Effect of Lactobacillus buchneri on the nutritive value of Sucrosorgo 506 bagasse silage

Sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB) is a dry pulpy residue that remains after the extraction of juice from Sorghum saccharatum for ethanol production, and represents unused plant biomass that can be used in livestock feeding. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of heterofermentative bacteria Lactobacillus buchneri, added during ensiling process to Sucrosorgo 506 bagasse, on anaerobic stability, nutritional value, in vitro ruminal and intestinal disappearances and quality of silage in micro-silos. In this experiment, the inoculant was applied at a rate of 5 x 10(4) CFU/ml (B1). Sucrosorgo 506 bagasse silage without the additive served as control (B0). The basic composition, the content of minerals and the amino acid profile were determined for both fresh and ensiled materials. The aerobic stability, NH3-N content and pH value of the silage were determined to evaluate its quality. A positive effect of the addition of L. buchneri on the nutritional value and quality, especially volatile fatty acid profile was revealed. It was also found that both investigated Sucrosorgo 506 bagasse silages were aerobically stable and exhibited satisfactory quality. The silage prepared with L. buchneri had better effective ruminal degradability and intestinal digestibility in vitro.