The Effect of Sorting Wheat or Barley, Based on the Predicted Crude Protein Content, on Physical Characteristics, Feed Processing Characteristics and Nutrient Digestibility

Variability in the physiochemical profile of cereal grains represents a challenge for the livestock industry. Currently, nutrient values are based on sample averages, ignoring the variation between individual seeds. These experiments were designed to determine if: (1) fractions obtained by an instrument calibrated to separate individual kernels based on predicted crude protein (CP) content have different physical characteristics and/or differ in dry matter digestibility (DMD) and amino acid digestibility (AAD); (2) the grinding method and intensity differentially influences digestibility of each fraction; and (3) hydrothermal treatment effects differ for the individual fractions. The BoMill TriQ (TriQ), which employs near infrared transmittance spectroscopy (NIT), was used to separate individual kernels based on predicted CP content. In the first study, the TriQ was used to sort six independent sources of wheat into ten fractions each. A minimum of 100 kernels from each fraction were randomly selected and used to obtain measurements of length, width, height, area, DGM, perimeter, sphericity, colour (HunterLab), and mass. HunterLab was used to determine L (100 white to 0 black) a (-a green to +a red) b (-b blue to +b yellow). Data were analyzed as a complete randomized design (CRD) using Proc Mixed procedure of SAS 9.4 with the fixed effect being fraction. Physical characteristics were not different among fractions (P > 0.10), except that fractions with lower predicted CP content tended to have greater L* (54.12 vs. 50.95) based on the HunterLab calorimetric approach (P < 0.10). In the second study, two fractions [predicted high CP (HCP) and low CP (LCP)] produced from five independent sources of feed grade wheat or barley, were compared to the unsorted (UNS) grain. Each fraction (UNS, HCP, and LCP) was ground through a 0.375-mm (coarse grind) or a 0.188-mm (fine grind) screen using a hammer mill or a roller mill to produce coarse and fine treatments. The UNS fraction was used to adjust the roller mill to produce ground samples with a similar processing index (w/v) relative to the hammer mill. In vitro DMD (using rumen inoculum; %), starch digestibility (%) and total gas production (TGP; mL) were determined after a 12-h incubation. Data were analyzed independently by grain type including the effects of fraction, grinder type and severity of processing, and their interactions. A split plot iii design was used where main plot was fraction and the subplots were grinder type and severity of grinding. Significance was defined as P 0.05 and P < 0.10. The TGP (mL) and DMD (%) of barley ground using a hammer mill were greater than when processed using a roller mill (P < 0.05; 59.4 mL ± 2.0 mL and 41.8% ± 1.0%, respectively). A similar response was observed for wheat processed using either a hammer mill or a roller mill (P < 0.05; 63.8 mL ± 1.4 mL and 27.8% ± 1.5%, respectively). Increasing the severity of processing increased TGP (47.4 mL ± 1.96 mL vs 35.9 mL ± 1.98 mL), DMD (P < 0.05; 36.2 % ± 1.03 % vs 29.6 % ± 1.04 %) for barley and for wheat (P < 0.05; 48.9 mL ± 1.48 mL vs 42.7 mL ± 1.44 mL) and DMD (P < 0.05; 36.4% ± 0.82% vs 32.2% ± 0.80%). Sorting individual seeds based on predicted CP content did not affect physical characteristics, DMD, or TGP for either wheat or barley. In the final experiment, the response of fractions to hydrothermal treatment on AAD was assessed. Eight wheat-based and eight barley-based treatment diets were used. These treatments followed a 2 2 2 factorial arrangement where the main factors were processing temperature (low vs. high temperature pelleting), fractions (LCP vs. HCP) and grain sources (two independent sources for each of wheat and barley). Additionally, a nitrogen-free diet was fed to estimate endogenous losses. Sixteen ileal cannulated pigs were fed the diets in six blocks, providing an n = 6 per treatment. Digestibility of amino acids for rations composed of barley had a fraction × temperature of processing interaction; the same was observed for wheat grain except for proline (P = 0.27), glycine (P = 0.16) and histidine (P = 0.46), while trends were observed for phenylalanine (P = 0.07), tyrosine (P = 0.10), isoleucine (P = 0.07), methionine (P = 0.08) and glutamic acid (P = 0.08). Most of the amino acids for wheat and barley did not exhibit differences between fractions in digestibility. This lack of difference for the majority of the parameters was attributed to the similarity in chemical composition between the fractions. The similarity between the fractions was attributed to the inability of the TriQ to separate a source into fractions that were different chemically. The key findings of the experiments were that using NIT to sort on an individual seed basis for predicted CP content did not result in chemical (starch or CP content) or physical variation. Additionally, DMD and TGP did not differ between the fractions produced by NIT. iv The current NIT technology was found to have limitations in its ability to differentiate kernels that may affect chemical, physical or processing traits

Development of NIR spectroscopy models for starch content prediction and ethanol production from mutant grain sorghum

Master of ScienceBiological & Agricultural EngineeringDonghai WangThe growing demands for renewable energy sources have led researchers to investigate other biomass sources, aside from maize. Grain sorghum is comparable to maize in its starch content and can be grown in regions with drier climates, where maize is a less suitable crop for these areas. In attempts to increase yield prior to harvest and for ethanol production, this study focuses on mutant grain sorghum. One hundred and nine mutant grain sorghum samples were analyzed for their chemical and physical properties and fermented into ethanol. The current method for starch analysis is time-consuming and tedious. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) models were developed as fast, cost-effective, and non-destructive methods for grain sorghum starch content analysis. Each mutated grain sorghum sample was scanned in a wavelength range from 4,000 to 10,000 cmˉ¹ as a whole grain and in flour form. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression method was used for NIR model development. The coefficients of determination (R²) of 0.77 and 0.90 were achieved for starch content calibration and prediction models, respectively. This model demonstrates the possibility of a positive correlation between the actual and calculated values for starch content. Another PLS first derivative model with R² = 0.95 for calibration and a reduced wavelength range (4,000-5,176 cmˉ¹), using 39 of the original 109 samples (27 for calibration and 8 for validation), was created to predict the fermentation efficiency

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Machine Learning: Analysis and Classification Methods of Rice

Nowadays, the conventional biochemical methods used to differentiate and characterize rice types, biochemical properties, authentication, and contamination issues are difficult to implement due to the high cost of reagents, time requirement and environmental issues. Actually, the success of agri-food technology is directly related to the quality of analysis of experimental data acquired by sensors or techniques such as the infrared-spectroscopy. To overcome these technical limitations, a rapid and non-destructive methodology for discrimination and classification of rice has been investigated. Near-infrared spectroscopy is considered as fast, clean, and non-destructive analytical tools and its spectra present significant biomolecular information that must be analysed by sophisticated methodologies. Machine learning plays an important role in the analysis of the spectral data being used several methods such as Partial Least Squares, Principal Component Analysis, Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis, Support Vector Machine, Artificial Neuronal Network, among others which can successfully be applied for food classification and discrimination as well as in terms of authentication and contamination issues. The quality control of rice is extremely important at every stage of production, beginning with estimation of raw agricultural materials and monitoring their quality during storage, estimating food quality during the production process and of the final products as well as the determination of their authenticity and the detection of adulterants

Ruminal degradation characteristics of barley, rye, and triticale grains assayed in situ and in vitro, and by near-infrared spectroscopy

The milk yield of dairy cows and related energy and protein requirements have steadily increased in the last few decades. Since feed intake has not increased to the same extent as nutritional requirements, the concentration of nutrients in mixed rations had to be increased. An increase in energy concentration is often achieved by the inclusion of high levels of cereal grains. In the EUapart from wheatbarley, rye, and triticale are widely cultivated cereal grains. Starch (ST), followed by crude protein (CP), is the main constituent of cereal grains. The rate and extent of ruminal CP and ST degradation can influence the performance and health of dairy cows, but data that can enable the comparison of ruminal degradation within and between barley, rye, and triticale grains are scarce. Commonly used techniques to explore ruminal degradation of feed are in situ and in vitro incubations. Both techniques require ruminal-fistulated animals, but alternative methods are being demanded by the community, in order to reduce the number of animal trials. An approach with the potential to estimate the nutritional value of various feeds is near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The present thesis has two major parts. In the first part, ruminal degradation parameters and the effective degradability (ED) of DM, CP, and ST from barley, rye, and triticale grains are investigated using standardised in situ and in vitro incubation techniques. A total of 20 genotypes per grain species were used. In the second part, NIRS calibrations were developed with the aim of estimating the CP and ST concentrations of cereal grains and their incubation residues. Subsequently, data from in situ experiments were used to establish the calibrations for estimating the ruminal in situ degradation of cereal grains from their spectral data. In situ degradation studies have been conducted by ruminal incubation, utilising three lactating cows. Ruminal degradation parameters and ED (ruminal passage rate = 8%//h) were calculated. For in vitro incubations, the samples were incubated in a rumen fluid-buffer mixture (Hohenheim Gas Test). The gas production was recorded for estimating gas production kinetics. In vitro gas productionin combination with crude nutrient concentrationswas used to estimate the metabolisable energy concentration (ME) and digestibility of organic matter (dOM). The degradation rates differed between and within the grain species for DM, CP, and ST. The variation within grain species was not reflected in the ED of CP and ST, due to the relatively fast and almost complete degradation of the grains. The ED of CP was 77% (6980%) for barley, 85% (8386%) for rye, and 82% (7984%) for triticale. The corresponding ED of ST was 86% (8288%), 95% (9296%), and 94% (9095%). Accordingly, the estimated ME (barley: 13.5 MJ/kg DM, rye: 13.9 MJ/kg DM, triticale: 13.5 MJ/ kg DM) showed only relatively minor variation within one grain species. The dOM was overall at a high level (barley: 91.3%, rye: 95.3%, triticale: 95.8%). The relatively small variation within one grain species could not be explained by the chemical and physical characteristics of the samples. Hence, it was concluded that it is feasible to use mean values for every species in feed formulation and ration planning. In the second part of this thesis, it was shown that it is possible to replace chemical CP and ST analyses of samples from in situ studies by NIRS without affecting the calculated ruminal degradation characteristics. NIRS could be used to estimate the ED of CP and ST from cereal grains. The sample set to establish the calibrations included barley, durum, maize, rye, triticale, and wheat grains. Calibrations for the CP and ST concentration were extended to pea samples. The calibrations with the best validation performance for CP and ST concentration were obtained by using the wavelength segment of 1250 to 2450 nm and the first derivative of the spectra (CP: R2 = 0.99; SEP = 0.46% DM. ST: R2 = 0.99; SEP = 2.10% DM). The results of in situ studies did not differ, irrespective of whether chemical or NIRS analysis was used. Like the CP and ST concentration, the ED was estimated with a high accuracy (ED8 CP: R2 = 0.95; SEP = 2.43%. ED8 ST: R2 = 0.97; SEP = 2.45%). However, calibrations need to be extended before they can be recommended for routine use. The present thesis demonstrates that the ED of CP and ST of barley, rye, and triticale grains differ between the species, but variation within one grain species is relatively small and not related to the chemical and physical characteristics of the grain. Hence, under the prevailing cultivation conditions, the mean values for each grain species in feed evaluation are deemed adequate. It was demonstrated that NIRS has the potential to facilitate the evaluation of the nutritive value of cereal grains for ruminants.Die seit Jahrzehnten steigende Leistung von Milchkühen geht mit einem erhöhten Energie- und Proteinbedarf einher. Da die Futteraufnahme nicht im selben Umfang zugenommen hat, wird eine Bedarfsdeckung häufig durch eine erhöhte Nährstoff- und Energiedichte der Ration angestrebt. Eine gesteigerte Energiedichte kann durch den Einsatz von Getreidestärke (ST) erreicht werden. Eine zu schnelle und umfangreiche ruminale Kohlenhydratfermentation kann allerdings die Leistung sowie die Tiergesundheit negativ beeinflussen. Bei einem hohen Anteil von Getreide in Milchviehrationen stammt außerdem ein nicht unerheblicher Teil des in einer Ration enthaltenen Rohproteins (XP) aus Getreide. Um eine bedarfsgerechte Fütterung von Milchkühen sicherzustellen ist es daher notwendig, den ruminalen XP- und ST-Abbau von Getreidekörnern beurteilen zu können. Der ruminale Abbau von Getreide kann sowohl zwischen als auch innerhalb von Getreidearten variieren. Verfügbare Untersuchungen sind jedoch meist auf Proben einer Getreideart oder wenige Proben verschiedener Getreidearten begrenzt und ein Vergleich zwischen verschiedenen Studien ist aufgrund von Unterschieden in der Methodik oft nicht möglich. Das erste Ziel dieser Dissertation war es daher, die Variation im ruminalen XP- und ST-Abbau von je 20 Genotypen Gerste, Roggen und Triticale unter Verwendung von standardisierten in situ und in vitro Methoden zu untersuchen und zu vergleichen. Ein weiteres Ziel war es, die Beurteilung des ruminalen in situ Abbaus von Getreidekörnern durch die Schätzung der XP- und ST-Konzentration von gemahlenen Getreide- und Erbsenkörnern sowie deren Inkubationsrückständen aus in situ-Studien mittels Nahinfrarotspektroskopie (NIRS), zu vereinfachen. Außerdem wurden Kalibrationen zur Schätzung des ruminalen Abbaus von Getreidekörnern mittels NIRS erstellt. Zur Ermittlung des ruminalen in situ Abbaus wurde das vermahlene Getreide in Beutel eingewogen und in pansenfistulierten, laktierenden Kühen inkubiert. Zur Ermittlung der in vitro Gasbildungskinetik wurden die gemahlenen Proben in einem Pansen-Puffer-Gemisch inkubiert und die Gasbildung erfasst. Anhand der Gasblidung und Rohnährstoffkonzentrationen wurde die Umsetzbare Energie (ME) und die Verdaulichkeit der Organischen Masse (dOM) geschätzt. Die in situ Abbauparameter für XP und ST variierten sowohl zwischen als auch innerhalb der Getreidearten. Die Variation innerhalb einer Getreideart war aufgrund des raschen und annähernd vollständigen Abbaus nicht im selben Umfang im effektiven Abbau (ED, ruminale Passagerate = 8%/h) widergespiegelt. Der mittlere ED des XP lag bei 77% für Gerste, 85% für Roggen und bei 82% für Triticale. Die entsprechenden Werte für den ED der ST waren 86%, 95% und 94%. Die in vitro Gasbildung sowie die ME und dOM zeigten eine relativ geringe Variation innerhalb und zwischen den Getreidearten. Für Gersten- und Triticalekörner wurde eine ME-Konzentration von im Mittel 1 je 3,5 MJ/kg TM, für Roggen 13,9 MJ/kg TM geschätzt. Die geschätzte dOM lag bei 91,3% für Gerste, 95,3% für Roggen und 95,8% für Triticale. Die Variation im ED und in den in vitro Kennzahlen innerhalb einer Getreideart konnte nicht durch chemische oder physikalische Eigenschaften der Proben erklärt werden. Daher scheint unter den gegebenen Anbaubedingungen ein Mittelwert für den ED je Getreideart zur Rationsgestaltung angemessen. Um Kalibrationen zur Schätzung der XP und ST Konzentration von Proben aus in situ versuchen mittels NIRS zu erstellen wurden Gerste-, Hartweizen-, Mais-, Roggen-, Triticale- und Weizen- sowie Erbsenproben verwendet. Bei der Kalibrationsentwicklung wurde der verwendete Wellenlängenbereich sowie die mathematische Behandlung der Spektren variiert. Für die XP- und ST-Konzentration zeigten Kalibrationen im Wellenlängenbereich 1250-2450 nm unter Verwendung der ersten Ableitung der Spektren die höchste Schätzgüte (Kennzahlen Validierung: XP: R2 = 0,99; SEP = 0,46. ST: R2 = 0,99; SEP = 2,10). Die Verwendung von NIRS anstelle von chemischen Methoden zur XP- und ST-Analyse von Inkubationsrückständen und Körnerproben beeinflusste die Ergebnisse der in situ Studien nicht. Des Weiteren wurden Kalibrationen zur Schätzung der ruminalen in situ Abbauparameter von Gerste, Hartweizen, Mais, Roggen, Triticale und Weizen mittels NIRS erstellt. Der ED konnte mit hoher Schätzgüte aus den Spektren der vermahlenen Getreidekörner geschätzt werden (Kennzahlen Validierung: ED XP: R2 = 0,95; SEP = 2,43; ED ST: R2 = 0,97; SEP = 2,45). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es hinsichtlich des ED von XP und ST Unterschiede zwischen den untersuchten Getreidearten gibt, die Variation innerhalb der Getreidearten aber relativ gering ist. Es konnte außerdem gezeigt werden, dass sich NIRS zur Schätzung des ED von Getreidekörnern eignet. Die Kalibrationen könnten nach einer Erweiterung um weitere Proben zu einer besseren Beurteilung von einzelnen Getreidechargen in der Praxis und somit einer präziseren Rationsplanung beitragen

Near-infrared spectroscopy for early selection of waxy cassava clones via seed analysis

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) starch consists of amylopectin and amylose, with its properties determined by the proportion of these two polymers. Waxy starches contain at least 95% amylopectin. In the food industry, waxy starches are advantageous, with pastes that are more stable towards retrogradation, while high-amylose starches are used as resistant starches. This study aimed to associate near-infrared spectrophotometry (NIRS) spectra with the waxy phenotype in cassava seeds and develop an accurate classification model for indirect selection of plants. A total of 1127 F2 seeds were obtained from controlled crosses performed between 77 F1 genotypes (wild-type, Wx_). Seeds were individually identified, and spectral data were obtained via NIRS using a benchtop NIRFlex N-500 and a portable SCiO device spectrometer. Four classification models were assessed for waxy cassava genotype identification: k-nearest neighbor algorithm (KNN), C5.0 decision tree (CDT), parallel random forest (parRF), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB). Spectral data were divided between a training set (80%) and a testing set (20%). The accuracy, based on NIRFlex N-500 spectral data, ranged from 0.86 (parRF) to 0.92 (XGB). The Kappa index displayed a similar trend as the accuracy, considering the lowest value for the parRF method (0.39) and the highest value for XGB (0.71). For the SCiO device, the accuracy (0.88−0.89) was similar among the four models evaluated. However, the Kappa index was lower than that of the NIRFlex N-500, and this index ranged from 0 (parRF) to 0.16 (KNN and CDT). Therefore, despite the high accuracy these last models are incapable of correctly classifying waxy and non-waxy clones based on the SCiO device spectra. A confusion matrix was performed to demonstrate the classification model results in the testing set. For both NIRS, the models were efficient in classifying non-waxy clones, with values ranging from 96−100%. However, the NIRS differed in the potential to predict waxy genotype class. For the NIRFlex N-500, the percentage ranged from 30% (parRF) to 70% (XGB). In general, the models tended to classify waxy genotypes as non-waxy, mainly SCiO. Therefore, the use of NIRS can perform early selection of cassava seeds with a waxy phenotype

EFFECT OF CARBOHYDRATE TRAITS ON NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND

Four hulless barley varieties (zero-amylose waxy, CDC Fibar; 5%-amylose waxy, CDC Rattan; normal-amylose, CDC McGwire and high-amylose, HB08302) were developed at the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan with differences in carbohydrates traits on the basis of amylose (1 to 20% DM), amylopectin (34 to 51% DM), amylose to amylopectin ratio (0.02 to 0.59) and β-glucan (5 to 10% DM) content. The objectives of this research were to determine: 1) the effect of the alteration of these carbohydrate traits in hulless barley on nutrient availability in ruminants, and 2) spectral characteristics of molecular structures in comparison with hulled barley-CDC Copeland. Studies on chemical and nutrient profiles, rumen degradation kinetics, in vitro intestinal nutrient digestion and potential protein supply estimated by the Dutch model and the NRC Dairy 2001 model were carried out. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and advanced synchrotron-based FTIR Microspectroscopy (SR-FTIRM) with univariate and multivariate analysis were applied to investigate the influence of genetic modification of barley cultivars on the molecular structure features at the regions of protein amide I and II, β-glucan, cellulosic compounds and carbohydrates. By quantifying the relationship between the measured parameters and the alteration of carbohydrate traits, the results of studies revealed: 1) the hulless barley lines with altered carbohydrate traits have the potential to increase rumen and intestinal nutrient availability, thus improving the truly absorbed protein supply to ruminants compared to hulled barley; 2) lower amylose and higher β-glucan level in the hulless barley varieties increased estimated energy and metabolizable protein supply to ruminants; 3) molecular structure differences of the hulless barley varieties can be detected by both conventional FTIR spectroscopy and SR-FTIRM; 4) metabolizable protein (MP) was affected significantly by protein molecular structure characteristics in hulless barley

Mısır Tanesinde Nişasta Analizi İçin Nır Kalibrasyonu Oluşturulması

Bu araştırma Türkiye'nin yedi farklı coğrafi bölgesinden TMO ofislerinden getirilen toplam 320 (üç yüz yirmi) adet mısır numunelerinin nişasta değerlerinin kalibrasyonu NIR cihazı kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Araştırmada kullanılan mısır numuneleri Türkiye de mısır üretiminin yoğun olarak yapıldığı bölgelerden seçilmiştir ve laboratuvara getirilmiştir. Laboratuvara getirilen mısır numunelerinin öğütülmesi işlemi yapılmış daha sonra spektraları oluşturulmuştur. Bununla birlikte laboratuarda yaş kimyasal analiz yöntemleri kullanılarak nişasta değerleri bulunmuştur. Oluşturulan kalibrasyon setinin r=0.6410; r2= 0.4109 Standart Sapma = 4.4208 şeklinde değerleri alınmış, validasyon setinden ise r=0.5854; r2= 0.3427 Standart Sapma = 4.5662 değerleri elde edilmiştir. Kalibrasyon aralığı 44.53 bulunurken, validasyon aralığı ise 45.72. olarak bulunmuştur. Sonuç olarak bu araştırma sayesinde Türkiyenin 7 farklı bölgesini temsil edebilecek mısır tanesindeki nişasta miktarı FT-NIR cihazı kullanılarak kalibrasyonların bilimsel açıdan daha doğru sonuçlar vermesi için daha fazla miktarda numune ile çalışmaların yapılması gerektiği görülmüştür.Bu Tez Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Komisyonu Tarafından 14. SAĞ.BİL. 21 Proje Numarası ile Desteklenmiştir

Utilization of near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy for the Evaluation and Characterization of Barley in Western Canada

The first study evaluated near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for the determination of barley silage DM on as-is samples using either a commodity specific or broad based equation. A second study was conducted to evaluate a commercial NIRS prediction equation for barley grain, examining the nutrients of DM, CP and starch. Barley samples were selected as HIGH, MID or LOW for each nutrient group and the equation was tested using all samples or only the selected samples. Finally, a third study was conducted to evaluate NIRS as a selection tool for barley grain and the relationship between nutrient composition and digestion kinetics. The results of the first study indicated that NIRS accurately predicts the DM of as-is barley silage (R2 = 0.98, p 0.50, p < 0.05), however did not accurately predict starch content of barley grain (R2 �� 0.21, p < 0.05). The third experiment indicates that NIRS holds promise as a selection tool for barley grain quality and a relationship exists being nutrient content and digestion kinetics. There was a significant relationship between the DM content of the sample and the rate of fermentation with LOW DM samples having a faster rate of fermentation than the MID and HIGH (p < 0.05). Gas production of LOW DM samples was greater between 8 and 23 hours of incubation compared to the HIGH and MID (p < 0.05). The MID CP had greater gas production (mL/g of substrate DM, p �� 0.05) than the HIGH range, with LOW being intermediate. Correlations between the NIRS and lab determined chemical constituents and the gas production kinetics were examined. DM was negatively correlated (p �� 0.05) with k and lag when measured with NIRS or in a lab, and CP was significantly (p �� 0.05) negatively correlated with cumulative gas production (NIRS r = -0.31, lab r = -0.31), k (NIRS r = 0.48, lab r = 0.47), and lag (NIRS r = 0.30, lab r = 0.37).Animal Scienc

IN-DEPTH STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROTEIN MOLECULAR STRUCTURE AND THE DIGESTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROTEINS IN DRIED DISTILLERS GRAINS WITH SOLUBLES

Dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) have been extensively utilized in ruminant rations in western Canada. It is important to ensure the consistent quality of these DDGS. Traditional chemical methods do not consider the inherent structural changes of feed ingredients. The objectives of this study were to investigate the nutritional value of triticale and triticale DDGS in terms of chemical profile, protein and carbohydrate subfractions partitioned using the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System and energy values calculated according to NRC (2001), to evaluate the digestive characteristics of the proteins in triticale and triticale DDGS using the in situ and in vitro methods and the DVE/OEB and NRC-2001 models, to identify differences in protein molecular structures between grains (wheat, triticale and corn) and DDGS (wheat DDGS, triticale DDGS, corn DDGS and wheat and corn blend DDGS) using Synchrotron Based Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectroscopy and Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy and to reveal the relationship between protein molecular structure and protein digestive characteristics in DDGS in dairy cattle. Triticale DDGS was significantly higher (P0.05). However, triticale DDGS had higher predicted total metabolizable protein (P<0.01) and protein degraded balance (P<0.01) than triticale. The protein molecular structure study showed significant decreases (P<0.01) in the amide I to amide II ratio and the α helix to β sheet ratio from grains to DDGS. Protein digestive characteristics were correlated with protein molecular structures in grains and DDGS and prediction equations were established to estimate protein digestive characteristics of DDGS using protein molecular structure parameters. In conclusion, protein molecular structure varies among different DDGS and their original grains, and this variation is associated with the digestive characteristics of the proteins in the DDGS and their original grains