Abstract
This study was carried out to examine the effects of different silages on the fermentation quality, protein fraction
and fiber fraction of fermented total mixed ration (fermented TMR) with sweet-potato shochu distillery by-product cake
(SDC). The TMR used as a basal diet was comprised of SDC, Italian ryegrass silage, flaked corn, flaked barley, beet pulp
and soybean meal. Corn silage (CS) or rice whole crop silage (RWCS) as main roughage in the TMR (CS-TMR and
RWCS-TMR, respectively) was used to examine the effects. The pH and lactic acid content of the TMR were significantly
lower in the RWCS-TMR than in the CS-TMR 90 days after preparation (P <0.05), whereas the levels of acetic, propionic
and butyric acids tended to be lower in the latter than in the former. Although the V-SCORE was significantly higher in
the CS-TMR than in the RWCS-TMR (P < 0.05), both TMRs had good quality (over 80 points). The protein fraction in
the fermented TMR varied depending on the silage, but little variation was found in the fiber fraction. In conclusion, the
fermentation quality and changes in the protein fraction of the fermented TMR with SDC over time were affected by basal
diet (silage) rather than storage period.
