Silage Additives

Ensiling raw plant materials is a fundamental strategic approach for effective preservation for livestock feeding, which relies on lactic acid fermentation under controlled anaerobic conditions. The process of ensiling also leads to a loss of significant proportion of nutrients. Different types of additives, such as biological (bacterial and enzymatic) and chemical additives, can be used to reduce these losses. Researchers have reported increased nutritional quality, reduction in storage losses by enhancing fermentation quality, and an improved aerobic stability upon use of diverse silage additives. In the production of quality silage, fermentation boosters (bacterial inoculants and carbohydrate source), fermentation inhibitors (acids, formaldehyde), aerobic deterioration inhibitors (lactic acid bacteria, propionic acid), nutrients (urea, ammonia), and absorbents (straw) can be used. This chapter briefs the significance of silage additives aimed at enhancing overall silage quality for better performance and health of ruminants.