Evaluation of Heating Times for Loss on Drying at 105°C for Estimation of Laboratory Dry Matter in Animal Feeds.

BACKGROUND: Dry matter (DM) is a routine test for all animal feeds, facilitating feed comparisons and diet formulation. It is the most frequent test, yet the most challenging with respect to precision and accuracy. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the accuracy, repeatability, and physicochemical impacts of oven-drying times on LDM test results in animal feeds obtained by loss on drying (LoD) at 105°C. METHODS: Eighteen primary samples collected from different feed sources were grouped into high-moisture (HM) and low-moisture (LM) content materials. The tested methods were based on LoD at 105°C and Karl Fischer titration was adopted as the reference method. Test portions were oven dried at 105°C for 3, 6, 12, 16, and 24 h, and test results were compared to the reference method. Test portions were also subjected to a color evaluation using a colorimetric technique. RESULTS: The method based on 3 h of drying provided the closest estimates to those obtained by Karl Fischer titration. Extending heating time (i.e., above 3 h) increased the bias, especially for HM feeds, which was attributed to a higher occurrence of non-enzymatic reactions. This was corroborated by the color of the residues, which became darker with increased heating time. The repeatability of LoD methods was considered adequate, ranging from 0.32 to 0.73%. CONCLUSION: The LoD method based on the binomial 105°C × 3 h minimizes the bias in the water recovery and causes less non-enzymatic browning in the test portions. HIGHLIGHTS: The loss-on-drying method recommended for laboratory DM in animal feeds is drying the test portions at 105°C for 3 h.

Variations in Methods for Quantification of Crude Ash in Animal Feeds.

BACKGROUND: Crude ash is categorized as an empirical method playing an important role in the nutritional interpretation of animal feeds, allowing indirect estimation of total organic matter (OM). OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate variations in laboratory procedures for crude ash quantification regarding physical parameters (i.e., time, temperature) and ashing aids and their influences on crude ash, repeatability, and discrimination power among feeds. METHODS: The "control" method was based on a simple ignition time of 3 h at 550°C. The variations are briefly described: increasing ashing time to 6 h; increasing temperature to 600°C; and using two 3 h ignition cycles at 550°C with ashing aids inclusion between them: fresh air supply, fresh air supply plus distilled water, and fresh air supply plus hydrogen peroxide. A color evaluation was also performed using a colorimetric technique. Twenty-four study materials from eight different feed types were evaluated. RESULTS: The crude ash results differed among the method variations, but a consistent decrease in the estimates was observed when liquid aids were applied, which also improved repeatability. Ash residues did not present a consistent color pattern among methods, but the residues were darker when the control method was applied. CONCLUSION: The method of obtaining ash residues in animal feeds based on 550°C × 3 h does not have enough robustness and may overestimate crude ash in some feeds. Adjustments in either ignition time or temperature might improve crude ash test results, but the best test results are obtained using liquid ashing aids between two ignition cycles. HIGHLIGHTS: The recommended method is based on the use of 550°C and two 3 h ignition cycles with water added to the ash residue between cycles.

Evaluation of buffer solutions and urea addition for estimating the in vitro digestibility of feeds.

The aim of this study was to compare the in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDMD) and neutral detergent fiber (IVNDFD) using 2 buffer solutions with or without urea addition. The study was comprised of 2 separate experiments. In both experiments, the treatments were composed of Kansas or McDougall's buffer solutions with or without urea addition, according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. In Exp. I, the IVDMD and IVNDFD of 25 forages and 25 concentrates were evaluated. Samples were incubated for 48 h using an artificial fermenter and nonwoven textile filter bags (100 g/m2). In this experiment, the repeatability and discriminatory power among samples were calculated within forage or concentrate samples, for each treatment. In Exp. II, Tifton hay and ground corn samples were incubated for 48 h. The pH and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration were measured after 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 h of incubation. In Exp. I, the interaction between buffer solution and urea addition impacted the IVDMD and IVNDFD of forages (P < 0.05), with greater values being exhibited when using McDougall's buffer with urea (P < 0.05). For concentrates, the effect of buffer and urea interaction did not affect IVDMD and IVNDFD (P > 0.05). However, greater IVDMD and IVNDFD were observed for McDougall's buffer (P < 0.05), while urea addition increased IVDMD and IVFDFD estimates (P < 0.05) regardless of buffer solution used. In general, repeatability of the digestibility was better using McDougall's buffer and improved when urea was added. Urea addition also decreased the discriminatory power among samples for both buffers. In Exp. II, a buffer solution × urea addition × incubation time interaction was detected (P < 0.05) for pH and NH3-N in both Tifton hay and ground corn. Kansas buffer exhibited lower pH values with a greater decrease observed throughout incubation time when compared to McDougall's buffer. The use of Kansas buffer with urea addition was the only treatment exhibiting NH3-N accumulation throughout incubation. In conclusion, McDougall's buffer provides both better conditions for in vitro fiber digestion and greater precision in digestibility estimates, and is recommended over Kansas buffer. In spite of urea addition increases the precision of in vitro digestibility estimates, it decreases discriminatory power among samples.