Effects of wilting and lactic acid bacteria inoculation on fermentation and microbial community of elephant grass silage produced in Vietnam

Direct-cut (dry matter [DM] 165 g kg⁻¹) and wilted (DM 250 g kg⁻¹) elephant grass silages were prepared in Hue, Vietnam, with and without a mixture of Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactococcus lactis (LP+LC) or Lactobacillus buchneri (LB). The silages were stored for 4 months, and fermentation products and aerobic stability were determined. The microbial community was assessed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Acetate was predominantly produced during the fermentation of control and LB-inoculated silages, whereas the content was not sufficient to inhibit aerobic spoilage for 7 days in control silage. The LP+LC inoculation greatly enhanced lactate content, suppressed the alcohol content, and did not improve aerobic stability or decrease the total fungal population. The bacterial community and L. buchneri populations were similar between control and LB-inoculated silages; however, Kluyveromyces delphensis was undetectable and the total fungal population was lowered in LB-inoculated silage.