Inclusion of soybeans in rehydrated corn grain silage

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Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the bromatological and microbiological characteristics of adding raw and toasted soybeans to rehydrated corn grain silage. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design, in a 4 × 2 + 1 factorial design, with four levels of soybean inclusion (12.5, 25, 37.5, and 50 % of dry matter), two types of beans (raw and roasted), and a control treatment containing only rehydrated corn grain silage, totaling nine treatments, with five replicates each. To prepare the material, part of the soybeans was roasted, followed by grinding of all the beans and subsequent mixing with corn, according to the experimental treatments. Water was added until moisture reached 35 %. The material was ensiled in experimental silos made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes, with a capacity of 4 L, resulting in a final density of 1064 ± 83.8 kg/m³. After 60 days of fermentation, the silos were opened for pH, microbiological, and bromatological analyses. The inclusion of soybeans positively influenced the bromatological characteristics of the silage. Levels of up to 37.5 % resulted in improvements in nutritional composition, with increases in crude protein (7.1 %), extract (4 %), and mineral content (7 %), while maintaining good digestibility (84 %). Regarding the type of grain, raw soybeans provided better bromatological composition, while toasted soybeans resulted in lower concentrations of fungi and yeast.
Keywords: digestibility; fermentation; raw grains; toasted grains.

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References

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Published

2026-05-19

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Vol. 27 (2026): Continuous publication

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ANIMAL SCIENCE

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How to Cite

PRADO, R. A. T. DO et al. Inclusion of soybeans in rehydrated corn grain silage. Brazilian Animal Science/ Ciência Animal Brasileira, v. 27, 19 May2026.

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