Effects of adding whey and molasses on corn silage quality, growth performance and health of Simmental fattening calves

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of adding whey and molasses on the physical and chemical quality of corn silage, growth performance and health of Simmental fattening calves. This study was carried out in a completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 5 replications for each treatment, and a total of 15 Simmental male calves. Three treatments were included in the study: Treatment 1: corn silage without any additive (control treatment), Treatment 2: corn silage with addition of 10% whey on a dry matter basis and Treatment 3: corn silage with addition of 10% molasses on a dry matter basis. The results of this study showed that addition of molasses and whey to corn silage, improves physical and chemical quality of corn silage. Adding whey and molasses decreased pH, Ash, ADF, NDF and increased DM, CP, OM and Flieg point of corn silage. There were no significant differences in body weight, feed intake and FCR among control and other treatment groups (P<0.05). Further results showed that, addition of molasses and whey to corn silage improved fecal score of Simmental male calves.

Effects of whey powder on fermentation quality, nutritive value, and digestibility of alfalfa silage

“…Whey powder treatment improved silages by decreasing their NDF and ADF contents. These results are in line with the results of previous studies on the effect of WP on the cellulose content in the silage (Dash et al, 1974;Fallah, 2019). According to chemical analyses data, it could be stated that WP used as a fermentation stimulant had a significant effect on the carbohydrate structure of the ensiling material by increasing the rate of NFC versus decreasing the rates of NDF and ADF.…”

“…Previous studies have generally shown that WP addition to silage improves the fermentation process (Castaño and Villa, 2017;Fallah, 2019). In some studies, it was also observed that addition of WP significantly increases the digestibility of the alfalfa silage, which is believed to be a result of its high lactose content (Dash et al, 1974;Keener, 2019).…”

In vitro digestibility of four high moisture grains used in liquid pig feeding

“…Furthermore, the pH value was lower in the case of incubated whey HMG (P = 0.0005). This result is in line with what is expected, considering that the purpose was to use whey as a facilitator of the fermentative process as reported by Fallah (2019). The pH of feed is of paramount importance.…”

Effect of Yogurt Acid Whey on the Quality of Maize Silage

“…Byproducts from the food industry (e.g., molasses or cheese whey) have also served as alternative additives in ensiling processes [16,17]. Dairy byproducts, such as whey (produced by cheese), have been applied in alfalfa silage [17] and maize silage [18], improving the quality of silages, such as their chemical composition. Acid whey (produced from cheese) was used as a rehydration agent of maize grains, which resulted in the enhancement of the fermentation process and the aerobic stability of the feed after 30 days of ensiling [19].…”