Testing quality of incoming ingredients and understanding the associated risk is both practical and important. This information can help to decide about interventions that will help mitigate variation in quality. Good practice ensures that feed ingredient sourcing and purchasing will maximize final feed quality and minimize safety risks, including microbial, chemical, or physical.
Quality control should prescribe specific assurance, risk management, internal audits, and preservation programs on a regular base for both feed ingredients and finished feed depending on the relative risks.
Controlling some of the invisible microbial quality parameters is difficult and challenging and could be assisted by baseline evaluation of mould & yeast counts and checking for Salmonella positive batches. Regular monitoring provides information on the initial quality of the feed ingredient and final feed and potential changes during storage.
Chemical degradation by oxidation is one of the invisible threats to feed ingredient and final feed quality. Lipid oxidation assessment – peroxide value and secondary oxidative markers – can be provided for incoming fat deliveries, fat from the storage tank or ingredients that are prone to oxidation.
