Optimization of the Composition of a Novel Bioactive Silage Produced by Mixing of Ground Maize Grains with Olive Mill Waste Waters, Grape Pomace and Feta Cheese Whey

In this work, the production of a novel and sustainable silage was realized and optimized. Three agro-industrial wastes produced in bulk: olive mill wastewater (OMWW), grape pomace (GP) and de-proteinized feta cheese whey (DFCW) were mixed with coarsely ground maize grains, and the mixture was inoculated with commercial lactic bacteria starter culture and fermented for 30 days under anaerobic conditions to obtain silage. Sixty-seven recipes with varying compositions of the three agro-wastes were ensilaged, and four silage quality indices: pH value, % acidity as lactic acid, total lactobacillus count (cfu/g) and total yeast and mold count (cfu/g) were monitored throughout the ensilage process, and the obtained data were used to perform multicriteria optimization of the silage composition. The optimization target was to simultaneously maximize the pH drop, % total acidity as lactic acid and lactobacillus count while minimizing the count of undesirable yeasts and molds. Following this optimization strategy, it was found that the best composition of the mixture of all three tested agro-industrial wastes to obtain a high-quality silage was the one containing: 20% w/w GP, 60% w/w OMWW and 20% w/w feta cheese whey. Finally, the produced silage was tested in broilers' nutrition and by 10% w/w inclusion in the feed, which led to the production of high added-value bioactive meat rich in omega-3 fatty acids and with high antioxidant capacity.

Automated summary

This study successfully produced high-quality silage through the mixed utilization of agricultural wastes, and validated its effectiveness in chicken nutrition. By optimizing the composition of silage, a high added-value meat product rich in omega-3 fatty acids and with high antioxidant capacity was obtained.