Valorization of Citrus Pulp Wastes on Improving the Silage Quality of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.): Effects on Chemical Composition, Fermentation, Gas Production, and Aerobic Stability Properties

Year 2025, Volume: 11 Issue: 2, 242 - 255, 29.08.2025

Seda Akbay Tohumcu , Emrah Kaya , Faruk Tohumcu

https://doi.org/10.24180/ijaws.1665278

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the pulps obtained from citrus on the quality properties of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silage, which has low water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and high protein content. The alfalfa was harvested in the pre-blooming period and chopped into 1-3 cm lengths, added 0%, 5% and 10% fresh orange, tangerine, grapefruit and lemon pulps, then siled in vacuum bags for 90 days with 3 replications. At the end of the ensiling period, chemical analyses, gas production (GP), and other calculations were performed. Citrus pulp addition increased the dry matter (DM), crude ash (CA), crude protein (CP), and Flieg Score (FS) of the silages, and reduced the pH, net GP, and methane (CH4). The addition of 10% tangerine pulp increased the FS of silages more than 50%. While the control group silages were graded "low", the addition of 10% tangerine pulp increased the quality grades of the silages to "good". With the addition of 5% grapefruit pulp, a 27% decrease in the CH4 on a per-mL basis of the silages was determined. When silages were compared with the control group, only the silages with %5 tangerine pulp addition had anti-methanogenic properties due to their percentage. With the addition of citrus pulp, excessive degradation of proteins occurring in alfalfa silage was prevented. Silage quality and environmental pollution can be addressed to some extent by using citrus pulp waste to ensile alfalfa, which improves both the nutritional and fermentation characteristics of the silage.

Keywords

Alfalfa silage , Citrus pulp , Fermentation , Gas production , Aerobic stability

Yonca (Medicago sativa L.) Silaj Kalitesinin İyileştirilmesinde Narenciye Posası Atıklarının Değerlendirilmesi: Kimyasal Bileşim, Fermantasyon, Gaz Üretimi ve Aerobik Stabilite Özellikleri Üzerindeki Etkileri

Abstract

Bu çalışma, farklı narenciye posalarının düşük suda çözünür karbonhidrat (SÇK) ve yüksek protein içeriğine sahip yonca (Medicago sativa L.) silajlarının kalite özellikleri üzerindeki etkisini belirlemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çiçeklenme öncesi dönemde hasat edilen yonca, 1-3 cm uzunluğunda doğranmış ve %0, %5, %10 oranlarında taze portakal, mandalina, greyfurt ve limon posaları eklenerek, üçer tekerrürlü olarak vakumlu torbalarda 90 gün boyunca silolanmıştır. Silolama süresinin sonunda kimyasal analizler, gaz üretimi (GP) ölçümleri ve diğer hesaplamalar yapılmıştır. Narenciye posası ilavesi, silajların kuru madde (KM), ham kül (HK), ham protein (HP) ve Flieg Skoru (FS) değerlerini artırırken, pH, net gaz üretimi (GÜ) ve metan (CH4) seviyelerini düşürmüştür. %10 oranında mandalina posası ilavesi, silajların FS’sini %50’den fazla yükseltmiştir. Kontrol grubu silajları "düşük kalite" olarak sınıflandırılırken, %10 mandalina posası ilavesi ile silajlar "iyi kalite" seviyesine yükselmiştir. Ayrıca, %5 oranında greyfurt posası ilavesi ile silajların mililitre başına CH4 üretiminde %27 oranında azalma tespit edilmiştir. Kontrol grubu ile karşılaştırıldığında, yalnızca %5 mandalina posası ilaveli silajlar gaz üretimi açısından anti-metanojenik özellik göstermiştir. Narenciye posası ilavesi, yonca silajında meydana gelen aşırı protein yıkımını önlemiştir. Yoncanın silolanmasında narenciye posası atıklarının kullanılması, silajın hem besin değerini hem de fermantasyon özelliklerini iyileştirerek silaj kalitesini artırabilir ve çevresel kirliliği belirli ölçüde azaltabilir.

Keywords

Yonca silajı , Narenciye posası , Fermantasyon , Gaz üretimi , Aerobik stabilite

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