Electronic Theses and Dissertation

Rumput gajah (Pennisetum purpureum) merupakan salah satu hijauan pakan yang
memiliki produktivitas tinggi dan banyak dimanfaatkan sebagai sumber pakan ternak
ruminansia. Namun, ketersediaannya bersifat musiman sehingga diperlukan teknologi
pengawetan untuk menjaga kualitas dan kontinuitas penyediaannya. Salah satu metode yang
banyak digunakan adalah pembuatan silase melalui proses fermentasi anaerob. Keberhasilan
proses ensilase dipengaruhi oleh penggunaan akselerator fermentasi yang mampu mempercepat
pembentukan asam laktat sehingga kualitas silase dapat dipertahankan.
Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di Laboratorium Ilmu Nutrisi dan Teknologi Pakan, Fakultas
Pertanian, Universitas Syiah Kuala, pada bulan maret-juli 2026. Metode penelitian
menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) dengan 4 perlakuan dan 4 ulangan, yaitu P0
(kontrol + molases 3%), P1 (EM4 3%), P2 (ekstrak belimbing wuluh 3%), dan P3 (tepung sagu
10%). Bahan utama yang digunakan adalah rumput gajah (Pennisetum purpureum) yang
dipanen pada umur 45 hari dan dibuat menjadi silase dengan masa fermentasi selama 28 hari.
Parameter yang diamati meliputi kadar bahan kering (BK), protein kasar (PK), lemak kasar
(LK), serat kasar (SK), kadar abu, dan bahan ekstrak tanpa nitrogen (BETN) menggunakan
analisis proksimat metode AOAC. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis menggunakan Analysis of
Variance (ANOVA), dan apabila menunjukkan pengaruh nyata dilanjutkan dengan uji Duncan's
Multiple Range Test (DMRT).
Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan berbagai jenis akselerator fermentasi
memberikan pengaruh terhadap kualitas nutrisi silase rumput gajah. Perlakuan memberikan
pengaruh sangat nyata (P

Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is one of the forage crops with high productivity and is widely used as a feed source for ruminant livestock. However, its availability is seasonal, making preservation technology necessary to maintain its quality and ensure a continuous supply. One of the most commonly used preservation methods is silage production through anaerobic fermentation. The success of the ensiling process is influenced by the use of fermentation accelerators that enhance lactic acid production, thereby improving and maintaining silage quality. This study was conducted at the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Syiah Kuala University, from March to July 2026. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was employed, consisting of four treatments and four replications: P0 (control + 3% molasses), P1 (3% EM4), P2 (3% bilimbi fruit extract), and P3 (10% sago flour). The primary material used was elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) harvested at 45 days of age and ensiled for 28 days. The observed parameters included dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fat (CF), crude fiber (CFb), ash content, and nitrogen-free extract (NFE), which were analyzed using the AOAC proximate analysis method. The data were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and significant differences were further analyzed using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). The results showed that the use of different fermentation accelerators significantly affected the nutritional quality of elephant grass silage. The treatments had a highly significant effect (P