Comparative efficiency of native and non-native starter culture in the production of bio-silage using composite waste from fish and vegetables

The efficiency of native and non-native starter cultures in the production of bio-silage using composite waste from fish and vegetables was studied. An ensilage experiment was conducted in a natural way (without starter culture) of composite waste (fish to vegetable at 80 to 20%) to isolate the native fermentative microflora. An Enterococcus faecalis strain isolated from the natural ensilage of composite waste showed higher efficiency over other commercial LAB strains generally used for ensilation. A total of 60 isolates were screened and characterized biochemically from ensilaged composite waste. Among them, 12 proteolytic and lipolytic positive isolates were identified as Enterococcus faecalis , based on a BLAST search of the 16S rRNA gene sequences. Subsequently, composite bio-silage was prepared by inoculating starter cultures with three (3) treatments T1 (native— Enterococcus faecalis ), T2 (non-native— Lactobacillus acidophilus ), T3 (a mixture of E. faecalis and L. acidophilus ) and compared with control (composite bio-silage without starter culture). The highest non-protein nitrogen (0.78 ± 0.01 mg of N /100 g) and degree of hydrolysis (70.00 ± 0.06% of protein/100 g) was seen in the T3 sample, and the lowest (0.67 ± 0.02 mg of N/100 g and 50.40 ± 0.04% of protein/100 g) was seen in the control. At the end of ensilation, the pH fell (5.95–3.88) in conjunction with the formation of lactic acid (0.23–2.05 g of lactic acid/100 g), and the lactic acid bacteria count nearly doubled (log 5.60–10.60). The lipid peroxidation products PV (0.11–0.41 milli equivalent of oxygen/kg of fat) and TBARs (1.64–6.95 mg of malonaldehyde/kg of silage) were changed within a reasonable range in the following pattern Control > T2 > T3 > T1, which led to oxidatively stable products. The findings revealed that native starter culture E. faecalis , which can be employed as a single or in combination with non-native L. acidophilus , performed better in the bio-ensilation process. Additionally, the finished composite bio-silage can be used as a novel, protein-carbohydrate rich feed component to help manage wastes from both sectors.