Effect of cumin essential oil usage on fermentation quality, aerobic stability and in vitro digetibility of alfalfa silage

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the effects of cumin essential oil on the silage fermentation, aerobic stability and in vitro digestibility of alfalfa silages. Methods: Alfalfa was harvested at early bloom (5th cutting) stage in October and wilted for about 3 hours. The research was carried out at three groups which were the control group where no additive control was done (CON), cumin essential oil (CMN3) with 300 mg/kg and CMN5 with 500 mg/kg cumin essential oil addition. Alfalfa was ensiled in plastic bags. The packages were stored at 8 degrees C +/- 2 degrees C under laboratory conditions. All groups were sampled for physical, chemical and microbiological analysis 120th day after ensiling. At the end of the ensiling period, all silages were subjected to an aerobic stability test for 7 days. In addition, enzimatic solubility of organic matter (ESOM), metabolizable energy (ME), and relative feed value (RFV) of these silages were determined. Results: pH level decreased in the cumin groups compared to CON (p