Lactobacillus rhamnosus as additive for maize and sorghum ensiling.

The effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus AT195, a potential probiotic microorganism cultured in buffalo “scotta” whey, have been evaluated on chemical and microbiological composition in maize and sorghum ensiling. Both crops were harvested, chopped and treated or not with the selected strain prior to ensiling in fiberglass vertical silos. Ninety days after ensiling, silages were sensorially observed and sampled. Among the chemical components evaluated, the water soluble carbohydrates content was investigated on fresh crops and silages by high field NMR spectroscopy and carbohydrate fermentation profile was performed by GC. Besides phenotypic identification and typing, microbiological studies included Lb. rhamnosus genotype typing by RAPD-PCR. The selected strain used as inoculum influenced the lactic acid population of silages and evidenced a good survival performance during the ensiling process of both maize and sorghum. Although all silages were well preserved, as their chemical and microbiological data along with the fermentation profiles show, the use of Lb. rhamnosus strain efficiently improved the quality of the multifactorial ensiling process by significantly .........