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Estimating Nutritional Value

In addition to nutrient quantity of a feedstuff, it is important to understand the nutrient quality of a feedstuff. Nutritional value is a term used to describe the estimated nutritional quantity and quality of a feedstuff. Nutritional value is species and physiological state dependent. The three components of estimating nutritional value are estimating nutrient content, efficiency of nutrient use, and identifying the presence of antinutritional factors. Antinutritional factors are components that decrease the nutritional value of the feed. Methods used to estimate the nutritional value of a feedstuff may be subdivided into the following categories: 1) laboratory-based analyses; 2) animal-based analyses; and 3) additional or miscellaneous considerations.

Preliminary assessment of nutritional or feeding value is often performed via visual, olfactory, and tactile appraisal of the feedstuff. Assessing the color of a hay, the odor of a silage, and the feel of a grain mixture are all useful tools to assess feeding value. However, these methods are only intended to be used as an initial assessment and subsequent analyses are required to quantitatively assess the feeding value of a feedstuff. The remainder of Module III will discuss laboratory- and animal-based methods used to estimate the nutritional value of a feedstuff.

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