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Sulfur Dioxide Preservation of Forage Crops¹

Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, State College

ABSTRACT

Data on the chemical analysis of 24 experimental silages, made and stored in 50-gal. steel barrels, are presented for the purpose of comparing the preservative effect of SO₂ with that of corn-and-cob meal. Four different types of haycrop silages and corn silage were tested with three levels of sulfur dioxide treatment, no treatment and with 200 lb. of finely ground corn-and-cob meal per ton.

Liquid SO₂, at levels of 5 and 7 lb. per ton of green material, proved to be very effective in developing the desired acidity for proper silage preservation in a very short time, as compared to the time required for the development of such acidity by fermentation.

Reducing sugar levels in the SO₂ silages increased over the levels found in the original fresh grass materials. These high levels of sugar were maintained throughout the 120 days storage period.

Lactic acid values in the SO₂ silages did not increase markedly during the storage period, as did those in the control silages. The high sugar values and the low lactic acid values in the SO₂ silages indicate that bacterial fermentation had been decreased by this treatment.

Carotene destruction, which was most evident during the first day of storage, was kept to a minimum by treating the silages with SO₂. The SO₂ silages maintained much higher levels of carotene than the control silages during the entire storage period.

Ammonia nitrogen levels in the SO₂ silages were much lower than in the control silages. Evidently, the use of SO₂ in these silages prevented considerable protein decomposition.

Volatile acid values were lower in the SO₂ silages, compared to those in the control silages.

¹ This work was supported in part by the Virginia Smelting Co., West Norfolk, Va., Ansul Chemical Co., Marinette, Wis., and Tennessee Corp., College Park, Ga. Authorized as paper no. 1702 in the Journal series of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station.

The data presented in this report are from a thesis submitted by the senior author to the Graduate School of The Pennsylvania State College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

² Present address: Department of Dairy Husbandry, State College, New Mexico.