The main aim during forage production is to conserve both quantity and quality. But both of these are lost due to the natural break-down of plant nutrients, such as proteins, during the fermentation process. The longer the process takes, more is lost, leaving less feed in the bunk and reducing its nutritive value.

The type of fermentation also has a big effect. If the wrong type of bacteria dominate the fermentation, the result is increased dry matter losses, reduced palatability and poor animal performance.

Clostridia break-down protein, release ammonia and produce butyric acid, making an unstable forage; enterobacteria waste sugars and produce acetic acid which reduces intake; heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria produce some useful lactic acid, but also produce acetic acid and waste sugars; and all three increase dry matter losses.

The best fermentation is provided by homofermentative lactic acid bacteria that convert sugars to lactic acid, the strongest acid produced in the silo. This minimizes dry matter losses and gives good palatability, high intake and the best animal performance.

Inoculation aims to both increase the speed of fermentation and ensure that the best type of fermentation takes place - that is - a lactic acid fermentation. The best bacteria for the production of lactic acid is Lactobacillus plantarum which occurs naturally on most forages and is also found in many inoculants.

Unfortunately, it only grows in a narrow range of acidity and cannot begin working when the forage is first put-up. This can result in a slow start to fermentation, with subsequent dry matter and nutrient losses and the production of undesirable acids. It is only when these acids have built up sufficiently to lower the pH, that L plantarum becomes active.

But, one special strain of L plantarum, called MTD/1,
has the proven ability to operate over an unusually wide range of acidity from above pH 7, the natural value of the crop before it is cut, to pH 3.5... well below the acidity at which the fermentation process is complete and harmful forage bacteria are destroyed.

MTD/1 is the patented ingredient in both the ECOSYL liquid and ECOSYL Dry Granular inoculants available from ADM Alliance Nutrition. It is able to begin work immediately it is applied to the forage and keeps working right through until the forage is fully preserved.

ECOSYL inoculant delivers a concentrated formulation, applying over 100,000 MTD/1 bacteria to each gram of forage, completely dominating other bacteria, ensuring a lactic acid fermentation.

It is this combination of massive numbers of highly effective, ready to work bacteria that produces the results that have gained ECOSYL an unrivaled reputation within the agricultural, regulatory and scientific communities in the US and around the world.