Can Lactobacilli producing ferulate esterase improve the nutritive value of grass and maize silage?

Pioneer patented a silage inoculant containing Lactobacillus strains of which L. buchneri produces ferulate esterase. The product is claimed to improve silage quality and aerobic stability as well as cell wall digestibility. The effect of the inoculant added to grass and whole plant maize was studied using micro-silos during two years. Each year, grass was mown at 4 growth stages and maize was harvested at 2 maturity stages. Compared to the grass silage without additive, in the treated silage more sugars were fermented to lactic and acetic acid, resulting in a lower pH, less DM-losses and protein degradation and a better aerobic stability. The inoculant lowered NDF content of the grass silage from the early cuts, but not that from the late cuts. In situ rumen degradability of NDF (NDFD) was not affected, whereas in vitro organic matter (OM) digestibility tended to be better for the treated grass silage. In the early harvested maize treatment resulted in less lactic and more acetic acid, a higher pH and higher DM-losses; the aerobic stability was better. Silage quality of the late harvested maize was not affected. The additive did not affect chemical composition nor NDFD of the maize silage.