First feeding trial with a commercial formulation including L. hilgardii

In 2019, Lallemand Animal Nutrition launched its innovative forage inoculant range MAGNIVA Platinum, containing the newly patented technology, Lactobacillus hilgardii CNCM I-4785 in combination with the gold standard, L. buchneri NCIMB 40788. The MAGNIVA Platinum range has been independently proven to significantly improve the fermentation and aerobic stability* characteristics of a variety of forages after only 15 days, while also improving longer-term stability.

In a recent study, the quality silage produced using MAGNIVA Platinum was shown to significantly improve the feed efficiency of dairy cows. The study conducted at Blanca from the Pyrenees assessed the fermentation and aerobic stability impact when treating corn silage with the new inoculant after nine months of fermentation. This was completed by a feeding trial.

Improved aerobic stability

The corn silage treated with the inoculant significantly reduced the number of undesirable microorganisms that contaminate the silage — such as molds and yeast — compared to the control, which results in greatly improved aerobic stability and reduced levels of undesirable bacteria.

After opening, the silage treated with MAGNIVA Platinum showed improved aerobic stability by 15 hours and decreased yeast and fungi populations by 3.8 and 7.4, respectively.

Feeding Trial

The two silages were used in rations fed to 60 Holstein cows. The cows were randomly allocated to a control TMR (untreated silage) or to a treatment TMR containing MAGNIVA.

For both treatments, the dry matter intakes were similar. However, the treated silage showed higher feed efficiency (0.06, P<0.01) compared to the control, which equates to an
extra 60g of milk per kilo of feed (Table 1).

The trial showed that the new inoculant helps producers take control of their silage quality and improve their production costs. The inoculant helps ensure that the maximum feed value of the corn silage is retained for feedout. It does lower losses by lessening waste by improving aerobic stability, meaning the producer has more silage of better quality to feed.