Search

[Display omitted] • Obligately heterofermentative Lactobacillus promoted the organic acid production. • Citric acid addition into inoculants improved the acetic acid concentration. • The combined treatment achieved the highest yield of organic acids. • The highest organic acid production was 225.41 g/kg dry matter. • The combined treatment stimulated obligately heterofermentative microbes. The effects of Lactobacillus buchneri , Lactobacillus hilgardii and citric acid on organic acid production, substrate consumption, protein degradation and microbial community were investigated in this study. The results indicated that combined inoculants induced a significant increase in levels of lactic acid (43 g/kg dry matter), acetic acid (14 g/kg dry matter), butyric acid (5 g/kg dry matter), total organic acid (60 g/kg dry matter) and ammonia nitrogen (20 g/kg total nitrogen). Furthermore, citric acid addition into the combined inoculants caused a significant increase in levels of acetic acid (12 g/kg dry matter), water-soluble carbohydrate (12 g/kg dry matter) and a reduction in ammonia nitrogen formation (22 g/kg total nitrogen). Microbiologically, combining inoculants and citric acid enriched Lactobacillus buchneri and Lactobacillus hilgardii and upregulated the functional pathways related to acid production and resistance. Collectively, combining citric acid and heterofermentative inoculants was beneficial to recycle Chinese cabbage waste in producing organic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sugarcane tops ensiled with LH and homofermentative LP were analyzed. • LH and LHLP addition improved the aerobic stability of sugarcane tops silage. • LH and LHLP stabled pH value and organic acid contents after aerobic exposure. • Combined addition of LH and LP showed least DM loss after 5 days of aerobic exposure. • L. hilgardii inhibited spoilage microorganisms: A. pasteurianus and K. humilis. This study investigated the effects of Lactobacillus hilgardii (LH), alone or in combination with Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), on the aerobic stability, fermentation quality and dynamics of the bacterial and fungal communities of sugarcane top silage. Results demonstrated that LH and LHLP (LH combined with LP) improved the aerobic stability of sugarcane top silages. As the exposure time increased, the pH values and the contents of lactic acid, acetic acid, as well as propionic acid remained stable in silage treated with LH and LHLP. The abundance of L. hilgardii was enriched and the undesirable microorganisms, such as Acetobacter pasteurianus , Paenibacillus amylolyticus and yeasts like Kazachstania humilis , were suppressed in silages treated with LH and LHLP. In conclusion, LH-treated silage, whether with LP or not, positively impacted the fungal and bacterial microbes. This improved the quality of fermentation, the aerobic stability, and reduced aerobic spoilage in sugarcane top silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]