To formulate cost-effective livestock diets based on energy, it’s vital that the energy content of feed ingredients is known as accurately as possible. Researchers at the University of Illinois (U of I) are working on more accurate ways to predict the energy value of ingredients.

Hans Stein, professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at U of I, says that the feed components presented in composition tables usually don’t add up to 100 percent, which indicates that not all energy-contributing components are accounted for.

“Analyzing all chemical components in feed ingredients is challenging,” Stein says. “However, we believe...