Assessing Quality and Safety of Animal Feeds

This publication intends to provide most recent information on the impact of animal feeds on food quality, food safety and the environment and to thus improve the basis for managing such risks. This review will cover the main issues which prompted developments in quality assurance and control of analysis. Information will also be given on accreditation of laboratories, together with useful addresses. Subsequent sections will describe standard and widely accepted methods, highlight areas that require particular attention and refer to recent developments in feed analysis. Topics covered will include: sample preparation, analysis of major components (dry matter, ash and minerals, crude protein, fat, fibers and starch) and of secondary plant products (tannins, mycotoxins and other contaminants). Developments in the analysis of whole samples by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy will be mentioned and the potential of this technique to by-pass traditional feed analysis by directly predicting animal responses. This review will only briefly mention a few chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques in relation to analysis of secondary products.

FAO

2004

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy.