Patent ID: 8211672

Claim:
A method for treating pre-ensiled plant material to enhance the digestibility of a resulting silage, which comprises adding to said pre-ensiled plant material a composition comprising: a biologically pure culture of a ferulate esterase producing Lactobacillus strain and a suitable carrier, wherein said Lactobacillus strain is selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus buchneri , strain LN4017, deposited as Patent Deposit No. PTA-6138, Lactobacillus plantarum , strain LP678, deposited as Patent Deposit No. PTA-6134, Lactobacillus plantarum , strain LP3710, deposited as Patent Deposit No. PTA-6136, Lactobacillus plantarum , strain LP3779, deposited as Patent Deposit No. PTA-6137, Lactobacillus plantarum , strain LP7109, deposited as Patent Deposit No. PTA-6139, Lactobacillus brevis , strain L81154, deposited as Patent Deposit NRRL 8-30865, Lactobacillus buchneri , strain LN4888, deposited as Patent Deposit NRRL 8-30866, Lactobacillus rueteri , strain LR4933, deposited as Patent Deposit NRRL 8-30867, Lactobacillus crispatus , strain L12127, deposited as Patent Deposit NRRL 8-30868, Lactobacillus crispatus , strain L12350, deposited as Patent Deposit NRRL 8-30869, Lactobacillus crispatus , strain L12366, deposited as Patent Deposit NRRL 8-30870, and mixtures thereof; and wherein said composition comprises from 10 1 to 10 10 viable organisms of said Lactobacillus strain per gram of the pre-ensiled plant material.