Ensuring high moisture corn quality

High moisture corn (HMC) has become a popular option for storing maize grain across the world for many reasons. First, it’s high-energy silage, and it reduces the need and cost associated with drying grains. HMC is a high-energy, moist crop, which can be difficult to ensile and keep stable when opened to feed. A recent study carried out by the University of Delaware¹, reported that MAGNIVA Platinum 2 improves HMC quality and stability after just 15 days of ensiling, giving producers more flexibility than ever to utilize feeds as, and when, required.

Clean forage

HMC treated with MAGNIVA Platinum 2 had numerically reduced yeast and ethanol levels after 15 days ensiling and significantly reduced both yeast and ethanol levels by more than a factor of 1,000 (3 log) and 0.24g/kg/DM, respectively, after 130 days ensiling (Table 1).

Table 1: DM content (%), pH, chemical (% DM basis), and microbial composition (log 10 cfu/g fresh weight basis), of fresh HMC silages, ensiled for 15 and 130 days, treated and untreated control.

The net result of the improved fermentation, reduced yeast, and ethanol levels is a cleaner, more nutritious, and stable silage.

Improved aerobic stability

The MAGNIVA Platinum 2-treated forage significantly improved aerobic stability after just 15 days of ensiling by 27 hours and by more than 180 hours after 130 days of fermentation (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Effect of silage inoculant on HMC (70% DM) aerobic stability (hours necessary to increase the temperature by 2°C above ambient) – Different letters between individual times are significantly different at p <0.01

The inoculation of HMC with MAGNIVA Platinum 2 led to an improvement in fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability compared to control silage from only 15 days after fermentation and after a longer term, 130-day fermentation.

Yeast and ethanol levels were reduced, and this resulted in significantly improved aerobic stability, which reduces DM losses through excessive heating and spoilage and maintains the silage palatability and nutritional value.