Animal Nutrition

Basic Terms

Nutrient

Chemical or compound required for growth, production, reproduction and/or maintenance

Feed

(Animal food) generally, food provided to livestock by humans

Food

General term for any edible material that provides nutrients

Feedstuff

Collective term for all items used as feed

Forage

(Animal food) Plant material that the animal harvests

Diet

Specific mixture of feedstuffs used to supply nutrients

Ration

Daily allocation (issuing) of food

Absorption (of nutrients into circulation)

Movement of products of digestion into circulation

Digestion

Degradation of polymers into monomeric or small molecular weight subunits

Macronutrient

Nutrients the body uses in relatively large quantities

Trace minerals (or microminerals)

Elements needed in quantities less than 100 mg/day (human requirement)

(ex:Iron, cobalt, chromium, copper, manganese, selenium, zinc, and

molybdenum)

Macrominerals

Elements needed in quantities MORE than 100 mg/day (human requirement)

Calcium, phosphorous, iodine, sodium, potassium

Vitamins

(some are synthesized (artificial)) Organic molecules essential for an organism’s proper metabolic function (need small quantities)

Water soluble carbohydrates (WSC)

Simple sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose, as well as polymers (larger molecules of smaller units (monomers)) like fructans that dissolve in water easy and can be quick energy. Can be found in plants often

Micronutrient

A chemical element or substance required in small quantities to maintain life/physiological functions

Foregut Fermentation

Digestive process where plant materials are fermented in a specialized area of the stomach before the true stomach

Coprophagy

Eating feces (theirs/others) to obtain necessary nutrients that weren’t fully extracted in first passing through digestive system.

Ruminant

(cud chewing) a herbivorous mammal w/ unique 4-chambered stomach, specifically the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum that digests plant matter through fermentation and chewing cud.

Hindgut fermentation

(cecum, large intestine) digestive process seen in monogastric herbivores (animals with a simple, single-chambered stomach); process where microorganisms in the cecum and colon break down feed, particularly fiber, into energy and nutrients for the animal.

Crop

a thin-walled pouch at the base of the esophagus that temporarily stores food before it is sent to the stomach; stores food temporarily and starts the digestion process before it enters the stomach

Rumen

largest compartment of the ruminant stomach, a fermentation vat where microbes digest plant matter. This process, called rumination, breaks down cellulose and other plant components into usable nutrients for the animal.

Gizzard

a specialized, muscular stomach found in the digestive tracts of various animals, including birds, reptiles, earthworms, fish, and some crustaceans; digestion process by grinding food, often aided by grit or stones that the animal ingests.

Sacculated

#’ of bag-shaped structures; quality/state of being formed of bag-shaped structures or process of developing into such structures

Producer

Organism create their own food using simple inorganic molecules (minerals) and energy from the sun or chemical sources

Carnivore

Primary eat meat/ hunt

Consumer

Organism that obtains energy by eating other organism (heterotrophs)

Herbivore

Animal that primarily eats plants

Omnivore

Animals that eat both plants and animals

Gel Electrophoresis

Electrical field application to separate molecules based on molecular weight; molecule must have charge- use enzymes to digest a large molecule into smaller fragments (DNA sequencing/ Amino acid sequencing)

Chromatography

(physical methods used to separate and/or to analyze complex mixtures) A separation technique used to distinguish and isolate the different components within a mixture; (Gas liquid) can be used to quantify volatile fatty acids in rumen, the sugars present in hemicellulose.

Gravimetric procedures

a measure of strength of gravitational field (eg. Weight) eg. Dry matter

Mass spectrometry

Converts individual molecules to ions, can be moved about/manipulated (external electric/magnetic fields) amino acid composition of a protein

Colorimetry

Comparison w/ colors of standard solutions of that constituent (Biuret test, spectrometry)

Water quality

Animals can tolerate higher salinity than humans (low quality= reduced consumption) Substances that reduce water palatability (nitrates, fluorides, salts, some heavy metals) presence of pathogens in drinking supply can affect palatability and water consumption

Acid-base titration

(Kjeldahl for determining protein content) Crude protein- measure nitrogen; boil in concentrated sulfuric acid w/ catalyst, add NaOH to release NH3 which is captured in a weak acid, titrate acid to determine N in sample.

Ether extract

(Ether is a nonpolar solvent; dissolves lipid compounds) Mechanism of action as anesthetic – absorbed through mucous membranes (Irritant; Appears to block the action of certain protein receptors)

Kjeldahl

Crude protein- measures nitrogen

Ash

inorganic mineral content remaining after a feed sample has been incinerated at a high temperature to remove all orgnaic matter

NDF (what is it and what it measure)

(Neutral Detergent FIber) Portion of fiber in feedstuffs that’s composed of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. It’s a measure of the total plant cell wall, which includes the ADF (Acid Detergent Fiber) fraction plus hemicellulose. Key indicator of feed quality, influencing intake, digestibility, and overall ration balance.

ADF (what is it and what it measures)

Acid Detergent Fiber- specific component of feed, primarily found in forages like hay/silage; portion composed of cellulose/lignin (less digestible) High levels= lower digestibility/energy.

Hemicellulose

Type of complex carb found in plant cell walls, along with cellulose and pectin; strengthens/stabilizes plant cell walls. (Heteropolymer- made of different sugar units [xylans, mannans, or glucans])

Crude protein

measure of estimated total protein content in a substance, typically calculated by multiplying nitrogen content by a factor , usally 6.25.

ERDN

(Effective Rumen Degradable Nitrogen) measure of nitrogen in an animal’s feed will be utilized by microbes in rumen for their growth and acitivty

Crude fiber

Measurement of the indigestible plant cell wall components, primarily cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin

Lignin

antinutritive component, particularly in ruminant diets. Component of plant cell walls that’s resistant to digestion by rumen microbes, thus limiting the animal’s ability to access and utilize the digestible fiber fractions like cellulose and hemicellulose.

Cellulose

primarily acts as a source of fiber, especially for ruminants and some monogastric animals like horses and rabbits

Pectin

a soluble fiber found in plants, can be benficial in animal nutrition, particularly for pigs and ruminants. Can act as a probiotic, promoting beneficial gut bacteria growth which improves intestinal health and potentially enhancing nutrient absorption. Also influences intestinal viscosity and can help regulate stool consistency, potentially reducing diarrhea.

UDN

Undegraded Dietary Nitrogen- represents portion of nitrogen in feed that’s not broken down by rumen microbes in ruminants and is instead digested further down the digestive tract in the small intestine. A.K.A Undegraded Dietary Protein (UDP)

Bypass protein

A.K.A (RUP) Rumen Undegradable Protein- type of protein that resists breakdown in the rumen (the first stomach) of ruminant animals like cows. Then passes into the small intestine, where it’s digested and absorbed, providing essential amino acids for growth, milk production, and other bodily functions.