The Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Enzyme Mixture Inoculants on Fermentation and Nutrient Digestibility of Sunflower Silage

Ensiling is a preservation technology for moist whole-plant forage crops which is based on lactic acid fermentation under anaerobic conditions, whereby lactic acid bacteria (LAB) convert water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) into organic acids, mainly lactic acid. As a result, pH decrease and thus forage is preserved for a long time 1. The application of silage additives has become the conventional implement to control the ensiling process. Although the main objective in using silage additives is to ensure the fermentation process to produce well preserved silages, attention is also paid to methods of reducing ensiling losses and improving aerobic stability of silages during the feed-out period 2. In order to improve the ensiling process various chemical and biologica