Impact of urea and molasses supplementation and ensiling duration on fermentation quality and nutritional composition of silage: Monitoring pH and lactic acid concentration

Yeong, Jing Rou (2025) Impact of urea and molasses supplementation and ensiling duration on fermentation quality and nutritional composition of silage: Monitoring pH and lactic acid concentration. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

Silage is fermented forage produced by ensiling foliage crops with additives under anaerobic conditions, which improves nutrient content for livestock feeding. This study investigated the effects of urea and molasses supplementation on the fermentation quality and nutritional composition of Common Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus [syn. Pennisetum purpureum]) silage at different ensiling durations. The four treatments were: Control (Napier grass only), 0.5% urea, 5% molasses, and a combination of 0.5% urea + 5% molasses. Each treatment was ensiled for 7, 14, or 30 days. Fermentation quality was assessed based on dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), and acid detergent fibre (ADF), while nutritional composition was evaluated through pH and lactic acid concentration (LAC). Significant differences (P < 0.05) among treatments were observed in NDF, ADF, pH, and LAC. For the 5% molasses treatment, it recorded the lowest NDF (43.33 ± 1.82%) and ADF (37.00 ± 1.93%), the lowest pH (4.68 ± 0.22), and the highest LAC (22.94 ± 11.50 g/L), while DM and CP did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) among treatments. Regarding ensiling duration, significant differences (P < 0.05) were found for ADF, NDF, DM, CP, and LAC, after 30 days, silage had the lowest ADF (37.08 ± 1.04%), NDF (47.67 ± 1.25%) and DM (16.42 ± 1.11%) contents, along with the highest CP (13.98 ± 0.36%) and LAC (35.20 ± 6.58 g/L) values. Although pH decreased with longer fermentation duration, the changes was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Overall, the results indicate that adding 5% molasses enhances fibre degradation, lactic acid production, and overall fermentation quality of Napier grass silage, while a 30-day ensiling period increases protein content and lactic acid production, and reduces fibre content, indicating improved preservation and potential feed value.

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