Question

1. Explain the meaning of modulus of uniformity of a feedstuff or mixed feed.

2. Explain the meaning and value of feed microscopy in feed manufacturing

Answer 1

1) Modulus of uniformity indicates the proportionate amounts of coarse, medium and fine particles in ground feed. The modulus of uniformity is expressed the coarse , medium and fine particles.

Determination of uniformity shall be based on the percentage of a 250 gram sample of ground feed remaining on each of seven screens ( 3/8 , 4, 8, 14 , 28, 48 & 100 mesh ) and in the panfollowing to 5 min . Test with Rotap or similar method of shaking .The modulus of uniformity is expressed by 3 figures representing the coarse , medium , and fine particles the sum of which should always be equal to ten .

2) Feed microscopy is a flexible , fast and inexpensive feed quality control technique .Qualitative microscopy aims at the identification of ingredients and extraneous materials, alone or mixed ,through recognising their external appearance or their cell features.

It is the ideal complement for the classical chemical analyses , and provides faster general information on ingredient quality. It is especially useful for the identification of tainting or adulterating materials or for quantitative determinations when specific physical or chemical methods do not exist. It can become a part of any quality control system , because the required equipment is simple and affordable for any feed manufacturer.