Deal with raw material variability

It is well known that there can be significant variations in nutritional values between batches of raw materials (RMs), even within the same plant family/variety. These differences can be due to the geographical area where crops are grown, weather conditions during growth and harvesting; as well as storage conditions and the variety used. Postharvest treatment and processing methods will also impact quality and nutritional value of materials such as meals and distillers’ grains. The challenge for nutritionists and feed formulators is to have reliable way to monitor and control raw materials quality. So that they can be used accurately in feed formulations, allowing animal performance objectives to be met as efficiently as possible by limiting feed costs. New tools can link Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) and laboratory results with formulation software to build a more precise raw material matrix, as well as creating accurate and efficient feed formulations.

All data presented in this article are extracted from Adisseo’s NIR ecosystem called Precise Nutrition Evaluation (PNE).

Context

Traditionally, the characterization of raw materials is carried out using wet chemistry. These methods can be conducted on a range of parameters, with more or fewer tested, depending on requirements, and importantly budget.