Improving sugarcane bagasse quality as ruminant feed with Lactobacillus, cellulase, and molasses

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus, cellulase, and molasses on chemical composition, fermentation qualities, and microorganism count of sugarcane bagasse silage after 30-days fermentation. The treatments were arranged according to a factorial arrangement (2 × 2 × 2) + 1, in a complete randomized design. The first factor consisted of two levels of Lactobacillus casei TH14 (TH14, 0 and 0.05 g/kg fresh matter; the second factor consisted of two levels of cellulase enzyme (C, 0 and 10⁴ U/kg fresh matter); and the third factor consisted of two levels of molasses (M, 0 and 5 g/ 100 mL distilled water). A treatment (+1) referred to the use of rice straw without any treatments. The result showed that dry matter increased by 4% and neutral detergent fiber decreased by 2% of sugarcane bagasse when ensiled as a combination of additives as compared to untreated sugarcane bagasse. The pH and ammonia nitrogen were significantly dropped to 3.5 and 2.3 g/kg dry matter. Furthermore, lactic acid was increased by 64% when compared to untreated sugarcane bagasse, respectively. Lactic acid bacteria count was increased by 28% as compared to untreated sugarcane bagasse. Based on this experiment, fermenting with L. casei TH14, cellulase, and molasses in combination resulted in the promotion of the best qualities of sugarcane bagasse silage.