Recycling of Lycium barbarum by-products and bioactive substance application in silage—Insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentation
Abstract Silage, a traditional anaerobically fermented feed primarily used for ruminants, can be enhanced by incorporating Lycium barbarum by-products (LBB) to improve its functional properties. LBB is rich in bioactive compounds with notable medicinal and nutritional benefits, positioning it as a p...
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2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04033-0 |
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| author | Yajun Zhang Jiale Liao Yongxiang Pan Qing Zhang Qiang Lu Xiaodong Chen Wencan Ke Guijie Zhang |
| author_facet | Yajun Zhang Jiale Liao Yongxiang Pan Qing Zhang Qiang Lu Xiaodong Chen Wencan Ke Guijie Zhang |
| author_sort | Yajun Zhang |
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| description | Abstract Silage, a traditional anaerobically fermented feed primarily used for ruminants, can be enhanced by incorporating Lycium barbarum by-products (LBB) to improve its functional properties. LBB is rich in bioactive compounds with notable medicinal and nutritional benefits, positioning it as a promising alternative to conventional additives. This study investigates the effects of LBB and its bioactive components—Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP), flavonoid (FLA), and betaine (BET) on fermentation parameters, bacterial communities and metabolites in alfalfa silages. LBB, LBP, FLA, and BET significantly increased lactic acid (LA) and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) production (P < 0.05), with LBP contributing the highest increases in LA (64.54%) and WSC (70.34%) compared to the control. Furthermore, LBB, LBP, FLA, and BET significantly reduced dry matter loss (DM loss) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) (P < 0.05), with LBB achieving a 70.39% reduction in DM loss and a 35.18% decrease in ammonia nitrogen. The application of these treatments also enhanced the antioxidant properties of silage, as evidenced by increased total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels (P < 0.05). Notably, the relative abundance of Lactiplantibacillus and Pediococcus was elevated in LBB and BET-treated silages, respectively. The bioactive components of LBB demonstrated potent antibacterial activity, with differential metabolites enriched in flavonoid and isoflavonoid biosynthesis pathways. Correlation analysis further revealed relationships between specific metabolites and microbiota. These findings highlight the potential of LBB as a valuable strategy for enhancing silage quality. Graphical Abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-75cead9f3a444ffc832f0d72575d73fb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2180 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-75cead9f3a444ffc832f0d72575d73fb2025-08-20T03:45:52ZengBMCBMC Microbiology1471-21802025-07-0125111910.1186/s12866-025-04033-0Recycling of Lycium barbarum by-products and bioactive substance application in silage—Insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentationYajun Zhang0Jiale Liao1Yongxiang Pan2Qing Zhang3Qiang Lu4Xiaodong Chen5Wencan Ke6Guijie Zhang7College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia UniversityCollege of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia UniversityCollege of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia UniversityCollege of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural UniversityCollege of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia UniversityCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia UniversityCollege of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia UniversityCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia UniversityAbstract Silage, a traditional anaerobically fermented feed primarily used for ruminants, can be enhanced by incorporating Lycium barbarum by-products (LBB) to improve its functional properties. LBB is rich in bioactive compounds with notable medicinal and nutritional benefits, positioning it as a promising alternative to conventional additives. This study investigates the effects of LBB and its bioactive components—Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP), flavonoid (FLA), and betaine (BET) on fermentation parameters, bacterial communities and metabolites in alfalfa silages. LBB, LBP, FLA, and BET significantly increased lactic acid (LA) and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) production (P < 0.05), with LBP contributing the highest increases in LA (64.54%) and WSC (70.34%) compared to the control. Furthermore, LBB, LBP, FLA, and BET significantly reduced dry matter loss (DM loss) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) (P < 0.05), with LBB achieving a 70.39% reduction in DM loss and a 35.18% decrease in ammonia nitrogen. The application of these treatments also enhanced the antioxidant properties of silage, as evidenced by increased total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels (P < 0.05). Notably, the relative abundance of Lactiplantibacillus and Pediococcus was elevated in LBB and BET-treated silages, respectively. The bioactive components of LBB demonstrated potent antibacterial activity, with differential metabolites enriched in flavonoid and isoflavonoid biosynthesis pathways. Correlation analysis further revealed relationships between specific metabolites and microbiota. These findings highlight the potential of LBB as a valuable strategy for enhancing silage quality. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04033-0SilagePlant extractsMetabolic profileMicrobial communityFermentation quality |
| spellingShingle | Yajun Zhang Jiale Liao Yongxiang Pan Qing Zhang Qiang Lu Xiaodong Chen Wencan Ke Guijie Zhang Recycling of Lycium barbarum by-products and bioactive substance application in silage—Insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentation BMC Microbiology Silage Plant extracts Metabolic profile Microbial community Fermentation quality |
| title | Recycling of Lycium barbarum by-products and bioactive substance application in silage—Insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentation |
| title_full | Recycling of Lycium barbarum by-products and bioactive substance application in silage—Insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentation |
| title_fullStr | Recycling of Lycium barbarum by-products and bioactive substance application in silage—Insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Recycling of Lycium barbarum by-products and bioactive substance application in silage—Insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentation |
| title_short | Recycling of Lycium barbarum by-products and bioactive substance application in silage—Insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentation |
| title_sort | recycling of lycium barbarum by products and bioactive substance application in silage insight into antioxidant activity and the regulation mechanism of anaerobic fermentation |
| topic | Silage Plant extracts Metabolic profile Microbial community Fermentation quality |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04033-0 |
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