Effect of citric acid residue and short‐chain fatty acids on fermentation quality and aerobic stability of lucerne ensiled with lactic acid bacteria inoculants

摘要

Abstract The experiment aimed to compare the effects of citric acid residue (CAR) to that of three commonly used short‐chain fatty acids on the fermentation quality, aerobic stability and structural carbohydrate degradation of lucerne ensiled with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants. Fresh lucerne was ensiled with distilled water (control), LAB inoculant (L), CAR + LAB inoculant (CL), formic acid + LAB inoculant (FL), acetic acid + LAB inoculant (AL) and propanoic acid + LAB inoculant (PL) for 50 days. Chemical composition and microbial populations were determined after ensiling. The residual silages ensiled for 50 days were evaluated for aerobic stability. Compared with control, CL, FL, AL and PL treatments significantly (p 64 h, respectively. Applying a combination of CAR and LAB inoculant improved the fermentation quality and structural carbohydrate degradation of lucerne silage and had a similar effect on aerobic stability compared with other three short‐chain fatty acids. The CAR had a comparable effect on enhancing the fermentation quality compared with three short‐chain fatty acids. Thus, the combination of CAR and LAB inoculant might be used as an ideal additive for lucerne silage making with low WSC and high moisture content.