Aims

• Evaluate the chemical composition of foods used in Animal Production
• Study the effect of diets based on pasture silage with addition of carbohydrates of diverse ruminal degradability on meat and milk quality.
• Contribute to the development of fast and reliable methods to evaluate silage quality by gas production kinetics.
• Develop a production system simulation model for ruminants fed on pastures and/or supplemented with pasture silage, of alfalfa base mainly.
• Evaluate the chemical composition of foods used in Animal Production.
• Participate in quality control inter-lab networks.
• Train undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students.

Human Resources

Faculty

• Agr. Eng. M. Wawrzkiewicz
• Agr. Eng. P. Allocati
• Dr. Cossu
• Agr. Eng. G. Jaurena
• Agr. Eng. J. L. Danelón

Non Faculty Members

• 1 (Ad-honorem)

Services

The Lab provides the following services to individuals, public or private institutions and business companies:

• Evaluation of food quality for ruminants and non-ruminants, nitrogen fractions and fat quality in raw milk.
• Participation in inter-lab control networks on the use of certain techniques. Training on their use.
• Analysis of volatile fat acids in ruminal fluids or silaged materials.
• Establishment of rations and diets for diverse animal production systems.

Scientific Activity

Main Research Lines:

• Meat and milk quality in alfalfa silage- based diets. Effect of ruminal fermentation manipulation. Financing: UBACYT; TG-12
• Impact over milk composition of ruminal fermentation in alfalfa silage-based diets. Financing: Fundación "Pedro F. Mosoteguy"
• Nitrogen fertilization in OIP pastures. Effect over production and composition of milk by cows fed on pasture in the Salado River Basin. Financing: Fundación "Pedro F. Mosoteguy"
• Pastures nitrogen fertilization. Effect over production and composition of milk by cows fed on pasture. Financing: UBACYT; AG-120
• Organizing a Database for the Production of the First Argentine Food Composition Tables. Financing: Bi-annual Technological Program UBACYT; AG 026
• Revision and updating of Livestock Breeding Equivalencies. Partially financed by the "Pedro F. Mosoteguy" Foundation.
• Effect of diets Protein-Energy ratio on milk urea content. Efficiency of commercial Color Bands to stimulate urea content. Financing: "Pedro F. Mosoteguy" Foundation
• Mechanical Pasturing: Physical-Chemical Alterations in Fresh Forage Consumed in Fall. Consequences on ruminal digestion and passage of particles in milk cows. Financing: "Pedro F. Mosoteguy" Foundation (to develop a CONICET Scholarship - perfection category).
• Contributions by polysaccharides (ß-glucanes) to the alfalfa silage fermentation process. Financing: UBACYT Program.
• Contribution of gas production kinetics to silage quality evaluation methods. Relationship between ruminal fermentation and ME provided by silage.

Related Institutions

• INTA, Estaciones Experimentales Rafaela y Balcarce.
• INTI - CITIL, Laboratorios Migueletes y Rafaela.
• IGER (Instituto of Grassland and Environmental Research), Aberystwyth, Gales, UK.
• Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Católica Argentina.
• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
• ANKOM Technology, Fairport, New York, USA.

Teaching and Integration

The Lab is in charge of the regular course on Nutrition and Animal Feeding and offers Intensification-Update Courses on Forage Maintenance and Milk Quality on a regular basis. Due to the Lab limited capacity, courses are not dictated here.

The information produced by the Lab is included in the courses. All students working their intensification projects, regardless of the specific theme chosen, must attend an internship at the Lab to learn and receive training on the techniques followed and to assist in the lab activities whenever required.

Background

The Animal Food Lab was created in 1992, though it began its activities in 1997 (when Eng. Wawrzkiewicz joined it).
Its initial goal was to provide an answer to the demands of research projects and students' training activities. Eventually, and with the improvement of its equipment and techniques, new services could be offered.

The support of the "Pedro F. Mosoteguy" Foundation was paramount for the lab growth; without its support the lab would simply not continue.

Information

• Laboratorio de Nutrición Animal - FAUBA Animal Production Hall
  Tel: (011) 5287-0005
  E-mail: jdanelon@agro.uba.ar