GB2159388A

GB2159388A - Preservation of silage

Info

Publication number: GB2159388A
Application number: GB08414074A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Derek William Salt
Original assignee: Pan Britannica Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Pan Britannica Industries Ltd
Priority date: 1984-06-01
Filing date: 1984-06-01
Publication date: 1985-12-04
Also published as: GB8414074D0

Abstract

A method of making silage from green fodder such as grass, lucerne or clover comprises adding to the green fodder an additive composition comprising lactic acid and a source of fermentable carbohydrate such as glucose, sucrose or lactose, and optionally calcium formate, sodium diacetate and/or sodium proprionate.

Description

SPECIFICATION Preservation of silage To make silage, green fodder such as grass, lucerne, clover, is cut, chopped and packed into heaps or storage containers such as silos to exclude air and moisture. Sometimes the green fodder is wilted to reduce moisture content before ensiling.

The packed green fodder produces an ideal medium for fermentation by various micro-organisms. During the fermentation carbohydrate in the fodder is converted into lactic acid, it is this lactic acid which preserves the fodder. Therefore, it is plain that one of the main objects in silage fermentation is to produce sufficient lactic acid to give good preservation of the fodder. Good preservation normally requires 5-12% lactic acid depending on the type of fodder being ensiled and its dry matter content. Fodder with a high dry matter content needs less lactic acid to preserve it thanfodderwitha low dry mattercontent.Agood indication of the amount of acid formed is given by measuring the pH of the silage. The lower the pH the more acid is present.

Undergood growing and harvesting conditions green fodder will normally contain sufficient carbohydrate to produce a satisfactory level of lactic acid. If, however, the green fodder is grown and harvested under cold, wet conditions the fermentation often does not produce sufficient lactic acid to give a good preservation of the silage. In the United Kingdom, the silage season runs from early May to September, with a high proportion being harvested between mid May and the end of June. During this period unsuitable silage making weather frequently occurs and this leads to a reduction in quality of the silage or even a total loss duet poorfermentation producing insufficient lactic acid for preservation.

A number of methods have been used to try to overcome problems of poor fermentation. The addi tion ofan acid such as formic or sulphuric has been used for many years to maintain acid conditions in the silage, but although a pH low enough to give good preservation is obtained the silage is often less palatable to the cattle eating it. Further, such acids are corrosive, which may present problems. The addition offermentable sugars has also been used to increase the level of carbohydrate but sugars are too expensive to be used in any quantity in silage. Sugar in the form of molasses is comparatively cheap and its use is well established, however, it is difficult to apply because of its viscous and sticky nature.

The addition of lactic acid to green fodder before ensiling would seem to be a method of ensuring a sufficient level to give a good preservation. However, lactic acid is far too expensive to be used in sufficient amount to give this good preservation. What we hve found is that the addition of small amounts of lactic acid together with small amounts of sugars produce a fermentation which gives a low enough pH to give preservation even in fodder of low dry matter content.

The pH produced by the lactic acid sugar mixture is lowerthantiatproduced bythelacticacidorsugar alone.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an additive composition suitablefor use in the preservation of silage, the composition comprising lactic acid and a source of fermentable carbohydrate.

The source offermentable carbohydrate wii I usually be chemical rather than biological.

Preferably, the source of fermentable carbohydrate is a source of one more hexoses orothersugars; it may comprise an oligosaccharide and/or a monosac charade. The oligosaccharide may have from two to ten monosaccharide units joined by glycoside linkages and is preferably a disaccharide such as sucrose or lactose. Particularly preferred, however, are monosaccharides such as D-glucose, although any compound which is or can be metabolised to a compound involved in orcapable of supplying at least part of a fermentation pathway (for example glycolysis) may be used.

The lactic acid used may be either lactic acid as available in commerce or it may be that lactic acid sugar mixture which is the residue arising from some types of lactic acid production processes. The lactic acid may be used at the rate of from 1 keg to 20 kg per tonne of matter to be ensiled and the source of fermentable carbohydrate at the rate of 0.1 kg to 10 kg pertonne of crop.

In a preferred composition of the invention the lactic acid may be present in an amountoffrom 10to 80% w/w, especially from 30to 50% w/w; the glucose is preferably present in an amount of from 3 to 40% w/w, especially from Sto 20% Whey, a by-product of the cheese making industry, contains lactose and is a suitable source of fermentable carbohydrate.

Other known silage preservatives such as calcium formate, sodium diacetate and sodium propionate may be added to the composition.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of ensiling organic matter, the method comprising adding to organic matter to be ensiled lactic acid and a source of fermentable carbohydrate.

The organic matterwould usually be green fodder such as grass, lucerne and/or clover.

Preferred features of the second aspect are as for preferred features of the first aspect mutatis mutandis.

According to a third aspect of the present invention.

there is provided silage whenever produced using a composition in accordance with the first aspect and/or by a method in accordance with the second aspect.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how it may be put into effect, the following Examples are now given.

EXAMPLE 1 The following mixture was prepared: % w/w Lactic acid 43 D-ylucose 14 Water 43 This mixturewas applied to grass at the rate of 3.25 kg pertonne. The grass was then ensiled in laboratory silos. Separate samples of grass were treated with lactic acid alone and with D-glucose alone, these were also ensiled in laboratory silos. After3 weeks the silos were opened and the pH of the resultant silage determined.

Treatment per tonne of grass. PH 3.25 kg of above mixture 4.08 (i.e. 1.4 kg lactic acid and 0.45 kg D-glucose).

1.4 kg lactic and 4.24 0.45 kg D-glucose 4.32 Control (no treatment) 4.56 The results ofthe Example show that the pH of silage produced by means of the present invention is significantly lowerthan the pH resulting when no additives are used or when only single additives are used. A pH below about 4.2 is generally thought of as being a characteristic of good quality silage.

EXAMPLE 2 The mixture of Example 1 was prepared and diluted 1:1 with water. The resulting solution was applied to grass at the rate of 6.5 kg pertonne. The grass was then ensiled.

Claims

1. An additive composition suitable for use in the preservation of silage, the composition comprising lactic acid and a source of fermentable carbohydrate.

2. Acomposition as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the source offermentable carbohydrate is chemical.

3. Acomposition as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the source of fermentable carbohydrate is a compound which is or can be metabolised to a compound involved in or capable ofsupplying at least part of a fermentation pathway.

4. A composition as claimed in Claim 1,2 or3, wherein the source offermentable carbohydrate is a source of one or more hexoses or other sugars.

5. Acomposition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the source offermentable carbohydrate is an oligosaccharide and/or a monosaccharide.

6. A composition as claimed in Claim 5, in which the oligosaccharide has from 2to 10 monosaccharide units joined byglycoside linkages.

7. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the source offermentable carbohydrate is a disaccharide such as sucrose or lactose.

8. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, in which the source offermentable carbohydrate comprises whey.

9. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the source offermentable carbohydrate comprises a monosaccharide.

10. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the source offermentable carbohydrate is D-glucose.

11. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10, in which the source offermentable carbohydrate is presert in an amount offrom 3 to 40% by weight of the composition.

12. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10, in which the source offermentable carbohydrate is present in an amountoffrom 5to20% by weight of the composition.

13. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 12, in which the lactic acid is commercially available lactic acid.

14. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 12, in which the lactic acid is obtained from a lactic acid sugar mixture.

15. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 14, in which the lactic acid is present in an amount offrom 10 to 80% by weight of the composition.

16. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 14, in which the lactic acid is present in an amount of from 3 to 50% by weight of the composition.

17. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 16, the composition further comprising calcium formate.

18. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 17, the composition further comprising sodium diacetate.

19. A composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 18, the composition further comprising sodium propionate.

20. A method of ensiling organic matter, the method comprising adding to organic matter an additive composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 19.

21. A method as claimed in Claim 20, in which the organic matter is green fodder, such as grass, lucerne andior clover.

22. Silagewheneverproduced by means of an additive composition as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 19 and/or by a method as claimed in Claim 20 or 21.

23. An additive composition suitableforuse in the preservation of silage substantially as herein described.

24. A method of ensiling organic mattersubstantally as herein described.