Effect of new strains of Lentilactobacillus buchneri as inoculants in sorghum silage on the fermentative profile, aerobic stability, and voluntary intake in lambs

ABSTRACTWe evaluated the effects of various wild strains of Lentilactobacillus buchneri on the fermentation and aerobic stability of sorghum silages as well as on their intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, and ruminal fermentation in lambs. Four Santa Inês × Dorper crossbred lambs with rumen fistulations were distributed using a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The experimental diets were as follows: silage without inoculation (Control), silage inoculated with a commercial inoculant (Lalsil As), silage inoculated with L. buchneri strain LB 50.4 (LB 50.4), and silage inoculated with L. buchneri strain LB 90.14 (LB 90.14). All inoculated silages and their total mixed ration (TMR) remained stable over 7 d of air exposure, while the control silage and its TMR lost their aerobic stability after ±40.96 h (P < 0.001). The silage containing LB 50.4 exhibited the lowest digestibility of dry matter (P = 0.037), organic matter (P = 0.037), and non-fibrous carbohydrates (P = 0.012). The diet based on LB 50.4 silage showed the highest acetate to propionate ratio (P = 0.005). The strains of L. buchneri used in this study effectively improved the aerobic stability of sorghum silage and the respective diets without compromising nutrient intake or ruminal fermentation.KEYWORDS: Acetic acidaerobic stabilitydigestibilitywild strainsyeast AcknowledgmentsThe authors gratefully acknowledge to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), and Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Ciência Animal (INCT-CA) for their invaluable support and assistance.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).