AUTHOR=Jiang Fu-gui , Cheng Hai-jian , Liu Dong , Wei Chen , An Wen-juan , Wang Ya-fang , Sun Hai-tao , Song En-liang 

TITLE=Treatment of Whole-Plant Corn Silage With Lactic Acid Bacteria and Organic Acid Enhances Quality by Elevating Acid Content, Reducing pH, and Inhibiting Undesirable Microorganisms

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.593088

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2020.593088

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>We investigated the variation in microbial community and fermentation characteristics of whole-plant corn silage after treatment with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and organic acids. The fresh corn forages were treated with a combination of <italic>L. acidophilus</italic> and <italic>L. plantarum</italic> (10<sup>6</sup> CFU/g fresh material) or a 7:1:2 ratio of formic acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid (6 mL/g fresh material) followed by 45 or 90 days of ensiling. Silages treated with LAB showed increased lactic acid content and decreased pH after 45 days. Although treatment with LAB or organic acids decreased the common and unique operational taxonomic units, indicating a reduction in microbial diversity, the relative abundance of <italic>Lactobacillus</italic> was elevated after 45 and 90 days compared with control, which was more distinct in the organic acid groups. Moreover, we found higher levels of acetic acid and increased abundance of <italic>Acetobacter</italic> in silages treated with organic acids whereas undesirable microorganisms such as <italic>Klebsiella</italic>, <italic>Paenibacillus</italic>, and <italic>Enterobacter</italic> were reduced. In summary, the quality of corn silages was improved by LAB or organic acid treatment in which LAB more effectively enhanced lactic acid content and reduced pH while organic acid inhibited the growth of undesirable microorganisms.</p>