Function of lactic acid bacteria in silage

In addition to soil pollution and water addition, there are several categories of microorganisms attached to plant raw materials, such as lactic acid bacteria, intestinal bacilli, butyric acid bacteria, yeasts, molds and other microorganisms.

However, only lactic acid bacteria are beneficial. Lactic acid bacteria are the main microorganisms in making excellent silage, which can decompose carbohydrates in silage and form lactic acid to cause lactic acid fermentation. Intestinal bacilli are facultative anorexia bacteria in silage, mainly Escherichia coli and Aerobacter aerogenes, which carry out heterolactic fermentation. Although they also produce some lactic acid, they also produce a large amount of hydrogen and carbon dioxide at the same time. Make a considerable number of nutritious carbohydrates worthless.

The principle of silage is that the silage is compacted and sealed and lacks oxygen inside. After lactic acid bacteria ferment and decompose sugars, the carbon dioxide produced further removes the air, and the lactic acid secreted makes the feed weakly acidic. The pH value between 3.5 and 4.2 can effectively inhibit the growth of other microorganisms. Finally, the lactic acid bacteria were also inhibited by the lactic acid produced by themselves, the fermentation process stopped and the feed entered stable storage. But at this time, there is little loss of sugar and other nutrients in the raw materials.