Assessment of Feed Quality by Non-destructive Methods

For the optimal optimization of feed ration, it is crucial to assess the quality of the forage feed to dairy cows. To have a good production of milk and meat on a cattle farm, the farmers must collaborate with the nutrition and feed control laboratories in order to formulate in a timely manner feed that is nutritionally sound Non-destructive procedures provide benefits such as high sensitivity and minimal sample preparation. The portable instruments of near infrared spectroscopy can be utilized in "on line" and" modes, removing the need for lengthy response times and allowing for fast intervention in the prevention and/or correction of disorders. When determining the feed ratio for dairy cows, one of the physical parameters that are considered is nitrogen, and implicitly the protein level, which can also be readily measured using the Dumas analysis method. The paper presents the analysis of the protein content of various vegetable substrates with that are fed to dairy cows, results obtained by applying both destructive and non-destructive techniques.