Use of molecular biology associated with bioinformatics to evaluate bacterial dynamics in maize silage
In the process of silage there is a high diversity of microorganisms, which can be from the plant to be ensiled, can be present in soil or in used equipment. During the fermentation process, it is possible to observe changes in microbial diversity, which occur due to the absence of oxygen associated with the gradual reduction of pH.
The recent study of Gharechahi et al. (2017), is an excellent example of how the molecular biology techniques associated with bioinformatics can help in the study of microorganism’s diversity and to understand how each microorganism is associated with the process of silage. The authors used the PICRUs software and concluded that the identified microorganisms through the New Generation Sequencing technique, were associated with the propionate production and also the metabolic pathways of toxic compounds degradation (benzene and xylene, naphthalene), suggesting that the silage microbioma can play an important role in the detoxification of toxic metabolites derived from plants.
The silage quality is extremely important for the animal productivity. The improvement of the feed quality depends on studies that can enrich the knowledge about the process of silage fermentation, so that the new technologies in molecular biology and bioinformatics are essential tools for new studies about this topic.
Gustavo F. C. Sales
Bacterial inoculants and mycotoxins in maize silage
Corn (Zea mays L.) is among the most used forages for silage production. However, it is a very prone culture to the deterioration by microorganisms such as filamentous fungi (molds). These fungi, in addition to producing compounds that impair the palatability of silage, may produce mycotoxins, resulting in great economic losses and animal and human health damages. Mycotoxins can accumulate in the meat and also be excreted in milk. The use of bacterial inoculants (e.g. acid lactic bacteria) in silages has been studied for the optimization of fermentation process that occurs during ensilage, and consequently for the improvement of its quality. In a recent study, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, researchers investigated the capability of bacterial strains, already used as inoculants, of binding to the mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri and Pediococcus acidilactici were the tested strains. The authors concluded that the ability to bind to AFB1, in vitro, varies depending on the strain and its population, and also on the pH of the medium. Next step now is to make sure if these bacterial inoculants, in addition to being capable of sequestering mycotoxin when present in high concentrations in silage, are also able to chemically degrade and transform them into less toxic compounds.
Lilian Morais
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