Role of latic acid fermentation in silage production

Abstract

Silage is the method of forage anaerobic conservation, where a metabiosis,  or a succession of microbial groups containing lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB), in which the development of spoilage microorganisms, which are less tolerant to acidic conditions, is inhibited. So homofermentative bacteria growing in the first stages of silage fermentation, such as Lactobacillus lactis, are desirable in the process of fermentation of silage. In the homofermentation, more than 87% of the latic acid is produced. In heterofermentation, additional products such as ethanol/acetate and CO₂ are formed. Microbial inoculants used as additives include homofermentative, heterofermentative LAB, or both. Due to specificity between the forage species and their epiphytic microflora, studies aiming to isolating and identifying the main microbial groups present in the main forage plants used for silage are scarce. It is known that inocula response are forage dependent. Therefore it is recommended studies which emphasizes dry matter losses and their relations to economic viability.