Animal Nutrition Laboratory

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

Teachers

  • Ing. Agr. M. Wawrzkiewicz
  • Ing. Agr. G. Jaurena

Nodocentes

  • Técnica Susana Thompson

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.

Information

Animal Nutrition Laboratory - FAUBA Animal Production Hall
Tel: +54-11-5287-0405
E-mail: lasernu@agro.uba.ar