Laboratory variation of 24 h in vitro gas production and estimated metabolizable energy values of ruminant feeds

Intra- and inter-laboratory variation of in vitro gas production and calculated metabolizable energy (ME, MJ/kg DM) values were studied using 16 test feeds in 7 laboratories. Intra-laboratory variation was low, with six of the seven laboratories having very high relationships in gas production between runs (R2 65 0.96) and slopes that did not differ from unity. Inter-laboratory differences were higher with highly significant (P < 0.001) differences among laboratories in both gas production and calculated ME values. Three of the six test laboratories generated predicted ME values that did not differ from the seventh (reference) laboratory. Combining intra-laboratory variation in gas production and inter-laboratory variation in predicted ME values, three of the six test laboratories were judged acceptable overall. ME values predicted by the gas production technique by laboratories in different parts of the world cannot be considered absolute

Laboratory variation of 24 in vitro gas production and estimated metabolizable energy values of ruminant feeds

Intra- and inter-laboratory variation of in vitro gas production and calculated metabolizable energy (ME, MJ/kg DM) values were studied using 16 test feeds in 7 laboratories. Intra-laboratory variation was low, with six of the seven laboratories having very high relationships in gas production between runs (R 2 65 0.96) and slopes that did not differ from unity. Inter-laboratory differences were higher with highly significant (P < 0.001) differences among laboratories in both gas production and calculated ME values. Three of the six test laboratories generated predicted ME values that did not differ from the seventh (reference) laboratory. Combining intra-laboratory variation in gas production and inter-laboratory variation in predicted ME values, three of the six test laboratories were judged acceptable overall. ME values predicted by the gas production technique by laboratories in different parts of the world cannot be considered absolute

Medicinal Plants of India

Crude extracts of fruits, herbs, vegetables, cereals and other plant materials rich in phenolics and antioxidant activity are of prime interest to the food industry because of their ability to retard oxidative degradation of lipids and hence improve the quality and nutritional value of functional food. Concomitantly, the importance of antioxidant constituents of plant materials in the maintenance of health and protection from coronary heart disease and cancer is also raising interest among scientists, food manufacturers and consumers as part of the current trend towards the use of herbal medicine. In addition, the use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) by patients suffering from chronic disorders, such as cancers, heart, stroke and immune disorders has been well documented. CAMs are either used on their own (alternative treatments) or in addition to conventional medicine (complementary treatments). CAMs can be grouped into herbal medicines derived from medicinal plants, food supplements that include vitamin preparations, trace elements and other substances such as omega-3 fatty acid