Quality assurance for animal feed analysis laboratories

Every sector of the livestock industry, the associated services and the wellbeing of both animals and humans are influenced by animal feeding. The availability of accurate, reliable and reproducible analytical data is imperative for proper feed formulation. Only reliable analysis can lead to the generation of sound scientific data. This document gives a comprehensive account of good laboratory practices, quality assurance procedures and examples of standard operating procedures as used in individual specialist laboratories. The adoption of these practices and procedures will assist laboratories in acquiring the recognition of competence required for certification or accreditation and will also enhance the quality of the data reported by feed analysis laboratories. In addition, ensuring good laboratory practices presented in the document will enhance the safety of the laboratory workers. The document will be useful for laboratory analysts, laboratory managers, research students and teachers and it is hoped that it will enable workers in animal industry, including the aquaculture industry, to appreciate the importance of proven reliable data and the associated quality assurance approaches. An additional effect of implementing and adopting these approaches will be strengthening of the research and education capabilities of students graduating from R&D institutions and promotion of a better trading environment between developing and developed economies. This will have long-term benefits and will promote investment in both feed industries and R&D institutions

FERTILISATION STRATEGIES ACROSS EUROPE: CURRENT SITUATION, POTENTIAL AND LIMITS FOR A HARMONISED APPROACH

Peer reviewe

Cohort Profile: Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium.

Development Psychopathology in context: famil

The possibilities of near infrared reflection spectroscopy to predict total-phosphorus, phytate-phosphorus and phytase activity in vegetable feedstuffs

238 samples, representing 19 vegetable feeds, were analysed for total and phytate phosphorus. Phytase activity was estimated in a limited number of feeds with an activity of >100 units/kg. Near infrared reflection spectra (NIRS) were taken between 1100 and 2500 nm in steps of 4 nm. By means of principal component analysis the feeds were grouped in starch- (n = 150) and protein-rich feeds (n = 88). NIRS-calibrations were developed using partial least square regression and tested by cross-validation. Total P varied from 0.22 to 1.25% and phytate P from 0.05 to 1.02% for high-starch feeds and, respectively, from 0.46 to 1.37% and from 0.22 to 0.56% for protein-rich feeds. Within these broad ranges, NIRS-values were highly correlated to measured total and phytate P with prediction errors of 0.08 and 0.08%, respectively, for high-starch feeds and 0.08 and 0.04%, for protein-rich feeds. However, considering the mostly small deviation of mean or calculated values for the individual feeds, NIRS is practical for predicting total P for wheat byproducts and phytate P for maize gluten feed. On the other hand, NIRS could be used for unknown or not tabulated products. Spectral signals from total and phytate P are partly based on direct responses from organic complexes but also on secondary relations through protein and fat. It was concluded that NIRS seemed not sensitive enough to detect phytase

Evaluation of the nutritive value of maize silages using a gas production technique

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Potential of solubility, enzymatic methods and NIRS to predict in situ rumen escape protein

The percentage of feed protein escaping rumen degradation was measured by the in situ method (%EPsitu) for 29 compound feeds, untreated and formaldehyde-treated soyabean meal and 12 forages: 3 grass silages, 2 maize silages, fresh grass, grass hay, fodder beets, fresh potatoes, ensiled beet pulp, chopped ear-maize silage and brewers' grains. Loss of particles through bag pores was determined by the difference between the washable fraction (W) and the fraction soluble in borate-phosphate buffer at pH 6.7 (S). W - S was most pronounced for compound feeds (on average 14.4 percentage units), for brewers' grains and maize silages. A correction of %EPsitu, assuming that W - S degrades like the potentially degradable fraction, was not appropriate. Solubility in borate-phosphate buffer after 1 h, enzymic degradability by protease from Streptomyces griseus or ficin after 1, 6 and 24 h and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) (for compound feeds alone) were examined as a routine method to predict %EPsitu. With the buffer and S. griseus the effect of pH (6.7 vs. 8.0) and at pH 8.0 the effect of amount of substrate (500-mg sample vs. 20 mg N) were tested. With ficin, 500-mg samples were incubated at pH 6.7. Predictions were better when compound feeds and forages were considered separately. However, the best in vitro method was different for the 2 feed categories, being solubility in buffer for the compound feeds and enzymic degradation of a constant amount of protein with S. griseus at pH 8.0 for forages. NIRS showed potential to predict %EPsitu of compound feeds, but needs more reference samples. The Dutch feed tables appeared more accurate than the best in vitro method for compound feeds, but was too inaccurate for some forages like fodder beets, maize silage and ear-maize silage