ANN 111: Principles of Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology (2+1)

FEED MICROSCOPY

• Feed and feedstuffs are examined under a wide field microscope.
• Mainly used to detect adulterants, foreign bodies and impurities in ground feeds and feedstuffs.
• Adulterants like hulls, stones, foreign bodies substitution with cheaper material can be detected by microscopical examination.
• Presence of hair/leather meal in fish/meat meal, caster / kapok seed meal in seasame / sunflower meal & similar cheaper substitutes can be detected .
• Microscopic observation of fish meal: The feed microscopic details of fish meal as well as the possible adulterants in them are furnished below. The adulterants can be easily identified by trained eye.
• Muscle fibre: Fibre bundles which separate, under pressure, yellowish to brown in colour & greasy
• Scales: Transparent, round with concentric rings, flat or curled
• Sand: (possible adulterant) Granular, crystalline or bead like, Light brown to translucent, do not break under pressure.
• Urea: (possible adulterant)