Animal Nutrition - AnSci 101

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to animal nutrition, feed components, ration formulation, and feed analysis from Dr. Beltaire's AnSci 101 lecture at UMass.

Nutrients

Feed substances necessary for cells to live, grow, and function.

Moisture

Water in a feed or ration.

Carbohydrates

Major energy source for animals, structured with Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen.

Simple Carbohydrates

Easy to digest sugars like glucose, often found as nitrogen-free extract (NFE) in cereal grains.

Complex Carbohydrates

Slowly digested chains of glucose, such as starch.

Dietary Fiber

Difficult to digest components like cellulose and lignin in plant cell walls, found in roughages.

Lipids

Fats and oils that provide energy (2.25x carbohydrates), essential fatty acids, and fat-soluble vitamins.

Free Fatty Acid (FFA) / Non-Esterified Fatty Acid (NEFA)

A fatty acid chain that is not esterified to glycerol.

Proteins

Chains of amino acids, components of lean tissue, enzymes, hormones, and body metabolites.

Essential amino acids

Amino acids that must be supplied in the diet as animals cannot synthesize them.

Nonessential amino acids

Amino acids that can be produced by the animal as long as it has the necessary elements.

Minerals

Inorganic elements (other than C, H, N, O) important for bones, teeth, and enzyme systems.

Macrominerals

Minerals required in large amounts by the animal.

Microminerals

Minerals required in small amounts by the animal.

Deficiency

Not enough of a particular mineral in the diet.

Toxicity or Poisoning

Too much of a particular mineral in the diet.

Hypocalcemia / Milk Fever / Parturient Paresis

A condition caused by insufficient calcium (macromineral deficiency).

Vitamins

Organic (carbon-containing) nutrients needed in very small amounts for specific functions.

Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)

Vitamins involved in regulating body functions and growth, typically needing to be supplied in the diet (except for Vitamin D from UV, and Vitamin K in fermenters).

Water-soluble vitamins (B Vitamins + Vitamin C)

Vitamins used for metabolic regulation and reactions, typically needing to be supplied in the diet (except fermenters synthesize most, except Vit C and choline).

Balanced Ration

A diet that contains all the nutrients an animal needs in the right proportions and amounts.

National Research Council (NRC)

A source of nutrient requirements and feeding standards for various animal species.

Dry Matter (DM)

Feed with all moisture removed, determined by heating a feed sample until water evaporates.

'As Fed' Basis

Refers to the weight of feed including its moisture content, used for practical feeding.

Crude Protein (CP)

Total nitrogen in the feed multiplied by 6.25 (based on protein averaging 16% nitrogen), includes true protein and Non-Protein Nitrogen (NPN).

Kjeldahl process

A method used to isolate and measure all the nitrogen in a feed sample, which determines Crude Protein.

Non-Protein Nitrogen (NPN)

Nitrogen sources that are not true protein but can be used by ruminants (due to microbes) to synthesize amino acids, e.g., urea.

Urea

A synthetic nitrogen source added to ruminant rations to provide nitrogen for amino acid synthesis.

Crude Fat / Ether Extract (EE)

The residue remaining after a dried, ground feed sample is extracted with diethyl ether, representing fats, oils, and other fat-soluble compounds.

Crude fiber (CF)

A component of carbohydrates including cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, representing the less digestible fibrous material in feed.

Cellulose

A long chain of linked glucose molecules, a major component of plant cell walls and crude fiber.

Lignin

A phenolic compound found in plant cell walls that is not digestible by animals.

Nitrogen-free extract (NFE) / Nonfiber carbohydrates

Readily available or digestible carbohydrates like sugars and starches, typically calculated by subtracting other components from 100%.

Van Soest Fiber Analysis

A method to partition feedstuffs into different fiber fractions like NDF and ADF, useful for predicting feed intake and digestibility.

Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF)

Fairly insoluble material in plant cell walls (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin), used to predict feed intake; low NDF is desirable.

Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF)

The least digestible part of plants (cellulose, lignin, minerals), obtained after digesting NDF with acid detergent; low ADF is desirable.

Gross Energy

The total heat released by burning feed in a bomb calorimeter, representing the total potential energy in the feed.

Kilocalorie (kcal)

1,000 calories, a common energy unit in human and pet nutrition.

Megacalorie (Mcal)

1,000,000 calories, the energy unit typically used in livestock nutrition.

Forages/Roughages

Feed categories characterized by high fiber content (>18% crude fiber on a 100% DM basis), including pasture, hay, and silage.

Concentrates

Feed categories characterized by low fiber content (<18% crude fiber) and being energy- or protein-dense, such as grains and protein supplements.

Silage

Fermented feed produced by ensiling plant materials (65-85% moisture) under anaerobic conditions.

Haylage

Fermented feed made from grasses and legumes (40-60% moisture) specifically wilted and preserved under anaerobic conditions.

Respiratory Phase (Haylage)

The initial phase of haylage fermentation where trapped oxygen is consumed by aerobic bacteria.

Fermentation Phase (Haylage)

The phase where anaerobic bacteria grow, convert plant sugars into organic acids (lactic, acetic), and reduce pH, preserving the feed.

Legumes

Plants with root nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria, resulting in>10% Crude Protein (e.g., clover, alfalfa); improve soil quality, high Ca, Vit. A, but can cause bloat.

Nonlegumes

Plants that cannot use N2 from the air, typically have less protein, lower mineral and vitamin content (e.g., bluegrass, timothy).

Protein Supplement

A concentrate with >20% protein, categorized as animal proteins (e.g., meat meal) or plant proteins (e.g., soybean meal), or NPN.

Energy Feed

A concentrate with <20% protein, typically high in starch/sugar (e.g., cereal grains, by-products).

Nonnutritive Additives

Ingredients added to rations for reasons other than their nutritive value, such as growth stimulation, improved feed efficiency, or health (e.g., antibiotics, hormones).