Fiber and lignin analysis in concentrate, forage, and feces: detergent versus enzymatic-chemical method

Hemicelluloses, cellulose, and lignin contents of contrasting feeds, with emphasis on concentrate ingredients and complete concentrates, were analyzed using the Van Soest detergent procedure (analyzing neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin) and the enzymatic-chemical procedure (analyzing cellulose, soluble and insoluble noncellulosic polysaccharides, and Klason lignin). Also, feces from cows fed concentrates differing in carbohydrate composition were analyzed by the 2 procedures. The correlation between acid detergent lignin and Klason lignin was significant, but not as close as the one between individual structural polysaccharides measured with the 2 procedures. The correlation between the results of the 2 procedures was highly significant for apparent cellulose digestibility, as were the correlations between digestibilities of hemicelluloses with total as well as with insoluble noncellulosic polysaccharides. The relationship between dietary lignin content and fiber digestibility was weak. The exclusion of a group of cows fed a concentrate with apple pulp, however, improved the respective correlations. Klason lignin correlated more closely with the measured fiber digestibility than acid detergent lignin. The study showed that results of the detergent method were comparable to those of the enzymatic-chemical method with cellulose, hemicelluloses, and their digestibilities. However, acid detergent lignin was much lower than Klason lignin. When the carbohydrate composition of concentrate varied widely, lignin was not suitable for the prediction of fiber digestibility.