t_O_0.25. 0.50 0 0.75 0.53 0.32 20 0.75 0.38 0.28 HCl 40 0.46 0.23 0.09 __60 0.52 0.16 0.09 20 0.75 0, 52 0.27 HCOOH 40 1.42 0.95 0.26 60 1.56 1.27 0.61

In order to clarify the suitability of the preservative mixture according to the invention for its purpose, the effect of higher amounts of benzoic acid on the palatability and digestibility of the feed was tested. For acids, the effects in these ratios are already known. For testing, silage was prepared from grass by adding benzoic acid as a preservative in one case per 1 kg and in another 2 kg per ton of fresh feed, i.e. 0.1 and 0.2% by weight. For comparison, feed was preserved without preservative and with the addition of 5 1 86% formic acid per tonne of feed.

According to the Latin square, the palatability and digestibility test carried out on rams showed no statistically significant differences in the palatability of the feed or in the digestibility of its organic matter between the feeds. As the animals were provided exclusively with silage, it can reasonably be concluded that benzoic acid can be added to the preserved feed as a component of the preservative mixture at a rate of at least 2 kg per tonne of feed.

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In view of the above, it can be clearly shown that the preservative mixture according to the invention, which comprises a hydrogen ion-raising component and a benzoic acid component, has advantageous properties which are not as varied in previously known fresh feed preservatives or combinations thereof. Thus, when used in combination with relatively small amounts of benzoic acid, it is possible to substantially reduce the use of an acid which immediately lowers the pH of the feed without impairing the preservation result or even at the same time improving the result. When the pH is adjusted with an organic acid such as formic acid, this fact also has an economically advantageous effect. In the case of cheaper mineral acids, on the other hand, the possibility of reducing the acid is particularly favorable because the conventionally abundant use of these acids has a physiologically unfavorable effect on the feeding of large amounts of feed to the animals.

Since the efficacy and effect of the pH-regulating component can be reduced without disadvantage, it is possible to use acid salts or mixtures thereof instead of free acids as the pH-regulating component in the preservative mixture according to the invention. This provides an even better opportunity to dispense with the use of liquid acids and their combinations that are difficult to handle and easy to cause accidents. Thus, in the preservative mixture according to the invention, any substance or mixture of substances known per se which raises the hydrogen ion concentration and suitable for this purpose can be used as the pH-regulating component.

The benzoic acid component may be in the form of a benzoic acid or a salt or derivative thereof which has a similar effect to the acid or its salts. An example of a useful derivative is para-hydroxybenzoic acid and its methyl and ethyl esters, which are also approved as food preservatives.

The preservative composition of the invention may be in either solid form or in solution. Since benzoic acid is insoluble in acids such as hydrochloric acid and formic acid, it is suspended in the acid as homogeneously as possible using thickening and gelling agents known per se, such as agar-agar, alginates, cellulose derivatives, starch dextrin or pectin.

The preservative composition of the invention may also include other preservative enhancers, such as sugars or substances containing them, lactic acid bacteria, enzymes that break down cellulose and starch, feed flavoring agents, or feed protein solubility regulators.

A typical field of application of the preservative composition according to the invention comprises the storage of green plant material fresh in an enclosed space. Other uses include grains and seeds stored in moist conditions, as well as hay and straw, in which case preservation can take place either in an air-protected or unprotected state, depending on the moisture content of the material. The amounts of the components of the mixture can then vary within a fairly loose range, depending on the application and its properties. Thus, the preferred amount of benzoic acid component in the airtight storage of fresh grass fodder is about 100-1000 g per tonne of feed, expressed as benzoic acid, and the amount of benzoic acid component should for no purpose exceed 2 kg of benzoic acid per tonne of feed. The highest amounts within the range shown are recommended for feed materials rich in 6,332 8 11 proteins and with a strong alkaline mineral composition, such as legumes. Smaller amounts, on the other hand, are sufficient for species with low protein content and less alkaline or neutral mineral composition. However, in a preservative mixture in which formic acid is the only essential acidity-regulating component, it is preferable to use the benzoic acid component in more abundant amounts, regardless of the feed material to be preserved.

The amount of the acidifying component of the preservative mixture is preferably 20 to 60 acid equivalents per tonne of feed when the acidity of the mixture is determined by titration with a strong base to pH 7. Both the most abundant and the lesser amounts within the range are

Thus, the amount of the acidifying component of the preservative composition of the invention may vary depending on the acid used and the intended use in the range of about 40 to 98% by weight based on the acid, and the amount of the benzoic acid component may vary in the range of about 2 to 60% by weight.

Claims (4)

63328 A preservative mixture for preserving fresh fodder and the like, which mixture contains a hydrogen ion concentration-increasing component of the preservative fodder, such as mineral acid or formic acid, or salts of formic acid together with an acidic phosphorus compound, or a benzoic acid component, that the mixture contains not more than 100 equivalents per tonne of feed as a component that increases the hydrogen ion concentration of the feed when the acidity of the mixture is determined by titration with a strong base to pH 7 and 0,1 to 2 kg per tonne of feed with benzoic acid. Preservative mixture according to Claim 1, characterized in that it contains 40 to 98% by weight of hydrogen ion-increasing component and 2 to 60% by weight of benzoic acid component, calculated as benzoic acid. Preservative mixture according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it further contains additives known per se, such as sugars or substances containing them, lactic acid bacteria, cellulose and starch-cleaving enzymes, feed flavoring agents or feed protein solubility regulators. A preservative mixture as a solution according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bentoic acid component is in the form of a benzoic acid, characterized in that the benzoic acid is uniformly suspended in the solution by means of a thickening or gelling agent.