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

Effects of chemical additive and packing density on the fermentation profile and nutrient composition of ensiled cocktail forage mix

Recently, the use of cocktail forage mixes in dairy cattle rations has become more common because the mixtures are low-cost, fit well in rotation after a cereal grain forage, and can have similar yield and energy value compared with alfalfa silage. This experiment evaluated the effects of a chemical additive and packing density on the fermentation profile and nutrient composition of cocktail mix silage. The cocktail forage mix (brown-midrib sorghum-sudangrass, Italian ryegrass, red clover, berseem clover, and hairy vetch) was harvested, ensiled in laboratory silos (3.79-L plastic buckets), and allowed to ferment for 30 d. The experiment consisted of 6 treatments, 2 chemical additives [CON (30 mL of distilled water) or ADD (sodium sulfite, sodium metabisulfite, and fungal amylase)], and 3 packing densities [D100, D75, and D50 (100%, 75%, or 50% of the maximum material in laboratory silos, respectively)], for a total of 24 silos (4 replications per treatment combination). No interactions of additive by density were detected for any parameters evaluated. The addition of the chemical additive influenced fermentation profile, with reduced concentrations of total acids, lactic acid, acetic acid, and ethanol in ADD-treated silages. Moreover, D50 reduced concentrations of total acids, lactic acid, and acetic acid compared with D100, but had greater pH and yeast and mold counts. Minimal changes in nutrient composition were detected regardless of treatment. Overall, this study corroborates the importance of a well-packed silage during the ensiling process. Poorly packed cocktail mix silages may be more prone to spoilage based on yeast and mold counts.

Pigment of Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil.) Flowers: Separation, Extraction, Purification and Antioxidant Activity

In this work, the extraction procedure of a natural pigment from the flower of Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil.) was optimized by response surface methodology. It is the first time that the extraction of the flower pigment of C. speciosa (FPCS) has been reported, along with an evaluation of its stability and biological activity under various conditions, and an exploration of its potential use as a food additive and in medicine. Specifically, the effects of ethanol concentration, solid-liquid ratio, temperature and time on the extraction rate of FPCS were determined using a Box-Behnken design. The optimum extraction conditions for FPCS were 75% ethanol with a solid-liquid ratio of 1:75 mg/mL) at 66 °C for 39 min. The purification of FPCS using different macroporous resins showed that D101 performed best when the initial mass concentration of the injection solution was 1.50 mg/mL, resulting in a three-fold increase in color value. The yield of dry flowers was 9.75% of fresh petals and the FPCS extraction efficiency was 43.2%. The effects of light, solubility, pH, temperature, sweeteners, edible acids, redox agents, preservatives and metal ions on FPCS were also investigated. Furthermore, the characteristics of FPCS were determined by spectrophotometry at a specific wavelength using the Lambert-Beer law to correlate the mass of FPCS with its absorbance value. An acute toxicological test performed according to Horne's method showed that FPCS is a non-toxic extract and thus may be used as a food additive or in other ingestible forms. Finally, western blotting showed that FPCS prevents lipopolysaccharide-induced hippocampal oxidative stress in mice. The study suggests that FPCS may function as an antioxidant with applications in the food, cosmetics and polymer industries.