CAMBOIM, L. F. R.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/8137546515819274; CAMBOIM, Luan Felipe Reis.
Resumen:
Ensiling corn improves its nutritive value compared to dry grain, reduces
losses, and prevents material deterioration. Whey milk is an alternative additive for
rehydrating ground corn grain, as it is rich in soluble proteins, lactose, minerals, and lactic
acid bacteria, characteristics that can improve silage quality. Therefore, an experiment
was developed to test whey milk as a wet additive compared to water using a completely
randomized design with five replicates. The treatments corresponded to the rehydration
method of the ground corn grain, with the control being rehydrated with water (adding
30% water to the natural matter of the corn grain in relation to its weight), and three
rehydrations with whey milk (adding 20, 30, and 40% whey milk to the natural matter of
the corn grain in relation to its weight). To characterize the silage quality, the silages were
opened after 90 days and analyzed for the following variables: losses, pH, ammoniacal
nitrogen, organic acid content, microbiological population determination, chemical
composition, degradability, and aerobic stability. The highest effluent loss was observed
in the treatment with 40% whey milk rehydration in the natural matter (MN; 7.86 kg t-1
DM). The pH was higher in the water-rehydrated treatment (5.51). For total soluble
carbohydrates, it was observed that rehydration using whey milk with 20, 30, and 40%
increased its concentration. Silages rehydrated with water had the lowest lactic acid
bacteria population (0.90 Log/CFU/g) and the highest yeast and enterobacteria
populations, being 3.74 and 0.86 Log/CFU/g, respectively. The lowest lactic acid
concentration was observed in the water-rehydrated silage, being 2.71 g/kg DM. It was
observed that treatments rehydrated with 20 and 30% whey milk in MN had the highest
degradability rates, being 91.76 and 90.75%, respectively. The breakdown of stability
occurred more rapidly in the water-rehydrated treatment and in the treatment with 40%
whey milk rehydration in MN, occurring at 41.6 and 46.4 hours, respectively.
Rehydration using 20% whey milk presented better benefits to ground corn grain silage
when compared to rehydration with water and other levels.