Lacticaseibacillus huelsenbergensis DSM 115424 as a silage additive: 4 × 10¹¹ CFU/g, enumeration on MRS agar according to EN 15787, PEG 4000 as a cryoprotectant at most 0.025 mg/kg silage
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/348, published on 18 February 2026, authorises until 10 March 2036 a preparation of Lacticaseibacillus huelsenbergensis DSM 115424 (at least 4 × 10¹¹ CFU/g) as a silage additive for all animal species and all fresh plant materials, at a dose of at least 1 × 10⁸ CFU/kg fresh material.
- Methods: identification — pulsed-field gel electrophoresis PFGE (CEN/TS 17697) or DNA sequencing; enumeration in the additive — spread plate (or pour plate) on MRS agar (EN 15787). Cryoprotectants may include sodium citrate, mannitol and monosodium glutamate monohydrate; polyethylene glycol PEG 4000 — at most 0.025 mg/kg silage. According to EFSA PEG 4000 is the only component that is not a feed material or feed additive; at this concentration it was assessed earlier for another silage additive.
- EFSA data (preparation with whey powder as carrier): in 5 batches 4.8–6.1 × 10¹¹ CFU/g; in 3 batches arsenic < 0.1–0.11 mg/kg, Enterobacteriaceae and yeasts and moulds < 1 000 CFU/g; dusting potential 695–743 mg/m³, particles below 10 µm 8.4–8.5 % by volume; losses < 0.5 log after 12 months at 20 °C and in water after 48 h at 20 °C and after 7 days at 4 °C.
- Efficacy: 4 experiments in 1.5 L or 6.5 L mini-silos (3 replicates, 90 days, 20 ± 2 °C) — grass (DM 41.7 %, easy to ensile), corn cob mix (70.2 %, difficult), whole-plant maize (39.5 %, moderately difficult) and grass (26.6 %, difficult); Mann–Whitney U test. In the grass of experiment 4 pH fell from 4.98 to 4.28 and ammonia nitrogen from 17.23 to 9.26 % of total N; in experiment 1 DM losses were 6.83 % against 3.10 % in the control (difference not significant).
- Users: the preparation is a skin and respiratory sensitiser, inhalation and skin contact are a risk; the whey-based preparation was not irritant to skin and eyes, for other forms there is no conclusion. The act requires skin and respiratory protection if procedures and organisational measures do not eliminate the risks.