Effect of lactic acid bacteria inoculants on in vitro digestibility of wheat and corn silages.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of 10 sources of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on dry matter digestibility (DM-D) and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDF-D), in various combinations with starch, in vitro. The soluble starch represented a concentrate feed, whereas silage represented feeding only roughage. The DM-D and NDF-D were determined after 24 and 48 h of incubation to represent effective (24 h) and potential (48 h) digestibility. Addition of LAB was both by direct application of the inoculants to rumen fluid (directly fed microbials) and by the use of preinoculated silages. For each feed combination, tubes without added LAB served as controls. The results indicate that, overall, some LAB inoculants applied at ensiling or added directly to the rumen fluid had the potential to increase the DM-D and NDF-D. The major significant inoculant effect on NDF-D was obtained after 24 h of incubation, whereas the effect after 48 h was mainly nonsignificant. The effective inoculants seemed to minimize the inhibitory effect of the starch on NDF-D within 24 h, perhaps by competition with lactate-producing rumen microorganisms.