The impact of a bacterial inoculant on chemical composition, aerobicstability and in sacco degradability of corn silage and thesubsequent performance of dairy cows

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bacterial inoculation on the fermentation and aerobic stability of corn silage and on the dry matter degradability and milk composition when fed to sheep or cows. Four male sheep were selected to measure dry matter degradability ofuninoculated (UCS) and inoculated (ICS) corn silage. Milk composition was measured for 22 Holstein cows, separated into two treatment groupsand fed with either UCS or ICS diets. Similar lactic acid concentrations but higher propionic and lower acetic acid concentrations were recorded forICS diets compared to UCS diets (p < 0.05). Aerobic stability was 12 h and 32 h for UCS and ICS, respectively.Values of dry matter loss werehigher for ICS than for UCS (p < 0.05). Lactose and solid non-fat content was higher in the milk of cows fed with ICS than UCS (p < 0.05). Weconclude that the Lalsil bacterial inoculant containing and can be used as an additive due to its positive effect on fermentation, aerobic stability and dry matterdegradability of corn silage. The slight positive effect of inoculcation on the nutritional value of silage appears to be limited to milk productionimprovement in dairy cows