Effect of Length of Storage and Chemical Additives on the Nutritive Value and Starch Degradability of Reconstituted Corn Grain Silage

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feed quality of reconstituted corn grain silage (RCGS), treated with chemical additives and stored for 15, 30, or 60 d in 5-L plastic buckets. Dry ground corn was rehydrated to 350 g·kg−1 and treated with either polysorbate 80 (2 L·t−1) (POL), propionic acid 28% (2 L·t−1) (PRO), Mycoflake™ (2 L·t−1-blend polysorbate 80 and propionic acid) (MYC) or nothing (CON). The effect of the length of storage was combined in a factorial arrangement with the additives. Ammonia-N increased from d-15 of storage. A treatment × storage length interaction was observed for ethanol content at d-60 of storage, and all treatments had lower ethanol concentration than CON. There was an interaction for butyric acid content at d-30 and d-60 of storage; CON showed higher butyric acid concentration than treated silages. Aerobic stability increased from d-15 to d-30. At d-15 of storage, the PRO and MYC treatments decreased the DM losses. The length of storage increased the ruminal in situ degradability of starch, and DM and MYC increased the DM degradability in 3.6 percentage units at 12 h of incubation, compared with POL. In conclusion, increasing the length of storage of the RCGS from d-15 to d-60 improved the starch and DM degradability. Mycoflake increased the availability of nutrients, and the length of storage enhanced the aggregation of particles; further, polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) might be further studied as a potential antimicrobial agent in silages.