Ensilage of ammonia-treated straw in combination with whey by means of alkaline-adapted lactic acid bacteria

A lactic acid-producing bacterial association, adapted to alkaline conditions up to pH 10˙0, was tested for its effectiveness as an inoculum for ammonia-treated straw combined with whey. The association proved capable of lowering the pH from 8˙0 to 5˙0 within 2 d, as opposed to about 4 d by the individual populations. In the silage inoculated with the association, the lactic acid content was 98 mg/g dry matter (DM) and no butyric acid was formed. In the non-inoculated control, only 40 mg lactic acid/g DM was formed but the butyric acid amounted to 45˙5 mg/g DM. The association appeared to counteract clostridial growth effectively.