Abstract
To examine the effect of addition of the fermented juice of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (FJLB) on rice whole crop silage fermentation in the undesirable harvesting condition such as unfavorable weather, the silage added with or without the FJLB were prepared under an artificial condition. Bacterial biota on silage were monitored with PCR-based denatured gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). On the rice used in this study, there were various epiphytic bacteria. During 10 days, the bacterial biota of the silage without the FJLB did not change, while Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis appeared as a dominant microbe on the silage with the FJLB at an earlier stage. Improvement of the silage qualities, that is, higher lactic acid and lower butyric acid contents, was observed in all silage added with the FJLB as shown with higher V-score of the silage. Simultaneous addition of the FJLB and glucose to the preparation of the silage showed a positive effect on silage qualities of rice whole crop silage. The results indicated that the silage quality prepared under an undesirable harvesting condition can be improved with the addition of the FJLB.
