Phytotherapic Traits of Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) Silages

Abstract

A hop (Humulus lupulus L.) contributes to animal health, yield and quality due to contains a significant amount of polyphenols. Besides, phenolic compounds promote fermentation in the silage, giving the silage an aromatic taste and increasing the palatability of the silage. In this study, it was aimed to determine the phytotherapic traits of hop silages. Five different age groups (3, 5, 10, 15, and 20) of two types of hops (Brewers Gold and Aroma) were examined in the study. The boll of the harvested plant is used for brewing, while the rest is usually discarded. For this reason, parts of the plant other than the boll were used as silage material. Plant samples were chopped to size 2 cm, and as four replication ensiled in 2 kg plastic jars as sole and mixtures. The samples were taken fermentation at 25±2 °C during the 45 days. In this study, total alkaloid (TA), condensed tannin (CT), total phenolic (TP), total flavonoid (TF), and Free radical scavenging activity (DPPH) contents of silages were determined. The lowest TA content was determined in the 5 (3.29%) and 20 (3.31%) age groups of the Aroma variety. The CT content of hop silages was ranged between 1.48-5.26%. The highest TP content was determined in the 15 (39.08 mg GA g-1) and 20 (36.78 mg GA g-1) age groups of Brewers Gold variety. The TF and DPPH contents were ranged between 2.27-4.87 mg QE g-1 and 57.67-77.02%, respectively. As a result, it has been determined that all hop silages can be evaluated as a silo material, and also, they are sufficient in terms of animal health, yield, and quality in terms of the properties examined.