Effect of enzyme addition to forage at ensiling on silage chemical composition and NDF degradation characteristics

Abstract The effect of different exogenous fibrolytic enzymes added to forages at ensiling was examined for effect on chemical composition and in vitro NDF degradability characteristics of the resulting silage. Maize stover and lucerne were used to study effect on chemical composition in experiment 1, and two varieties of maize stover, lucerne and grass clover were used to study NDF degradation characteristics in experiment 2. Forages were treated with enzymes (500 mg crude protein of the enzyme products/kg DM) and ensiled for 60 days in vacuum-sealed bags. Samples of forage (before ensiling) and silage were analysed for chemical composition and silages were analysed for pH and fermentation products. The in vitro NDF degradation characteristics of four forages treated with selected enzymes were measured by incubation for up to 96 h with rumen fluid. Enzymes with glucanase, β-glucanase and pectinase activity increased lactic acid and decreased butyric acid, ammonia and pH compared with control silage, and increased glucose concentration in lucerne silage. NDF concentration generally decreased due to enzyme treatment with glucanase, β-glucanase and xylanase activity and in vitro organic matter digestibility decreased in treated maize stover silage. Potential NDF degradability decreased due to enzyme treatments but not for all maize stover treatments. Treatments with combination of enzymes with glucanase, β-glucanase and pectinase activity mostly resulted in increases in fermentation products compared with treatment with individual enzymes. Enzyme mix with xylanase, glucanase and β-glucanase activities was effective for maize stover, whereas a mix containing pectinase activity was most effective for reducing pH in lucerne. Data from this study suggest that adding fibrolytic enzymes to forages at ensiling can solubilise some of the easily digestible parts of cell wall carbohydrates and thereby supply substrates for lactate fermentation. Therefore enzyme addition could be efficient to improve silage quality in forages which are difficult to ensile due to low sugar concentration and/or high protein concentration and buffer capacity. Further, treatment with the enzymes reduced the NDF concentration and thereby might increase the energy value and enzyme treatment might be beneficial to increase DM digestibility in high producing dairy cattle with short rumen retention time.