Infrared Thermography Assessment of Aerobic Stability of a Total Mixed Ration: An Innovative Approach to Evaluating Dairy Cow Feed

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 13; p. 2225
• Main Authors: Türkgeldi, Burak, Koç, Fisun, Lackner, Maximilian, Okuyucu, Berrin, Okur, Ersen, Palangi, Valiollah, Esen, Selim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 06-07-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: aerobic stability; Air exposure; Analysis; Bacteria; Book publishing; Bunkers; Cameras; Carbohydrates; Cattle; chemical composition; Costs (Law); Dairy cattle; Dry matter; Farms; Fermentation; Humidity; Infrared imaging; infrared thermography; Laboratories; Lactic acid; Lactic acid bacteria; Livestock; Livestock feed; Livestock feeds; Methods; Moisture content; moisture level; Nutrition; Preservation; Productivity; Rations; Stability analysis; Temperature; Temperature gradients; Thermography; total mixed ration; Total mixed rations; Water content; United States; aerobic stability; infrared thermography; moisture level; total mixed ration; chemical composition
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani13132225

A major objective of this study is to identify factors influencing the quality of high-moisture total mixed rations (TMRs) for livestock feed and explore possible manipulations that can enhance their fermentation characteristics and stability in order to address the problem of poor aerobic stability. Therefore, the current study utilized infrared thermography (IRT) to assess the aerobic stability of water-added TMRs in the feed bunker. By manipulating the moisture content of freshly prepared TMRs at four different levels through water addition and subjecting it to storage at two consistent temperatures, significant correlations between IRT values (center temperature (CT) and maximum temperature difference (MTD)) and key parameters such as lactic acid bacteria, water-soluble carbohydrates, and TMR pH were established. The first and second principal components together accounted for 44.3% of the variation, with the first component's load influenced by IRT parameters, fermentation characteristics, and air exposure times, while the second component's load was influenced by dry matter content and lactic acid concentration. The results of these studies indicate the possibility that feeding methods can be optimized by identifying portions with higher CT or MTD data using IRT measurements just before feeding dairy cows in the field. As a result, increasing the use of IRT in feed management and preservation processes is projected to have a positive impact on animal productivity in the future.