Fermentative characteristics and nutritional value of banana peel silage with carob syrup

Abstract The nutritional evaluation of banana peels and green cultured barley silages, supplemented with either 11% molasses or carob pod syrup, was conducted as part of this study. The results concluded that the physical characteristics of the silages were all within acceptable limits, classified as either good or very good silage quality. The quality score of the silages indicated that the highest quality was achieved with supplementation of carob pod syrup. In addition, the in vitro dry matter digestibility, organic matter digestibility, and the metabolizable energy value were significantly greater (p < 0.01) in the carob pod syrup than with the molasses supplementation. A significant difference (p < 0.01) was also found in dry matter digestibility, organic matter digestibility, and non-fibrous carbohydrate content, while the dry matter content did not show any difference. The addition of carob pod syrup to green cultured barley silage reduced fermentation losses; however, the silage's fiber and protein quality declined when supplemented with carob pod syrup. In terms of the chemical composition of the silages, in vitro dry matter digestibility, organic matter digestibility, and the metabolizable energy values were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in silage B (42.62%, 65.70%, and 6.39 MJ/kg DM, respectively) than in silage A (37.38%, 49.90%, and 5.61 MJ/kg DM, respectively).