Microscopy is the easiest way to test feed quality
Quality means how good something is. Feed [corn and soybean meal fishmeal additives] ingredients should be referred to as raw materials with good nutritional value based on both chemical composition and nutritional utilisation. Adulteration, or mixing feed [corn and soybean meal and fishmeal additives] ingredients with other materials that have low or no nutritional value, produces poor-quality feed [corn and soybean meal and fishmeal additives] ingredients. Low-quality ingredients may be those that maintain a standard chemical composition but contain factors such as growth inhibitors or toxic substances that prevent animals from utilising the feed. Therefore, the quality of feed [corn and soybean meal fishmeal additives] can be tested by the following methods.
Chemical analysis
Detect the chemical composition of raw materials, usually including moisture, protein, ether extract (oil), crude fibre, ash, calcium and phosphorus, and evaluate its quality by comparing with standards. Amino acid and fatty acid compositions can be tested for additional information. The analysis shows the true nutrient content of the analysed raw material and the data can be used directly in feed formulation. This method requires well-equipped laboratories and well-trained chemical analysts or staff. In addition, the total cost of analysing each sample is quite expensive. Therefore, the application of this method is mainly limited to commercial production in feed mills. Protein, the most important nutrient in the feed mix, is determined by the Kjeldahl method and expressed as crude protein (N 6.25). The results obtained do not reveal whether the nitrogen source comes from the protein in the raw material. or the protein in the adulterant or the non-protein nitrogen incorporated in the sample. In addition, this method of analysis does not give any information or give any indication of the utilisation of the nutrients contained in the raw material. In order to make this method to be * the best application, other feed quality testing methods can be used to analyse the chemical analysis data accordingly.
Feed microscopy
The main purpose of feed microscopy is to identify and evaluate feed ingredients and adulterants, either individually or in a mixture, by their external characteristics (]stereomicroscopy) or by their cellular characteristics (compound microscopy). Quantitative identification of feedstuffs by microscopic methods is possible if feedstuffs are separated from adulterants or contaminants and if proportions are measured. In summary, feed ingredients that are free of adulterants or contaminants will have a chemical composition that is very close to the recommended or reported standards or averages for the region. Feed microscopy tells the purity of the feedstuff and, with some experience, allows satisfactory identification of the quality. Compared to chemical analysis, this method requires much less not only in terms of equipment but also in terms of cost per sample analysed. It can be used both by commercial feed processors and by farmers who produce their own feed.
