Effects of using different fermentation aids on the quality and chemical composition of fermented purple guinea grass

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional and physical quality of purple guinea grass silage fermented with five different additives: salt, molasses, formic acid, Lactobacillus plantarum, and cellulase enzyme. The study adopted a completely randomized design (CRD) as an experiment plan. The purple guinea grass was fermented in a vacuum of airtight bags. The silage bags were then measured on pH level and physical characteristics on days 3, 7, 14, and 21 of the fermentation periods. Therefore, measurement was on the concentrations of lactic acid, volatile fatty acids, and ammonia-nitrogen on day 21 of fermentation. While lactic acid, acetic acid, and ammonia-nitrogen were within the appropriate range, propionic and butyric acids were not detected. Moreover, the nutritional content of the silage analysis was determined before and after fermentation. The study found that the purple guinea grass silage exhibited excellent physical quality throughout the fermentation period, from all and non-additive adding. The pH level decreased from day 3 and continuously decreased until it became more consistent on day 14 and became more stable on day 21. The chemical composition of silage on the content of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and lignin (ADL) at 21 days was significantly different among the types of additives (P<0.05). The silage fermented with molasses as an additive exhibited an increased CP content and decreased NDF and ADF levels compared with other additives, showing a tendency for better physical characteristics throughout the fermentation period. Therefore, from this study, it can be concluded that molasses positively impacts the quality of purple guinea grass silage, showing better chemical composition than other fermentation supplements.