Technology: Hilgardii: New name in silage inoculants

A new strain of bacteria found in maize silage in South America will be put to work next year improving millions of tonnes of silage around the world.

Biotal has announced the arrival of Lactobacillus Hilgardii, a significant technological advance for the UK company which has been at the forefront of research into effective preservation and utilisation of forages for over 25 years.

Their discovery of the L Buchnerii bacteria in the 1980s delivered a new generation of silage inoculants to reduce waste and improve feed quality, and was a big factor in the acquisition of Biotal in 2001 by Lallemand Animal Nutrition, a primary worldwide manufacturer and supplier of inoculants which have bacteria and enzymes for rapid initial silage acidification (preservation), stability and palatability.