The Effect of Corn Stover and Pineapple Peel Ratio in Silage on Fermentability, Total Gas Production, and Gas Kinetics in Rumen (In Vitro)

Abstract

Silage is one of the alternative feed sources produced through anaerobic fermentation, which can preserve nutrient quality and extend the storage life of feed materials, especially when fresh forage availability is limited. The utilization of agricultural by-products as silage materials also has the potential to improve the efficiency of sustainable ruminant feed production. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different ratios of corn stover and pineapple peel silage on in vitro rumen fermentation. The experiment was conducted using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisting of four treatments with five replications, namely T1 (90% corn stover + 10% pineapple peel), T2 (80% corn stover + 20% pineapple peel), T3 (70% corn stover + 30% pineapple peel), and T4 (60% corn stover + 40% pineapple peel).
The observed parameters included total volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration, ammonia (NH₃) concentration, total gas production, and gas kinetics. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. The results showed that different ratios of corn stover and pineapple peel silage significantly affected (P < 0.05) total volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration, which ranged from 115.34 mM to 179.82 mM. Meanwhile, ammonia (NH₃) concentration ranged from 1.38 mM to 1.79 mM and was not significantly affected by the treatments (P > 0.05).
Total gas production ranged from 118.8 mL/g DM substrate to 132.9 mL/g DM substrate, while gas kinetics values ranged from 60.86 mL/g DM substrate to 67.51 mL/g DM substrate, and both parameters were not significantly affected by the treatments (P > 0.05). Overall, the ratio of 80% corn stover and 20% pineapple peel produced the most optimal and efficient rumen fermentation, indicating its potential as an alternative silage feed ingredient for sustainable ruminant nutrition.