A novel combination of sodium metabisulfite and a chemical mixture based on sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and sodium nitrite for aerobic preservation of fruit and vegetable discards and lactic acid fermentation in a total mixed ration for ruminants

OBJECTIVE: Our recent findings confirmed the effectiveness of sodium metabisulfite (SMB) in controlling the growth of undesirable microorganisms in fruit and vegetable discards (FVD); however, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are susceptible to its antibacterial effects. Two series of experiments were conducted to enable the survivability of LAB during silage fermentation of a total mixed ration (TMR) containing SMB-treated FVD. METHODS: In Exp. 1, the objective was to isolate a strain of LAB tolerable to the toxic effect of SMB. In Exp. 2, the SMB load was minimized through its partial replacement with a chemical mixture (CM) based on sodium benzoate (57%), potassium sorbate (29%), and sodium nitrite (14%). FVD was treated with SMB + CM (2 g each/kg biomass) and added to the TMR at varying levels (0%, 10%, or 20%), with or without KU18 inoculation. RESULTS: The KU18 was screened as a presumptive LAB strain showing superior tolerance to SMB in broth medium, and was identified at the molecular level using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as Lactobacillus plantarum. Inoculation of KU18 in TMR containing SMB was not successful for the LAB development, biomass acidification, and organoleptic properties of the resultant silage. In Exp. 2, based on the effectiveness and economic considerations, an equal proportion of SMB and CM (2 g each/kg FVD) was selected as the optimal loads for the subsequent silage fermentation experiment. Slight differences were determined in LAB development, biomass acidification, and sensorial characteristics among the experimental silages, suggesting the low toxicity of the preservatives on LAB growth. CONCLUSION: Although KU18 strain was not able to efficiently develop in silage mass containing SMB-treated FVD, the partial substitution of SMB load with the CM effectively alleviated the toxic effect of SMB and allowed LAB development during the fermentation of SMB + CM-treated FVD in TMR.