Table 1.
Chemical composition, epiphytic microbial population, and buffering capacity of wilted alfalfa before ensiling.
| Item1 | Wilted alfalfa |
|---|---|
| Dry matter (g/kg FW) | 343 ± 0.73 |
| Organic matter (g/kg DM) | 890 ± 4.04 |
| Carbohydrates fractions (g/kg DM) | |
| Neutral detergent fiber | 300 ± 23.8 |
| Acid detergent fiber | 231 ± 12.1 |
| Acid detergent lignin | 48.9 ± 2.59 |
| Water soluble carbohydrate | 49.6 ± 0.70 |
| Starch | 15.4 ± 0.75 |
| Xylose | 8.63 ± 0.11 |
| Protein fractions | |
| Crude protein (g/kg DM) | 228 ± 3.35 |
| Non-protein nitrogen (%TN) | 31.2 ± 0.79 |
| True protein nitrogen (%TN) | 68.8 ± 0.78 |
| Rapid degradation protein (%TPN) | 10.1 ± 1.01 |
| Intermediately degradable protein (%TPN) | 52.0 ± 2.79 |
| Slowly degradable protein (%TPN) | 23.8 ± 1.46 |
| Undegradable protein (%TPN) | 14.0 ± 0.61 |
| Epiphytic microbial amount (log10 cfu/g FW) | |
| Lactic acid bacteria | 4.87 ± 0.16 |
| Molds | 3.94 ± 0.11 |
| Yeasts | 3.72 ± 0.13 |
| Aerobic bacteria | 5.75 ± 0.15 |
| Buffering capacity (mEq/kg DM) | 322 ± 11.3 |
| Water activity | 0.972 ± 0.002 |
1
CFU, colony-forming units; DM, dry matter; FW, fresh weight; TN, total nitrogen; TPN, true protein nitrogen.