K. Schondorfer, Y. Y. Acosta Aragon, A . Klimitsch, and G. Schatzmayr

It is commonly know that corn silage ferments well due to the presence of fermentable sugars. However , in contrast to green forages, it is usually prone to aerobic deterioration due to a long growth period on the field and accordingly a high natural contamination with moulds and yeasts. Therefore it is crucial to improve the content of stabilizing acids (e.g. acetic acid, propionic acid) in a way that secures effective suppression of aerobic spoilage organisms upon opening the silo.

This goal can be reached by directly adding stabilizing acids, which are usually expensive and/ or corrosive , or by producing them during the fermentation process, by addition of heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria .

A. A. Rodriguez,Y. Acosta Aragon, and E. Valencia

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of the silage additive Biomin® BioStabil Mays ( BSM, blend of homo- and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria) on the fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability of corn whole plant (QPM variety) growth and ensiled in Puerto Rico. Corn was harvested 75 d after planting and chopped finely. Prior to ensiling, the vegetative material of the trial group was treated with BSM (1 x 105 cfu/g silage). A control group went untreated. Treatments were applied to weighted portions of corn forage , manually mixed, and packed into PVC laboratory silos. Samples of fresh forage of each treatment were taken at 0,3,45 and 90 d of fermentation ( triplicate silos of each treatment were available), analyzed for PH, chemical composition,