Some Chemical Characteristics of Grass and Legume Silage Made with Sodium Metabisulfite

A review of American literature indicates that barn drying of hay and silage making are both greatly superior to the field curing of hay in preserving nutrients. This is true of total dry matter, crude protein, ether extract and ash; crude-fibre losses are greater in silage making. Energy losses run parallel with dry matter. Bam drying of hay with heat preserves a rather greater proportion of nutrients than does silage making.Chemical composition and digestibility are mostly a function of stage of maturity of the crop at the time of cutting. Actual carbohydrate (energy) losses are greater than protein losses in all methods. The influence of method of conservation is unimportant if conservation is properly carried out, but considerable deterioration can result from bad application. Field-cured hay usually suffers most in this respect, due to weather damage.The conservation processes reviewed have no influence per se on feeding value where each is applied under ideal conditions. Differences found in practice are usually linked to the stage of maturity or to weather damage, which explains the usually superior feeding value of silage and barn-dried hay over field-cured hay.When the efficiency of each method is compared by determining the quantity of milk produced from equal areas of forage, conserved in the three different ways, barn-dried hay is somewhat superior to silage, but both are greatly superior to field-cured hay.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Nutrient Losses and Efficiency of Conserving Herbage as Silage, Barn‐dried Hay and Field‐cured Hay

Carter

1960

“…Since sodium metabisulphite is a powerful reducing agent, it has been suggested that the presence of air in the mass will cause considerable oxidation of this additive to sodium sulphate (3). The data in Table 5 indicates that better control over the amount of air present in the mass was obtained in the first trial, the maximum temperature of the metabisulphite silage being 11° F. lower than that in the second trial.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

The Use of Sodium Metabisulphite in Silage Making

Murdoch

Holdsworth

1958

Three trials in which metabisulphite was used as a silage additive are described and the results discussed. The data from two small‐scale trials suggests that metabisulphite and molasses each have a similar effect on the quality of the silage produced, and that wilting appeared to be more effective than either of these two additives. A comparison of silages in two large‐scale trials indicates the necessity for uniform distribution of the metabisulphite.

“…metabisulphite per ton, produced an excellent silage. It is impossible to separate the effects of these two treatments as there was no control in which wilting alone was used, but it is interesting to note the quality of this silage, as American work (2,4) emphasizes that this additive should not be used with wilted herbage. Presumably the reason for this is the danger of the metabisulphite being oxidized due to large amounts of air remaining in the mass when wilted herbage is ensiled, but, if consolidation is adequate and the herbage not overwilted, then the two treatments do not appear to be incompatible.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…per ton of herbage a good quality silage is produced. Several workers (1,2) have shown that when metabisulphite is used the volatile acid and volatile base content of the silage is low, but that appreciable amounts of lactic acid are formed. The conclusions drawn are that metabisulphite inhibits protein breakdown and butyric acid production, while allowing a lactic acid fermentation to take place.…”

Section: National Institute For Research In Dairying University Of Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Chemical Composition and Loss of Nutrients in Silage Made With the Addition of Sodium Metabisulphite and Halogenated Acetate of Glycol

Murdoch

Holdsworth

Wood

1956

Several products have recently been introduced as additives in silage-making which may bring about a partial sterilization of the mass. These include sodium metabisulphite and Sovilon (halogenated acetate of glycol). The former substance has been used to some extent in America and results from experiments there indicate that when it is added at approximately 8 lb. per ton of herbage a good quality silage is produced. Several workers (1,2) have shown that when metabisulphite is used the volatile acid and volatile base content of the silage is low, but that appreciable amounts of lactic acid are formed. The conclusions drawn are that metabisulphite inhibits protein breakdown and butyric acid production, while allowing a lactic acid fermentation to take place. On the other hand, BATEMAN et al. (3) suggest that the shift of micro-organisms in a metabisulphite silage from a dominantly proteolytic to a dominantly lactic acid forming population was slower than in untreated silage or in silage to which molassed beet pulp had been added. Because of the lower bacterial activity in metabisulphite silage, it is claimed that the loss of nutrients is lowered, and COWAN et al. (4) and GORDON et al. (9) have shown that losses of dry matter, crude protein and nitrogen-free extract are much lower than those in untreated or molassed silage. Using high dry matter herbage, however, GORDON and his co-workers (5) found no difference in dry matter losses, but loss of sugar was substantially lower in the metabisulphite silage. There is also some indication that total digestible nutrients is silages made with metabisulphite were higher than that in untreated silages (4).Little precise information is available on the effect of adding Sovilon, apart from one set of results which show a lower volatile acid 16 content in grass slurries after 28 days when this additive had been used, compared with a slurry with no addition (6).