Stavropol State Agrarian University has launched an express method for the analysis of animal feed

The new technology makes it possible to evaluate raw materials for toxicity in an hour and qualitatively strengthen the work in the field of feed production.

Employees of the SSAU Faculty of Biotechnology held a working meeting with practitioners of the Kuban State Agrarian University and leading specialists of the Premix company of the Krasnodar Territory. The main purpose of the trip was the exchange of experience with scientists who have been engaged in the production of feed and feed additives for all types of farm animals and poultry for many years.

The founder of the Premix company, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Anatoly Soldatov spoke about the production capacities of the enterprise, and also introduced the participants to the work of the testing laboratory. In a dialogue with the director Natalya Chursina, the SSAU delegation compared the work experience and determined the vectors of interaction between the university laboratory and production.

As a result of the working meeting, the company's employees handed over materials and technologies to the laboratory "Feed and Metabolism" of SSAU to conduct research on the toxicity of feed and feed raw materials. Now university scientists can evaluate the quality of feed using an express method: water and acetone extracts are added to the solution with stylonichia (ciliates) in separate wells, and the number of ciliates is counted in each well beforehand. An hour after adding the extracts, the ciliates are counted again, and a conclusion is made on the percentage of surviving ciliates about the degree of toxicity: non-toxic - more than 80% of surviving individuals, slightly toxic - 50-80%, toxic - less than 50%. A new fast way to analyze feed has already been included in the list of laboratory services provided to agricultural producers in the region.

The working group, led by Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Nikolai Zlydnev, included second-year students of the Zootechnics field of study Nikolay Sery and Alexander Filippov. The participants are the winners of the competition of research projects of the Stavropol State Agrarian University as part of the implementation of the PRIORITET-2030 program and are developing a scientific project to create a unique digital footprint of feed and feed raw materials.