Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the effects of spraying oregano essential oil (OEO) onto sugar beet pulp silage (SBPS) on silage quality and aerobic stability after opening. A factorial experiment with three replicates of three treatments and four time periods was conducted using laboratory-type plastic silos. The treatments were an untreated control, silage sprayed with 10 ml/75 cm2 OEO, and silage sprayed with 20 ml/75 cm2 OEO. The silages were sampled at 0, 72, 120, and 168 hours after spraying. Temperature, L*, a*, and b* colour values, pH, water-soluble carbohydrates, crude nutrient contents, Fleig score, metabolizable energy (ME) value, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total live bacteria (TLB), yeast, and mould formation were assessed. Spraying OEO onto SBPS did not affect L*, a*, and b* values, pH, water-soluble carbohydrates, and Fleig score values, but decreased temperature. Spraying OEO onto the silage increased organic matter, ether extract, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin contents without affecting crude protein, crude fibre, nitrogen free extract, and ME contents. Irrespective of treatment, crude protein, ether extract, acid detergent fibre, acid detergent lignin, nitrogen free extract, Fleig score, and ME contents of silages increased with time after spraying. The OEO spraying reduced LAB, TLB, and yeast contents in silages. In conclusion, OEO spraying onto opened SBPS reduced LAB, TLB, and yeast formation and stopped mould growth up to 72 hours without affecting their nutritional properties, suggesting that OEO could be used to ensure the stability of SBPS.
 Keywords: aerobic stability, mould growth, silage microbiology, nutrients, feeding management
Highlights
Sugar beet pulp (SBP), which is one of the sugar industry’s by-products, has been widely used in ruminant rations because it is rich in pectin, contains highly digestible fibre in its structure, and is inexpensive
The oregano essential oil (OEO) spraying did not affect the L*, a* and b* values of the silages (P >0.05), but these values decreased with time (P
The increase in L*, a*, and b* values in the early control group may have resulted from sample error because in the OEO-supplemented groups decreases in L*, a*, and b* values were linear
Summary
Sugar beet pulp (SBP), which is one of the sugar industry’s by-products, has been widely used in ruminant rations because it is rich in pectin, contains highly digestible fibre in its structure, and is inexpensive. When silage is opened or served to the animals, atmospheric oxygen enters the silo, causing undesirable microorganisms to proliferate, and silage quality to deteriorate (Kung, 2001; Filya, 2004; Koç et al, 2010; Çayıroğlu et al, 2016; Kızılşimsek et al, 2016; Borreani et al, 2018; Kung Jr et al, 2018; Özelçam & Dașıkan, 2017; Silva et al, 2018). These deteriorated silages must not be offered to the animals. The moulds may produce lethal mycotoxins and, pass from animal products to human beings to cause several illnesses (Koç et al, 2010; Kızılşimsek et al, 2016; Kaya, 2017; Ferrero et al, 2019)
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