MXPA97008793A - Bacterial treatment for ensil - Google Patents

Abstract

The silage is conserved by means of the treatment with a small but effective amount to discuss the silage, of an inoculant consisting of: a) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 286, or its genetic equivalent, b) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 287, or its equivalent genetic, c) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 346, or its genetic equivalent, d) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 347, or its genetic equivalent, e) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 329, or its genetic equivalent, f) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 202, or its genetic equivalent, and g) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 301, or its genetic equivalent. The present inoculant is particularly effective in improving aerobic stability as well as the speed and degree of digestibility of whole maize plant silage. The present inoculant is also effective to improve the performance of milk and meat of the animal when the animals are fed with silage inoculated

Description

BACTERIAL TREATMENT FOR SILAGE DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a method for preserving agricultural products that are used for animal feed. Specifically, the invention relates to a method for preserving the silage such that the aerobic stability is improved as well as the extension and speed of digestibility of the silage. in addition, this invention relates to methods for increasing the yield of meat and milk. The use of silage additives has become a widely accepted practice in most of the agricultural world. To understand how silage additives react with silage, it may be useful to first review the basic biobiological and microbiological changes that occur during the silage process. Aerobic respiration begins immediately after crumbling the silage. During this early phase, soluble carbohydrates in the plant tissue are oxidized and converted to carbon dioxide and water. This process will continue until the level of oxygen or water-soluble carbohydrates has been exhausted. Under ideal conditions, with proper packing and sealing of the silage material, breathing lasts only a few hours. The growth of microorganisms during this period is limited to those that tolerate oxygen. Typically, this includes bacteria aerobic, yeasts and molds. These organisms are generally recognized as being negative to the system as they metabolize sugar to carbon dioxide, heat and water. Another important chemical change that occurs during this early phase is the breakdown of plant proteins by plant proteases. The proteins are degraded to amino acids and subsequently metabolized to ammonia and amines. It has been reported that up to 505 of the total proteins can be broken during this process depending on the rate of reduction of the pH in the silage. Once anaerobic conditions are established, anaerobic bacteria proliferate. Enterobacteria and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria are the first populations that are established. These organisms produce mainly acetic acid, ethanol, lactic acid and carbon dioxide from the fermentation of glucose and fructose, once the pH starts to decline, there is a marked increase in the population of homofermentative lactic acid bacteria that produces mainly lactic acid. . The rapid increase in the level of lactic acid results in the reduction of pH to approximately. At this time, the silage mass will generally remain stable throughout storage if it is not disturbed. In summary, when the material is initially packaged in an oxygen-limiting structure such as a silo covered, the pH is reduced, the residual oxygen is used and the material undergoes fermentation. The material will remain stable and can be stored for many months in these conditions. When the silage is ready to be fed, the upper lid is removed and the silo opens to feed. The material is exposed to the air and the process stops being anaerobic. The microflora of the silage itself or airborne contaminants can begin to oxidize the acids present. This oxidation causes the loss of mass or dry material of the food and thus causes loss of food. In addition, the resulting increases in pH and temperature are objectionable to the animals and the feed will be disregarded by the animals after they begin to heat. The incidence of aerobic instability observed in practice depends on the speed with which the silage material is removed from the silo and the length of the type the material has been in the silage before opening it. If the silage opens slowly then the surface of the open silage is allowed to deteriorate further. Longer silage times generally produce more stable silage since acid concentrations are higher and all microflora populations tend to decrease. In general the silage must be stable for at least five days after opening. This will allow adequate time for the silage to be removed. Recently the dream has become known Bacterial inoculants help to preserve the silage, including the grass silage, the alfalfa silage and the corn silage, for example the inoculation with lactic acid bacteria during the fermentation phase can be beneficial for the fermentation process, see for example the U.S. patent do not. 4,842,871 of Hill published on June 27, 1989, as well as the literary references cited therein, for the stability of maize with high humidity this increase is probably due to the fact that the inoculant increases the speed of anaerobic fermentation and the decrease of ph. This is beneficial because oxidation losses caused by aerobic pH-sensitive microflora in the initial stages are avoided. In other silages such as whole corn plants, alfalfa, etc. the inoculant can also have beneficial effects on silage digestibility causing an increase in fiber availability, and / or provide more nutrients per amount of silage at a higher rate. This is reflected by a greater gain in animal weight and feed efficiency. In dairy animals, digestibility leads to greater milk production, more milk per ton of silage and better body condition. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to develop a bacterial silage inoculant that improves aerobic stability over inoculants known. It is another object of the present invention to develop a silage inoculant that increases the digestibility rate of the silage, making the nutrients available to the animals sooner. Another objective of the present invention is to develop a silage inoculant that increases the digestibility range of the silage, providing an increase in the availability of the fiber, and / or providing more nutrients per amount of silage. The method and manner of obtaining each of the objects of the present invention as well as others will be apparent from the following detailed description. In the present invention the silage, including silage of grass, alfalfa and / or whole corn plants, are conserved both during the initial anaerobic phase of the silage process and thus also during the initial phases of aerobic conditions after the silo is opened . Conservation is achieved by mixing certain bacterial microorganisms of facultative lactic acid. The present inoculant improves the aerobic stability of the silage, as well as the production of meat and milk when the silage is fed to the animals. The present inoculant also improves the extension and speed of silage digestibility, especially in silage of whole corn plants. The inoculant is a combination of strains selected from Lactobacillus plantarum and Enterococcus faeciup- The present inoculant is compatible with the other bacteria, and thus does not retard the silage process in any way. Specifically, the inoculant consists of selected strains of Lactobacillus plantarum "LP", LP286, LP287, LP346, LP347 and LP329, in combination with selected strains of Enterococcus faecium "EF", EF202 and EF301. The present invention also provides methods for treating silage which consists of administering to the silage a good but effective amount to preserve the silage of the prototypes. The inoculant of the present invention is particularly effective in improving the digestibility of the silage of whole corn plants. The present inoculant is also particularly effective to improve the production of the animal in meat and milk if it is treated with the silage of whole corn plant. The term "silage" used agui is intended to include all types of fermented agricultural products such as grass silage, alfalfa silage, whole corn plant silage, sorghum silage, silage of fermented grains and grass mixtures, etc. Everything can be successfully treated with the inoculants of the present invention. The present invention is particularly effective for treating whole corn plant silage. A surprising aspect of these inventions is that certain combinations of certain species of Lactobacillus plantarum and Enterococcus faecium will effectively function in the present invention. The addition of Lactobacillus to silage as a general subject is known, see for example U.S. Pat. do not. No. 4,981,705 / However, the present invention is necessarily specific to the species in relation to the combination of Lactobacillus plantarum and Enterococcus faecium. The present inoculant preferably consists of 7.5x10 * to approximately 7.5x10"viable microorganisms, more preferably 7.5x10 ™ viable microorganisms, per tonne of silage of each of the following strains: LP329, LP286, LP287, LP346 and LP347; preferably about 1.5x10 viable microorganisms at about 1.5 x 1011, more preferably about 1.5x10 ™ viable microorganisms per ton of silage of each of the following strains: EF202 and EF301.The rate of inoculation is from about 10,000 to about 1,000,000 CFU per gram of The LP strains are preferably included in equal portions, consisting of from about 50% to 90%, more preferably from about 60 to 85%, also preferably about 83% of viable bacteria in the inoculum.The EF strains are preferably included in the equal portions consisting of approximately 10 to 50%, more preferably a about 15 to 40%, also preferably about 17% viable bacteria in the inoculant The present inoculant has an ATCC number. However, it is to be understood that the applicant's invention, although it is specific for the species, is intended to cover those species and their genetic equivalents or their effective mutants, which demonstrate the desired properties of the species and strains mentioned. These genetic equivalents or mutants are considered functionally eguivalent to the mother species. It is well known to those skilled in the art that spontaneous mutation is a common occurrence in microorganisms and mutations can be produced intentionally by means of a variety of known techniques. For example, mutants can be produced using chemical, radioactive and recombinant techniques. Regardless of the subject in which the mutations or genetic equivalents are induced, the critical case is that they work to preserve the silage as described for the species or mother strain. In other words, the present invention includes the resulting mutations in those changes, such as, for example, minor taxonomic alterations. Typical compositions useful for the treatment of this invention may include the present inoculants within ranges useful for treating silage products, for example typically 10 s-10"viable organisms / ton, more preferably 10 xl-10 12 organisms per ton. of the present invention can also include other common organisms of silage conservation, for example Prspionibacteria. Streptococcus, Lactocsccus and Peiococcus, and certain enzymes of fungi and bacteria, considering that they are in no way antagonistic to active organisms. Those of ordinary skill in the art will know other suitable carriers and dosage forms, or will be able to reach them using routine experimentation. In addition, the administration of the different compositions can be performed using standard techniques common to those of ordinary skill in the art, that is, dew, dusted, etc. For example, a granular product, typically a limestone carrier, is used. A soluble product is treated with water before application. The above explanation generally describes the present invention. A more detailed understanding may be obtained by reference to the following specific examples that are provided for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified. EXAMPLES In the examples shown in the following tables, treatment, preparation and storage were performed using standard procedures. The inoculants used in the silage tests were compared with a control mixture that does not contain no inoculant Treatment was applied in the form of an aqueous solution. Prototype combinations were applied on whole corn plants minced in a liguida form at a speed of 1 x 10 * cfu / g of forage. The treated forage was divided into equal portions and packed with a standard density using a hydraulic press in experimental 10 x 35 cm PVC silos. The silos will be sealed at each end with rubber caps held tightly with metal rings. A pressure release valve was provided at one end so that the gases can escape and still maintain anaerobiosis. The experimental silos were stored at 20-25 ° C for 18-120 days before opening to stimulate the silo conditions of the farm. The experimental silos were opened, the silage was transferred to a clean container, mixed and samples taken for microbial, chemical and digestibility analyzes. The remaining silage was placed in a polystyrene cooler lined with plastic, a probe was placed in the center of the silage mass, and the temperature was measured every 3 hours for a week to determine aerobic stability. This is important because when the silage is exposed to air, large losses of nutrients may occur as a result of the fermentation and sugar consumption products of the aerobic micro-organisms in the silo. The sugars are converted in carbon dioxide and water, producing heat. Besides the loss of highly digestible portions of the silage, some aerobic microorganisms produce toxins that affect the animal's health. Two measurements were used to determine the stability of the silage after exposure to air. The time at which the temperature of the silage increased 1.7 * C above ambient temperature was called "rotting" of silage. it is a measure of the time after the silage is exposed to the air before the aerobic microorganisms start to grow causing the silage to heat up. The cumulative degree of days, or "cu mdd", is the integration of the area between the current temperature curve and the ambient temperature line. It is a measure of the total amount of heating. Elevated temperatures increase the rate and amount of protein breakdown and reduce the digestibility of nitrogen, fibers and other fractions. The determination of the ammonia nitrogen was carried out using standard procedures that include the dissociation of the ammonia ions when raising the pH, followed by the distillation of the ammonia vapor out of the silage. The amount of ammonia nitrogen is measured quantitatively by titration. The ammonia nitrogen level is the indicator of the fermentation speed. The higher the fermentation rate, the lower the activity of the proteolytic enzymes, putting more proteins at the disposal of an animal. The final measurement of the fermentation is pH. A satisfactory pH for the silage of the whole corn plant is lower 4.0. As the pH decreases, the proteolytic activity decreases. The pH measurements were made with a Orien * model 701A pH meter calibrated with pH 4.01 and 7.00 buffers. To determine the extent and speed of the digestibility, samples were dried and milled through a Wiley mill screen of 0.5 mm for digestibility analysis. All samples were subjected to near infrared reflectance spectroscopy [NIRS]. The ends in the spectra were selected to perform in vitro dry matter velocities [IVDM] and the extent of digestibility. The IVDM digestibility rate was determined using a system designed to simulate what happens in the rumen. Dry silage samples were combined with a rumen fluid buffer containing live cell microorganisms. As the cell microorganisms digest the fiber in the silage sample, gas is produced. the speed of digestibility was defined as the slope of the linear portion of the curve produced when plotting gas production vs. time. It was expressed as a percentage of a standard to record the variation in microbial populations among the lats of rumen fluid. A higher rate of digestibility means that nutrients They are available for the fastest animal allowing them to use them to produce more milk or meat. Tables 1 and 2 report the results of the previous experiments. Table 1 indicates that the inoculation improves the pH reduction by the control and increases the aerobic stability when compared to the uninoculated silage. The reduction of the advantageous pH value because the nutrients are conserved through the acidification of the silage forage. Improvements to aerobic stability are important because there is better putrefaction and an increase in the nutrients available to the animal during feeding of the silage material. Table 2 indicates that the speed and extension of the digestion were improved by the control. A greater rate of digestibility means that the nutrients would be available to the animal sooner, allowing the animal to use them to produce more milk or meat. One possibility of how the inoculant causes this increase may be the change in the structure of the fiber of the forage, making it more available to the microorganisms of the rumen, which in turn convert the forage to energy to be used by the animal. This improves production. The degree of digestibility also improves indicating that the total amount of available nutrients is increased by fiber digestion. Table 3 v 4 reports the animal production data of tests performed following standard procedures. Six silos of 2 tons of whole corn plant were assigned to each treatment. The treatments were control treatment [silage without inoculation] and silage not inoculated, a silo of each treatment was filled with the load of a forage truck as it was harvested. The amount of forage placed in each silo was recorded. Forage samples were taken as each silo was filled. Samples were also taken from each silo during the survey period. The aerobic stabilities were conducted at the same time each set of silos was opened as food. Ten steers, with an average weight of 248 kg, were assigned by weight to each treatment for a feeding study. The cattle were fed for 42 days. The ration was 75% whole corn plant silage, 17% corn husk and 5% supplement in relation to the dry matter. As indicated in Table 3, the steers fed with inoculated silage had better average daily weight gains and better feed efficiency compared to the steers fed the uninoculated silage. The improved average daily increase resulted in less time needed to raise a steer to market weight. The improved feeding efficiency means that less feed is regulated to increase the weight of the animal. Thus, the cost of raising the given weight of a beef is lower because less feed is consumed. Table 3 also indicates that the recovery of dry matter was higher for inoculated silage. The increase per tonne of silage fed and the increase per tonne of silage was greater for steers fed uninoculated silage. These parameters indicate that more meat can be produced with the silage feed and / or silage material respectively. A dairy study was also carried out using standard procedures. Four identical underground silos, two per treatment were assigned to control silage or inoculated silage. Approximately 80 tons of corn forage in a medium maturity stage were ensiled in each underground. All the loads of the fodder trucks were weighed, then they were alternatively unloaded in the treatment undergrounds. The treatments were applied in a soluble form with a backpack type sprayer. A sample of each load was obtained and treated for each subway. Temperature probes were inserted to monitor temperature changes during the silage period. Nylon bags were buried in the top and middle of each subway to see the recovery of dry matter ["DMR"]. At the time of feeding, a record of all the used and rotten silage was kept. Samples were taken from each open subway at designated times of each week. Samples of the rotten material were also taken. Fourteen or wink cows were assigned to each treatment in a continuous lactation study. The treatment groups are they balanced on parity and PTA [generic merit qualification]. The PTA rating serves as a co-varied adjustment factor. The diets consisted of 40% silage of whole corn plant on dry material bases and were fed once a day in the form of a total mixed ration ["TMR"] [Table 3] by means of the Calan "/ Gate system. Cows were used from birth to 14 weeks, the weights of food rejection and milk AM-PM were obtained daily, body weight and body condition values were obtained at the birth and every week, samples of milk were obtained every week to analyze protein and fat by the laboratory of the Dairy Cattle Improvement Association ["DHIA"]. TMR and maize silage samples were obtained three times a week and were prepared each month. weekly in TMR and whole corn plant silage, samples of feed rejects were obtained twice a month to determine dry matter.

TABLE 1 Treatment * - "" "°" Putrefic isK Control 43.38 3.82 - - 4.37 4.38 Sample 42. 30 3.79 - - 4.32 4.33 Control 41.52 3.91 68.0 194.3á 4.34 4.38 Musai-v »inoculated 40.47 3.92 69.0 193.32 4.37 4.35 Control 39.07 3.80 98.60 137.5? 4.37 4.44 39.07 3.76 98.10 119.5J £ 4.36 4.41 TABLE 2 Treatment Matter PH Putrefa. Cumm Speed Exten. seca ce ion dd sion Control 47.75 3.87 - - 4.43 4.43 tra i? Ao-a 44.65 3.83 - - 4.32 4.31 Control 45.03 3.91 68.00 22? .31 4.39 4.39 M inoculated 43.50 3.90 79.00 IB? .9? 4.41 4.38 Control 42.87 3.84 47.00 339. SS 4.40 4.43 Kua * £ x i scul - t - 3 43.40 3.81 46.00 3 4. ¿4.42 4.44 Control 39.00 3.77 - - 4.32 4.33 Kusri-iacoulada 39.95 3.76 - - 4.33 4.36 Control 38.00 3.91 68.0 1 ¿S4.9-3 4.29 4.36 HasEtri i? _? Alid_ 37.43 3.94 59.0 223. & 4.33 4.33 Control 37.50 3.77 87.75 134.39 4.36 4.53 _ra ¿ncíj lj 37.13 3.75 81.75 126. SS 4.42 4.57 TABLE 3 Feeding performance test Whole maize plant silage ["WPCS"], 2 ton concrete silos Control Point inoculated silage Number of animals 10 10 Days of the test 42 42 Initial weight kg 284.04 284.03 Final weight kg 328.23 338.31 Average daily gain kg 1.05 1.29 dry matter / kg increase 3.3 2.70 Dry matter intake kg 7.38 7.63 dry matter WPCS% 36.32 36.68 Composition of the ration WPCS, DM 5 78.00 78.00 Corn with skin 17.00 17.00 Supplement DM% 5.00 5.00 Recovery of dry matter% 94.88 97.32 Increase / ton of WCS, kg 60.60 71.63 Increase / ton of forage of 57.50 69.72 silage Average putrefaction value, 30.90 28.90 hours TABLE 4 Production of dairy cows, WPCS silage Control Point inoculated silage Number of animals 14 15 Weeks of test 14 14 Weight, kg 547.80 569.00 Ingestion of dry matter kg / d 16.99 16.57 Milk production ks / d 31.20 32.90 fat% Milk corrected with 3.5% fat, 3.59 3.35 kg / d Condition rating 31.30 31.90 corporal [scale 1-51 dry matter WPCS% 0.95 1.00 Composition of the ration% DM Mix of grains 3.22 3.35 WPCS 25.38 26.15 Whole corn seeds 45.00 45.00 Alfalfa 40.00 40.00 Recovery of dry matter at 10.00 10.00 underground% Recovery of dry matter at 5.00 5.00 bag,% 83.20 89.40 Superior 80.20 92.90 Media 98.40 97.70 Milk / ton of WPCS ingested, kg 1062.30 1144 Average putrefaction value, hour 42 23

Claims (20)

1. CLAIMS 1.- An inoculant for silage containing: a) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 286, or its genetic equivalent; b) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 287, or its genetic equivalent; c) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 346, or its genetic equivalent; d) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 347, or its genetic equivalent; e) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 329, or its genetic equivalent; f) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 202, or its genetic equivalent; and g) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 301, or its genetic equivalent.
2. 2. The inoculant according to claim 1, wherein the inoculant consists of Lactobacillus lantarum 286, LactQbacillus plantarum 287, Lactobacillus plantarum 346, Lactobacillus plantarum 347, Lactobacillus plantarum 329, each in equal proportions, together make up approximately 50 to 90% of all viable bacteria, and Enterococcus faecium 202, and Enterococcus faecium 301, each in equal proportions, together make up approximately 10 to 50% of all viable bacteria.
3. 3. - The inoculant according to claim 2, wherein the inoculant consists of Lactobacillus plantarum 286,
4. Lactobacillus plantarum 287, Lactobacillus plantarum 346, Lactobacillus plantarum 347, Lactobacillus plantarum 329, each in equal proportions, together make up approximately 60 to 85% of all viable bacteria; and Enterococcus faecium 202, and Enterococcus faecium 301, each in equal proportions, together make up approximately 15 to 40% of all viable bacteria. 4. The inoculant according to claim 3, wherein the inoculant consists of Lactobacillus plantarum 286, Lactobacillus plantarum 287, Lactobacillus plantarum 346, Lactobacillus plantarum 347, Lactobacillus plantarum 329, each in equal proportions, together make up 83% of all viable bacteria; and Enterococcus faecium 202, and Enterococcus faecium 301, each in equal proportions, together make up 17% of all viable bacteria.
5. 5.- A method to conserve the silage, the method includes treating the silage with an inoculant which consists of: a) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 286, or its genetic equivalent; b) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 287, or its genetic equivalent; c) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 346, or its genetic equivalent; d) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 347, or its genetic equivalent; e) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 329, or its genetic equivalent; f) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 202, or its genetic superabundant; and g) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 301, or its genetic superabundant.
6. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the inoculant consists of Lactobacillus plantarum 286, Lactobacillus plantarum 287, Lactobacillus plantarum 346, Lactobacillus plantarum 347, Lactobacillus plantarum 329, each in equal proportions, together make up approximately 60 to 85% of all viable bacteria; and Enterococcus faecium 202, and Enterococcus faecium 301, each in equal proportions, together make up approximately 15 to 40% of all viable bacteria.
7. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the preserved silage is silage of whole maize plant.
8. 8. - The method according to claim 7 in which the silage contains approximately 10 to 1014 viable organisms per ton.
9. 9. The method according to claim 8 in which the silage contains approximately 10 * to 10"organisms viable per ton.
10. 10.- A method to improve the performance of milk and animal meat, the method consists of feeding an animal with the silage treated with an inoculant which contains: a) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 286, or its genetic equivalent; b) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 287, or its genetic equivalent; c) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 346, or its genetic equivalent; d) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 347, or its genetic equivalent; e) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 329, or its genetic equivalent; f) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 202, or its genetic equivalent; and g) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 301, or its genetic equivalent.
11. 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the inoculant consists of Lactobacillus plantarum 286, Lactobacillus plantarum 287, Lactobacillus plantarum 346, Lactobacillus plantarum 347, Lactobacillus plantarum 329, each in equal proportions, together they make up approximately 60 to 85% of all viable bacteria; and Enterococcus faecium 202, and Enterococcus faecium 301, each in proportions equal, together make up approximately 15 to 40% of all viable bacteria.
12. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the preserved silage is silage of whole corn plant.
13. 13. The method according to claim 12, in which the silage contains approximately 10 to 1014 viable organisms per ton.
14. 14. The method according to claim 11, in which the silage contains approximately 10 * to 10"organisms -viables per ton."
15. 15. The method according to claim 11, in which the silage contains approximately 1011. to 10"or» viable organisms per ton.
16. 16.- a method to improve the digestibility of the silage, the method consists of treating the silage with an inoculant which contains: a) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 286, or its genetic equivalent; b) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 287, or its genetic equivalent; c) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 346, or its genetic equivalent; d) the microorganism Lactobacillus lantarum 347, or its genetic equivalent; e) the microorganism Lactobacillus plantarum 329, or its eguivalent genetic; f) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 202, or its genetic equivalent; and g) the microorganism Enterococcus faecium 301, or its genetic equivalent.
17. 17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the inoculant consists of Lactobacillus plantarnm 286, Lactobacillus plantarum 287, Lactobacillus plantarum 346, Lactobacillus plantarum 347, Lactobacillus plantarum 329, each in equal proportions, together make up approximately 60 to 85% of all viable bacteria; and Enterococcus faecium 202, and Enterococcus faecium 301, each in equal proportions, together make up approximately 15 to 40% of all viable bacteria.
18. 18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the preserved silage is silage of whole maize plant.
19. 19. The method according to claim 18 in which the silage contains approximately 10 to 1013 viable organisms per ton.
20. 20. The method according to claim 19 in which the silage contains approximately 10 * to 10"viable organisms per ton.