Mitsuaki Ohshima

A method of making good quality silage from direct cut alfalfa by spraying previously fermented juice

Abstract Three laboratory-scale experiments were carried out using direct cut alfalfa and 900-ml glass bottle silos. In Experiment 1, effects of different temperatures (20, 30 and 40°C) and additives (previously fermented juice, PFJ, and Lactobacillus casei , LAB) on silage quality were studied. Experiment 2 involved the same treatments as Experiment 1 with the exception that material was only preserved at 30°C. In Experiment 3, effect of addition of PFJ made from diluted alfalfa juice on silage quality was studied. In each experiment, part of the alfalfa was ensiled without any additive (None). All the treatments consisted of three replicate silos and they were preserved for 45 days. The PFJ was prepared by macerating 200 g of freshly harvested alfalfa with 600 ml of water, filtering through double cheese cloth, adding 40 g l −1 glucose and incubating anaerobically at 30°C for 2 days. In Experiment 3, 2- and 20-fold dilutions of alfalfa juice with 20 g l −1 glucose solution before fermentation were made. They were added at 2.5 ml kg −1 of chopped alfalfa. One ml of a solution containing 10 8 L. casei inoculated 1 kg of chopped alfalfa. Silage quality was affected by both temperature and additive treatments. Without an additive, well-fermented silage was obtained only at 40°C. Inoculation with L. casei , a conventional additive, of alfalfa at ensiling was sometimes effective but sometimes not, while addition of PFJ, a novel additive, at 2.5 ml kg −1 fresh alfalfa improved silage quality independently of harvest seasons, growing stages and storage temperatures. Twenty-fold dilution of alfalfa juice with glucose solution before fermentation was possible without decreasing its potential as the silage additive.

Effects of extraction and reconstitution of ryegrass juice on fermentation, digestion and in situ degradation of pressed cake silage

Primary growth of Italian ryegrass was fractionated into green juice and pressed cake (PC). PC was ensiled either directly or after reconstitution with the juice which was spray dried and then added to water before ensiling (RPC). This process was aimed at distinguishing between chemical (removal of nutrients) and physical (mechanical disintegration) effects of fractionation. Two additional wilted silages were prepared from long cut or chopped Italian ryegrass (WL and WC, respectively). The fermentative quality, digestion and in situ degradation of dry matter for the four silages were compared. WC, RPC and PC silages indicated lactate-rich fermentation while WL silage had a comparatively low lactate content. PC silage had a lower (P < 0.05) pH value with lower (P < 0.05) amounts of organic acids compared with WC and RPC silage, suggesting that removal of buffering components with the juice had greater effects than shredding on fermentation of PC silage. The digestibility of protein was lower (P < 0.05) in PC than WL silage but the reduction was compensated for in RPC silage. Ruminal concentrations of total volatile fatty acids were the highest (P < 0.05) when goats fed WL silage while those on the other silages had similar concentrations. Ruminal pH was lower (P < 0.05) in goats fed PC than WC silage and the difference was not fully reversed by reconstituting the juice to PC. Juice extraction decreased (P < 0.05) the soluble fraction and the rate of disappearance of dry matter in the rumen but the potential degradability was not different among treatments. These results suggest that both chemical and physical changes due to the fractionation affect the characteristics of digestion of PC silage while the removal of nutrients has a major role in the modified silage fermentation.

Ruminal degradation of alfalfa protein as influenced by sodium hydroxide and heat treatment

Abstract Effects of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and heat treatment of alfalfa on the degradation of protein in the rumen was investigated in relation to the changes of nitrogenous compounds. Fresh alfalfa was treated with 0, 1.16, 2.32 or 4.64 g NaOH per 100 g dry matter (DM) and then subjected to freeze-drying, or oven-drying for 24 h at 60 or 120°C. Both NaOH and heat treatment produced lysinoalanine at increasing rate with level of treatment to reach a maximum value of 238 mg per 100 g protein. Both treatments also increased neutral detergent insoluble nitrogen (NDIN) according to the increase in level of treatment. Acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) was not affected by NaOH treatment but was significantly increased by heating at 120°C. Both NaOH and heat treatment modified protein into being less soluble and more slowly degradable in the rumen, but heating showed greater effects than NaOH treatment. The proportion of potentially degradable protein was little influenced by the treatments. Both NaOH and heat treatment decreased the rate of protein degradation, but significant differences were detected only with the highest level of treatment (4.64 g NaOH per 100 g DM or 120°C). Correlation coefficients of lysinoalanine, NDIN and ADIN content with rate of protein degradation in the rumen were −0.716, −0.950 and −0.834, respectively. These results suggest that lysinoalanine formation in protein by NaOH and heat treatment can make protein less susceptible to microbial degradation in the rumen, while protein-carbohydrate reaction enhanced the effects on protein degradation in this study.

Effect of graded levels of ethoxyquin in alfalfa leaf extracts on carotenoid and cholesterol concentrations in chicks

Abstract Alfalfa leaf extract treated with graded levels of ethoxyquin was incorporated into a casein diet at a level of about 50 g kg−1. The six leaf extracts contained 0, 956, 2435, 6777, 11 316, 25 150 mg kg−1 ethoxyquin and gave final concentrations of 0, 50, 125, 350, 600, and 1400 mg kg−1 in the diet, respectively. Each diet was supplemented with methionine, arginine and glycine and contained 120 g crude protein kg−1 and a similar level of energy. Seven-day old chicks were allocated to six treatments (n = 8) and fed the above experimental diets for 2 weeks. Dietary ethoxyquin up to 125 mg kg−1 improved body weight gain from 88 to 98 g and gain per feed from 0.44 to 0.46 although the differences were not significant. However, levels of ethoxyquin in the diet higher than 350 mg kg−1 significantly reduced both the body weight gain and gain per feed; these were 79 g and 0.41, respectively, in chicks fed the diet containing 1400 mg ethoxyquin kg−1. Plasma cholesterol level was significantly reduced from 209 with the control diet (containing 0 mg kg−1 ethoxyquin) to 157 mg dl−1 with the diet containing 50 mg kg−1 ethoxyquin. It was also lower with 125 mg kg−1 ethoxyquin than with the control diet, but higher levels of dietary ethoxyquin increased plasma cholesterol compared with that obtained with the control diet. Carotenoid concentration in the skin, liver and blood plasma were linearly reduced with the increase of ethoxyquin intake from 30.2, 75.0 and 38.4 μg g−1 at 0 mg intake to 19.2, 30.3 and 23.7 μg g−1 at 1400 mg ethoxyquin kg−1 diet, respectively.

A note on the fermentation characteristics and rumen degradation of low moisture alfalfa silage treated with sodium hydroxide or ammonia

Abstract The effects of alkali treatment on the fermentation characteristics and rumen degradation of low moisture alfalfa silage were investigated. First crop alfalfa was wilted and ensiled, either directly or after being sprayed with NaOH or NH 3 solution (1.72% dry matter (DM)). The herbages were stored in laboratory silos and opened at 1, 2, 7, 14, 28 and 56 days after storage. Each NaOH and HN 3 addition increased the pH value and delayed lactic acid production of the silage. Both alkali treatments decreased proteolysis during ensilage, and NaOH-treated silage showed the highest protein (hot water insoluble nitrogen) content. Nitrogen solubility in a mineral buffer solution was decreased by the alkali treatments, and NaOH-treated silage showed the lowest solubility. Degradation characteristics of DM and N in the rumen were determined by nylon bag incubation of 56th day silage samples with two rumen fistulated goats. The NaOH treatment significantly decreased the soluble N fraction (63.7%, 54.7% and 60.6% for untreated, NaOH-treated and NH 3 -treated silage, respectively) but did not influence the extent of degradation. The treatment tended to decrease the rate of N degradation. In contrast, the NH 3 treatment significantly increased the rate of DM degradation (0.158 h −1 , 0.151 h −1 and 0.182 h −1 for untreated, NaOH-treated and NH 3 -treated silage, respectively) without any great changes in the proportions of soluble and degradable fraction.