Table 1.
Chemical composition of whole-crop maize before and after ensiling (4 and 8 months) without or with formic acid (0.5% of fresh material)
| Components, percentage of dry matter | Fresh | Ensiled without additives | Ensiled with formic acid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 0 | Month 4 | Month 8 | Month 4 | Month 8 | |
| Dry matter, % | 16.7 | 18.6 | 17.9 | 18.8 | 19.8 |
| WSCa | 14.0 | 0.6 | 8.2 | 23.9 | 22.3 |
| Glucose | 5.7 | 0.6 | 6.5 | 12.1 | 11.3 |
| Fructose | 8.0 | X | X | 11.1 | 10.2 |
| Glucansb | 13.3 | 11.0 | 6.2 | 11.0 | 12.1 |
| Cellulose | 23.6 | 26.0 | 22.4 | 27.5 | 24.3 |
| Arabinoxylans | 17.0 | 17.3 | 16.6 | 17.8 | 18.0 |
| Galactans | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Galacturonic acid | 1.7 | X | X | X | X |
| Lignin | 14.1 | 15.8 | 14.5 | 15.3 | 15.8 |
| Protein | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.0 | 10.6 | 10.6 |
| Ash | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 7.5 |
Samples were extracted with acetone. Water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and fructose were determined from the filtrates of the blended crop.
aNon-structural carbohydrates expressed as total monosaccharides.
bGlucans from non-cellulose parts.
X = < 0.5% of dry matter.