Nutritional Value of Pasture

Substances Found in Living Things

Synthesis of Complex Organic Molecules & Breakdown of Complex Organic Molecules to Simple Units

Simple Carbohydrate: Glucose, a monosaccharide or simple sugar

The two forms of glucose as dissolved in water. They interconvert. This hexose has six carbons. Carbohydrates (C H O)

Carbon - grey Oxygen - red Hydrogen - white A trios and two pentoses

Three different hexoses. Note carbon numbers.

Disaccharide formation by condensation, forming -1,4 linkage

Condensation to a disaccharide with -1,4 linkage

Important Plant & Animal Polysaccharides

Hydrogen bonding to other cellulose occurs at OH by C 2 Glycogen & starch are -1,4 polymers with -1,6 branching Cellulose is unique: alternate glucoses are ipped over and bonds are beta 1,4 links Polysaccharides Starch is the major form of stored carbohydrates in plants. Starch is composed of a mixture of two substances: amylose, an essentially linear polysaccharide, and amylopectin, a highly branched polysaccharide. Both forms of starch are polymers of aD-Glucose. How do animals digest the CHO made by plants? Mammals produce enzymes that convert starch to disaccharides and then to monosaccharides (break alpha 1,4 bonds). Mammals don't make cellulase which breaks cellulose to disaccharides, monosaccharides, etc. (need to break beta 1,4 bonds). How do animals use the cellulose from plant bre? They have bacteria in their intestines producing cellulase and other enzymes which break plant bre down. The eventual products are Volatile Fatty Acids (Acetic A. 2C; Propionic A. 3C; Butyric A 4C). Structure of Lipids (fats and oils)

The yellow pigment, beta-carotene is cleaved into two molecules of Vitamin A. This long chain and no polar groups makes it fat soluble.

Proteins are chains of amino acids. Not the NH2 amino groups. 20 different amino acids contribute to a wide variety of proteins.

Sulfur on amino acids cysteine and methionine creates bridges that give more specic structure to proteins.

give more specic structure to proteins.

Larger proteins have specic secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure.

Cellulose is only one part of plant cell wall bre. Hemicellulose has various 5C & 6C sugars and beta-1,4 linkages. Lignin is an indigestible phenolic polymer that binds bres. Pectin forms gels and gives crispness. Gums and mucilage contribute to gels and thickening of liquids. Grazing Animals' Dilemma Plants store much energy in bonds within bre molecules. Mammals do not produce enzymes to break these bonds (beta-1,4, etc.) Herbivorous mammals carry microbes in their stomach and intestine which produce enzymes to digest some plant bre components. Proximate Analysis of Feed Components

Chemical Analysis Scheme

Digestibility of Nutrients Digestion of organics is by hydrolysis, usually with enzymes involved; not total. Nitrogen in feed - Nitrogen in feces x 100 Nitrogen in feed = Percentage Digestibility Apparent Digestibility follows this formula and includes products from the body. True Digestibility is % of a nutrient actually absorbed from the GI tract. Energy Evaluation of Feeds (T 15.3 SFAP) Contribution to energy digested: CHO > Fats > Proteins. Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) originated from: digestible crude protein + digestible crude ber + digestible nitrogen-free extract + (digestible crude fat x 2.25). TDN is used as crude measure of energy.

Now TDN estimates are made from Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) content entered into specic formulas for each feed type. Energy Measurements A bomb calorimeter measures how much heat is released when a sample is explosively burned The result is gross energy.

How much energy can animals derive from feed?

Gross Energy Corn, barley, and wood have similar GE. Different animal species and feed types interact to determine what % of GE is digested (DE) and what appears in faces. DE minus E lost in urine + gases = Metabolizable Energy (ME) ME minus rumen fermentation - tissue metabolism - heat = Net Energy NEmaint; NEgrowth; NElactation Energy Utilization by a Hen

Laboratory Analysis of Forages Crude protein (N x 6.25) Ether extract (fat) Fibre (NDF, ADF), Non-Struc CHO Minerals (Ca, P, Mg, Mn, etc.) Water Vitamins Above are all chemical analyses Lab Analysis for Energy There is no direct analysis of one chemical which equals energy. Energy comes from all the organic molecules to varying degrees. Feed analysis labs measure two types of bre. The lower these bre levels, the higher the available energy content.

Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) Cell wall components: cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, lignied N, and insoluble ash (minerals). The lower the NDF, the more the animal will eat, thus inversely related to consumption. It is an important component of dietary bre. Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) Highly indigestible cellulose, lignin, and insoluble ash when an acid detergent is used in processing. Differs from crude bre by including silica. Silica and lignin cause low digestibility.

Low ADF is desirable. Slow chemical method and faster NIR. Analysis Chemical methods are slow and expensive. Near infrared reectance spectroscopy (NIRS) is non-destructive, fast (< 3 min), accurate, and precise. NIRS requires special instruments, complex data treatment, and lack of sensitivity for minor components. Typical Forage Analysis Crude Protein ADF Energy estimate from ADF, usually Digestible Energy for horses Ca, P Non-Structural (Non-Fibre) CHO

Legumes, on average, have higher crude protein average than grasses.