WO2023230695A1

WO2023230695A1 - Composition for use in the preparation of hay silage

Info

Publication number: WO2023230695A1
Application number: PCT/CA2022/000025
Authority: WO
Inventors: Markus Weissenberger
Original assignee: Sixring Inc
Current assignee: Sixring Inc
Priority date: 2022-06-03
Filing date: 2022-06-03
Publication date: 2023-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 2024-12-03

Abstract

A method to perform hay silage wherein a low fuming acid composition is used, said method comprises the steps of: providing fresh cut hay; providing a modified aqueous acid composition selected from the group consisting of: o HCl and H₂SO₄; o at least one compound selected from the group consisting of: urea; lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine; creatine; biuret alkyl urea; alkylsulfonic acid; spraying the modified aqueous acid composition onto said fresh cut hay, thereby yielding an acid-soaked hay; placing an air impermeable barrier between the acid-soaked hay and the surrounding air in to minimize presence (or leakage) of oxygen in the acid-soaked hay; optionally, adding a natural compound so as to increase the pH of the composition prior to being used as animal feed; and allowing fermentation of the acid-soaked hay.

Description

COMPOSITION FOR USE IN THE PREPARATION OF HAY SILAGE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a process to make hay silage, more specifically to using a modified acidic composition to prepare hay silage for use as animal feed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Silage is essentially fodder that’s been fermented by acidification to feed cattle or sheep during dry seasons. Grasses or other crops, such as rye or maize, are cut, fermented and compressed until they’re ready to be fed to the livestock. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ensilage, ensiling or silaging, and is usually made from grass crops, including maize, sorghum or other cereals, using the entire green plant (not just the grain). Silage can be made from many field crops, and special terms may be used depending on type: oatlage for oats, haylage for alfalfa.

While the process of making silage is more extensive than simply cutting and drying hay, there are valuable benefits extracted by farmers and growers from this process. Stored silage has a higher moisture content than regular dry hay and this allows it to retain a higher percentage of nutrients than a dry hay. The conventional process of silaging doesn’t add nutrients to the feed, it does manage to preserve the nutrients already present. This is especially valuable for cattle and sheep dining dry seasons when they would have to resort to eating dry hay.

Another valuable feature of silage is in its energy. It can serve as a high-energy source for animals such as cows.

Various approaches are employed to make silage but they generally follow the main steps of harvesting the grass and storing it and ensuring when stored pockets of air are largely eliminated in order to avoid growth of mold and hence spoilage of the silage grass.

While the crops used can vary from grass to oat to alfalfa to rye to maize, there are features which are necessary to ensure successful silaging. Silage must be made from plant material which has a sufficiently high moisture content (50% to 60%) depending on the method employed in the silaging process, the degree of compression, and the amount of water that will be lost in storage. A silage harvester collects and chop the plant material such as hay, and loads it into wagons. The chopped up material called chaff, is blown into the wagon to be carried to a silo, a silage bunker or blown into a bagger, which puts the silage into a tightly wrapped large plastic bag which is left behind in the field.

When storing silage in silos, the harvested grass are chopped into pieces about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long. The chopped grass is spread in layers over the floor of the silo, and closely packed. When the filling step is complete, a layer of straw or some other dry porous substance may be spread over the surface. In silo storage, the pressure of the material, essentially excludes air from being present throughout most of the pile except from the top layer. When stacking the cut grass in a pile, as opposed to a silo, weights are added on top of the pile to provide in the case of the stack extra pressure and avoid excessive heating.

For pasture-type crops, the grass is mown and allowed to wilt for a day or so until the moisture content drops to a suitable level. Waiting too long to bale the cut hay can result in having a product which is too dry. A bale made of dry hay (below 30% moisture content) can have its nutrients undergo degradation before the fermentation process even begins. It is also more difficult to lower the pH of the baled hay below 5.0 where all bacterial activity is expected to stop because of the pH which makes bacteria survival unsustainable at this pH. Moreover, a bale of dry grass will have more oxygen trapped inside and this additional oxygen while prolong the heating process and increase the temperature inside the baled grass. If the heating process lasts too long, the baled hay can darken and lose some of its nutrients, generally proteins are lost dining this process.

When making silage, it is highly desirable to use good quality grass which has a high sugar content. Coarse, stemmy grass will not only make inferior silage, it is also more likely to puncture the plastic wrap.

Once the baled hay is wrapped up with the plastic wrap, the first step of the ensiling process begins. A combination of natural plant respiration and the action of aerobic bacteria begin to heat the bale. Since aerobic bacteria need air to survive, the oxygen supply contained in the baled hay can run out in less than 1 hour depending on the weather conditions. Under cooler temperatures, this part of the process can extend to several hours or even a few days.

Silage will undergo two types of fermentation, a first aerobic fermentation and a second, anaerobic fermentation, which starts about 48 hours after the chopped grass is packaged in a plastic wrap or placed in a silo or silage bunker and covered to prevent additional oxygen from being in contact with the chopped grass. However, before anaerobic fermentation starts, there is an aerobic phase in which the trapped oxygen is consumed. When baled hay is too tightly packed, the amount of oxygen present is limited hence, and the acid fermentation results in the formation of acetic, butyric and lactic acids from the carbohydrates. This is referred to as sour silage. When the grass is properly packed, a sufficient quantity of oxygen is present for oxidation to occur and under the right temperature conditions, the resulting silage will be referred to as sweet silage.

The fermentation can be aided by the addition of specific microorganisms which are geared towards speeding up the fermentation process. This may have a direct consequence to improve the quality of the silage. The microorganisms may be one or more of strains of lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri, or other bacteria such as Enterococcus faecium and Pediococcus species. In order to help the silaging process, good bacteria and enzymes have been to be added to the grass.

Advantages of hay silage include the fact that a crop is less likely to be ruined by rain, it can be stored outside; it retains more nutrients than hay. Some disadvantages includes: more costly than regular hay; bales will be at least twice as heavy as their hay equivalents; special equipment may be necessary to move the bales of silage as they are heavier and one to needs to check the plastic wrap for holes and repair them to avoid air (oxygen) from spoiling the silage.

While silage can be stored outside, it needs to be completely used up once it has been cut open they must be fed out within a few days to avoid the silage from spoiling.

A good quality grass with a high sugar content is desirable to make a good hay silage product as it will help drive down the pH of the resulting ensiled grass to below 5.0 where the undesirable bacteria are virtually. Correct moisture content is also critical elements to obtain a good silage product. Ryegrasses contain high amounts of sugars and respond to nitrogen fertilizer better than any other grass species. This makes ryegrass a very desirable grass to silage.

Once a pH ranging from 3.8 to 5.0 is achieved in the baled hay, it becomes too acidic for the anaerobic bacteria present in the hay to ferment it and, consequently, the fermentation process stops. The baled hay has reached stability for storage and such can be done for several months until it is used up.

If the cut grass is not quickly contained protected from rain and oxygen, there are a few things which may happen to undermine the nutritious value of the ensiled grass. The cut grass can be rained on which will result in a release of sugars from the cut grass and will most likely result in lower quality hay silage. In the event that the grass no longer contains a sufficient amount of sugar to ferment properly, the bale would possibly be unstable and could spoil. Rain can also splash a number of bacteria from the soil on to the grass, which can lead to poor fermentation.

If the plastic wrap of a bale of hay is punctured either dining transport or by birds or other animals, undesirable bacteria can start to grow inside the bale which would ruin the bale and risk botulism poisoning to the animals which would be fed from it.

Moreover, bales made with a moisture content greater than 60 per cent are also more likely becoming affected by Clostridium botulinum. A bale spoiled by clostridial bacteria will be sour and foul smelling with an odour similar to that of ammonia. There may also be slime moulds.

Several types of bacteria are commonly found in soil and can be found inside bale and may spoil it if the ensiling process does not drop the pH below 5.0. Therefore, when ensiling grass, it is highly desirable for the pH of the ensiled grass to reach a pH of 5.0 or less quickly, otherwise a number of Clostridium bacteria can start growing in the bale and render the grass not only unfit for animal consumption but downright dangerous to the health of the animals consuming it.

During fermentation, the silage bacteria act on the cellulose and carbohydrates in the grass to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs), such as acetic, propionic, lactic, and butyric acids. By lowering pH, these create a hostile environment for competing bacteria that might cause spoilage. The acids produced can act as preservatives for the silage and is particularly valuable during the winter in regions where green forage is unavailable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method to perform hay silage wherein a low fuming acid composition is used, said method comprises the steps of: providing fresh cut hay; providing a modified aqueous acid composition selected from the group consisting of: o HC1 and H₂SO₄; o at least one compound selected from the group consisting of: urea; lysine; ■ glycine;

■ histidine;

■ arginine;

■ creatine;

■ biuret;

■ alkyl urea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; and

■ methanesulfonic acid (MSA); such that the modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 1 to 5, preferably from 2 to 4, more preferably from 2.5 to 3.5; spraying a pre-determined amount of said modified aqueous acid composition onto a predetermined amount of said fresh cut hay, thereby yielding an acid-soaked hay; placing an air impermeable barrier between the acid-soaked hay and the surrounding air in to minimize presence (or leakage) of oxygen in the acid-soaked hay; optionally, adding a compound such as urea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl urea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; to the silage composition so as to increase the pH of the composition prior to being used as animal feed; and allowing fermentation of the acid-soaked hay to proceed until a pre-determined amount of sugars have been produced through the conversion of carbohydrates present in the hay.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the acidic composition comprises HC1 and lysine in a molar ratio ranging from 2: 1 to 4: 1.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the acidic composition comprises HC1 and urea in a molar ratio ranging from 1 : 1 to 1 : 1.5.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composition comprising an acid-soaked hay product and a natural compound selected from the group consisting of: urea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl mea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; is added to the silage composition so as to increase the pH of the acid-soaked hay prior to being used as animal feed, where the composition has a pH ranging from 3.5-4.5. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method to manufacture a nutrient enhanced hay silage composition comprising fresh cut hay and a modified acid composition, said method comprising: providing fresh cut hay; providing a modified aqueous acid composition selected from the group consisting of: o HC1 and H₂SO₄; o at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

■ urea;

■ lysine;

■ glycine;

■ histidine;

■ arginine;

■ creatine;

■ bimet;

■ methanesulfonic acid (MSA); such that the modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 1 to 5, preferably from 2 to 4, more preferably from 2.5 to 3.5; spraying said modified aqueous acid composition onto said fresh cut hay, thereby yielding an acid-soaked hay; placing an air impermeable barrier between the acid-soaked hay and the surrounding air in to minimize presence (or leakage) of oxygen in the acid-soaked hay; optionally, adding a natural compound selected from the group consisting of: urea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl mea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; and methanesulfonic acid to the silage composition so as to increase the pH of the composition prior to being used as animal feed; and allowing the aerobic fermentation to take place.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a use of a modified aqueous acid composition for hay silaging, wherein said modified is selected from the group consisting of: o HC1 and H₂SO₄; o at least one compound selected from the group consisting of: ■ urea;

■ lysine;

■ glycine;

■ histidine;

■ arginine;

■ creatine;

■ biuret;

■ methanesulfonic acid (MSA); such that said modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 1 to 5.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 2 to 4.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 2.5 to 3.5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to make hay silage using an acidic composition comprising a modified acid selected from the group consisting of:

HCl-urea;

HC1- lysine;

HCl-glycine;

HCl-histidine;

HCl-arginine;

HCl-creatine;

HCl-biuret;

HCl-alkyl urea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; and

HCl-methanesulfonic acid;

H₂SO4-urea;

H₂SO4-lysine; H2SO4-glycine;

H₂SO4-histidine;

H₂SO4-arginine;

H₂SO4-creatine;

H₂SO4-biuret;

H₂SO4-alkyl urea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; and

H₂SO4-methanesulfonic acid.

It is highly desirable to provide an acidic composition which removes substantially all of the risks associated with the handling of any acid which is mostly associated with its fuming (i.e. volatility) as such requires any operator handling the acid to wear a face shield (goggles or glasses) as well as a mask to protect the airways from the extremely dangerous fumes emitted by such an acid.

In the context of the present invention, the inventors have determined that preferred suitable acidic compositions which have little or no fuming danger (for example, when compared to formic acid) could be generated and used in hay silage. These preferred acidic compositions have a pH that allows for liquefaction of fish waste into usable feed for animals all the while providing minimal or no corrosion to the vessel in which the acidic compositions are prepared and in which the fish waste is being processed. Moreover, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the acid is safe for skin, i.e. inadvertent skin exposure to a preferred acidic composition would not cause any blistering or other skin damage provided that the acidic composition is washed off the skin within 5 or 10 minutes from the exposure.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an enhanced (or fortified) composition comprising a hay silage product and a natural compound selected from the group consisting of: urea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl urea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 6 carbons; and alkylsulfonic acid, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 6 carbons is added to the silage composition so as to increase the pH of the composition prior to being used as animal feed, where the composition has a pH ranging from 3.8-5.0. According to a preferred embodiment, the in situ enhancement of the hay silage composition can be brought about in at least one of two ways. The first being from the modified acidic composition used, and the second deriving from the addition of a natural compound at the end of the process in order to increase the pH of the hay silage and make it more palatable as animal feed. This allows the use of a lower pH in order to perform the hay silage process and thus, may in some cases, accelerate the fermentation process of making hay silage.

Cattle (such as cows) require varying amounts of each of the 10 essential amino acids, including: phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophane, isoleucine, methionine, histidine, arginine, leucine, and lysine. Accordingly, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will provide hay silage but also contain a yet hereunto fore unused additive within the hay silage which is part of the essential diet of cows.

A 2019 study suggests that prepartum cows fed a partial mixed ration with a negative DCAD (dietary cation-anion difference) of -25meq/kg containing chloride-based anionic salts and free access to a fescue pasture had lower prepartum urine pH, and higher concentrations of total Ca in plasma during the first week postpartum, than cows receiving a partial mixed ration containing sulfate-based anionic salts. There were no cases of clinical hypocalcaemia in either group.

What is to be understood by the use of the term enhanced in this case is that, in comparison to commonly obtained hay silage using common organic or mineral acids, the use of a modified acidic composition allows to introduce into the mixture some nutrients at the same time as the process is taking place. Moreover, the modified acidic composition can be tailored for specific uses by assessing its end use and determining which natural compound should be used to enhance the composition in order to best serve the end user (operator) in his operations

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition can be used in various agricultural settings including feedstock for, but not limited to: beef; cattle; sheep and horses. Preferably, the hay silage to be used in this instance would be one which would be free of chlorides, thus the modified acid used to convert (or process) hay into hay silage would contain sulfuric acid along with one of the listed modifying compounds selected from the group consisting of: urea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl urea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; and methane sulfonic acid (MSA).

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition can be added in amounts ranging from 0.001wt% of the total weight of the grass and depending on the strength of the acid in the acidic compositions up to 5wt%. More preferably, the composition can be added in amounts ranging from 0.01 wt% up to 2.5 wt %. Additional additives can be considered, especially additives which hold a nutritional value for cattle or horses and which can be difficult to come by in their diets depending on location or the time of the year. Additives can include but are not limited to amino acids, or nitrogencontaining compounds which are typically found in animal diet and which are stable or can be stabilized to remain inside the silage without undergoing degradation for a number of months.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method to perform hay silage wherein a low fuming acid composition is used, said method consisting of the steps of: providing fresh cut hay; providing a modified aqueous acid composition selected from the group consisting of: o HC1 and H₂SO₄; o at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

■ urea;

■ lysine;

■ glycine;

■ histidine;

■ arginine;

■ creatine;

■ bimet;

■ methanesulfonic acid (MSA); such that the modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 1 to 5, preferably from 2 to 4, more preferably from 2.5 to 3.5; spraying a pre-determined amount of said modified aqueous acid composition onto a predetermined amount of said fresh cut hay, thereby yielding an acid-soaked hay; placing an air impermeable barrier between the acid-soaked hay and the surrounding air in to minimize presence (or leakage) of oxygen in the acid-soaked hay; optionally, adding a compound such as urea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl mea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; to the silage composition so as to increase the pH of the composition prior to being used as animal feed; and allowing fermentation of the acid-soaked hay to proceed until a pre-determined amount of sugars have been produced through the conversion of carbohydrates present in the hay. While the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for pinposes of clarity and understanding, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant arts, once they have been made familiar with this disclosure that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the true scope of the invention in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method to perform hay silage wherein a low fuming acid composition is used, said method comprises the steps of: providing fresh cut hay; providing a modified aqueous acid composition selected from the group consisting of: o HC1 and H₂SO₄; o at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

■ urea;

■ lysine;

■ glycine;

■ histidine;

■ arginine;

■ creatine;

■ bimet;

■ methanesulfonic acid (MSA); such that the modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 1 to 5, preferably from 2 to 4, more preferably from 2.5 to 3.5; spraying a pre-determined amount of said modified aqueous acid composition onto a predetermined amount of said fresh cut hay, thereby yielding an acid-soaked hay; placing an air impermeable barrier between the acid-soaked hay and the surrounding air in to minimize presence (or leakage) of oxygen in the acid-soaked hay; optionally, adding a compound such as urea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl mea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; to the silage composition so as to increase the pH of the composition prior to being used as animal feed; and allowing fermentation of the acid-soaked hay to proceed until a pre-determined amount of sugars have been produced through the conversion of carbohydrates present in the hay.

2. The method according to claim 1, where the acidic composition comprises HC1 and lysine in a molar ratio ranging from 2:1 to 4:1.

3. The method according to claim 1, where the acidic composition comprises HC1 and urea in a molar ratio ranging from 1:1 to 1:1.5.

6. A composition comprising an acid-soaked hay product and a natural compound selected from the group consisting of: urea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl urea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; is added to the silage composition so as to increase the pH of the acid-soaked hay prior to being used as animal feed, where the composition has a pH ranging from 3.5-4.5.

7. A method to manufacture a nutrient enhanced hay silage composition comprising fresh cut hay and a modified acid composition, said method comprising: providing fresh cut hay; providing a modified aqueous acid composition selected from the group consisting of: o HC1 and H₂SO₄; o at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

■ urea;

■ lysine;

■ glycine;

■ histidine;

■ arginine;

■ creatine;

■ bimet;

■ alkyl mea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; and

■ methanesulfonic acid (MSA); such that the modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 1 to 5, preferably from 2 to 4, more preferably from 2.5 to 3.5; spraying said modified aqueous acid composition onto said fresh cut hay, thereby yielding an acid-soaked hay; placing an air impermeable barrier between the acid-soaked hay and the surrounding air in to minimize presence (or leakage) of oxygen in the acid-soaked hay; optionally, adding a natural compound such as mea; amino acid (such as lysine; glycine; histidine; arginine); creatine; bimet; alkyl mea, where the alkyl group comprises a carbon chain ranging from 1 carbon to 3 carbons; and methanesulfonic acid to the silage composition so as to increase the pH of the composition prior to being used as animal feed; and allowing the aerobic fermentation to take place.

8. A use of a providing a modified aqueous acid composition for hay silaging, wherein said modified is selected from the group consisting of: o HC1 and H₂SO₄; o at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

■ urea;

■ lysine;

■ glycine;

■ histidine;

■ arginine;

■ creatine;

■ bimet;

9. The use of claim 8 wherein said modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 2 to 4.

10. The use of claim 8 wherein said modified acid composition has a pH ranging from 2.5 to 3.5.