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INTRODUCTION

Animal require sufficient food for growth, development and to lead an active
and healthy life and it depends upon the quality and quantity of foodstuffs they are
able to eat in their regular diet. The quality of a food depends upon the presence of
relative concentrations of various nutrients such as proteins, fat, carbohydrate,
vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are some times referred to
as proximate principles and form the major portion of the diet while minerals play an
important role in the regulation of the metabolic activity in the body (Gopalan et al.,
2004). It has been established that antioxidants found in large quantities in the
crude extracts of fruits, herbs, vegetables, cerals and other plant materials act as
reducing agent and thereby improve the quality and nutritional value of the food.
The importance of the antioxidant constituents of plant materials has also been
established in the maintenance of health by acting against stress related diseases
such as infections, miscarriage etc. (Idowu et al., 2006).

In most developing tropical countries the food situation is a major problem for
animal due to rapid growth of population, shortage of rangeland, high prices of
available staples and restrictions on the importation of food. This has resulted in a
unavailability of food and animal are suffering from malnutrition.

Dairy producers and their nutrition consultants seldom discuss nutritional aspects and
possible ramifications of feeding high ash content forages and diets to animal. It is a subject that
generally falls off the radar screen because there are numerous and more important nutrients to
attend to in ration formulation. Forages and TMRs high in total ash content can skew forage
energy estimates and dry matter intake estimates of animal fed high ash content diets can
sometimes be misleading. The ramifications of feeding animal with diet or forages high ash
content are not well understood but excessive ash contents in forages could be a silent
antagonist in the dairy nutrition program performance.

Ash is simply the total mineral content of a forage or diet. Ash content of a forage or total
mixed ration is easy and economical to measure in a forage testing laboratory. In a general, ash
content of forage or TMR is determined by a process similar to cremation. The forage or TMR is
burned at 500 oC for 2 hours and the residual minerals, often called inorganic material, are
determined. The laboratory procedure is extremely accurate and precise but it is important to
understand that the procedure measures the simple sum of all minerals in the feed. Minerals in
feeds can be broken down into two general categories, endogenous and exogenous.
Endogenous minerals can be loosely defined as minerals plants normally contain such as
calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium etc.

Many endogenous minerals are of nutritional value for lactating animal and we often want
the value, such as in the case of calcium to be high to reduce supplementation cost. Exogenous
minerals can be defined as minerals that are exterior to normal plant minerals. Exogenous
minerals are primarily the minerals associated with soil such as silica and forages and rations
should contain as little soil contamination as possible. In TMRs a third category of ash,
supplemental minerals, is also represented in a total ash measurement. Supplemental premixes,
salt and buffers would be the major contributing supplements to this category. The total ash
procedure does not however distinguish between endogenous, exogenous or supplemental
minerals but as previously stated a sum of all of the minerals in a feed

Materials and Methods


Grass sampling: Collection of grass for the research was taken from representative
portion of the different grasses. They were obtained from the Federal University of
Technology premise in three different locations within the campus. The sample grasses

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are: Pennistum P., Senna obtusifania and Paspalum scrobiculatum. The choices of these
grasses for the work were based on the frequent grazing of these grasses by the animal in
the northern part of Nigeria particularly in Adamawa State. The sample were weigh after
collection known as web weight (W1) and the reading was recorded, it was oven dry in
the oven at 100oC for two days until a constant weight is obtained, the sample were weigh
again to determine the dry wet (W2) for each of the sample, the sample is than milled and
packed in a white nylon and kept in a dry place.

Ash
The crucibles were weigh without sample (W0) and 2.5g of the sample were
added into the crucible meaning weight of crucible and sample (W1). The sample were
placed in the muffle furnace at 500oC for 8 hours to ash, and the sample were allowed to
cooled in the muffle furnace. After cooling the sample were weigh again (W 2). The
process were done for the three grass sample and the data collected are shown below.

Table 1 : show data for Senna obtusifonia


Wet wt Dry wt Before Ash After Ash
Location 1 241.52 27.33 25.70 24.8

Location 2 316.24 22.27 24.77 22.7

Location 3 276.42 24.36 25.80 25.8

Table 2 : show data for Paspalum scrobiculatum


Wet wt Dry wt Before Ash After Ash
Location 1 192 43.92 23.23 21.2

Location 2 171 58.04 14.34 12.4

Location 3 149 53.35 14.21 12.2

Table 3: show data for Pennisetum P.


Wet wt Dry wt Before Ash After Ash
Location 1 233 55.82 21.7 19.7

Location 2 309 78.10 24.56 22.6

2
Location 3 237 68.31 23.6 21.7

Moisture Content: Percentage moisture content were calculated using the formular

%M.C. = Wwt - Wdt x 100


Wwt
Where:
M.C = Moisture content
Wwt = Wet weight
Wdt = Dry weight

% Ash: The percentage Ash were content were calculated using the formular:

% Ash = W2 – W0 x 100
W1 – W2
Where:
W0 = Weight of crucible
W1 = Weight of crucible + sample before ash
W2 = Weight of crucible + sample after ash

Result and Discussion

Table 4: Percentage Moisture Content for the three grass sample


Sennia obtusifonia Paspalum scrobiculatum Pennisatum P.
Location 1 783.72 337.16 317.41

Location 2 1320.02 194.62 295.65

Location 3 1034.73 179.29 246.95

Table 5: Percentage Ash Content for the three grass sample

Sennia obtusifonia Paspalum scrobiculatum Pennisatum P.


Location 1 177.78 23.15 25.00

Location 2 20.78 28.87 27.55

Location 3 138.09 24.38 31.58

The above results obtained from the proximate analysis is further analysis using
ANOVA which is shown below.
Table 6: ANOVA table for % Moisture Content for the Three Grass Sample
ANOVA
Source of
Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit
Treatment 902.2284 2 451.1142 14.9984 0.004631 5.143253
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Error 180.4649 6 30.07749
Total 1082.693 8
*P= 0.05

% Moisture content of the Sample Grasses

100
90
80
70
% Moisture

60 Senna O.
50 Paspalum S.
40 Pennisatum P.
30
20
10
0
1 2 3
Location

The result shows that, there was significant different between the grasses samples
which is further illustrated using the graph. Paspalum scrobiculatum was high in
moisture content in location 1 slightly followed by Pennisatum p. In location two, there
was a significant different between the sample, from the graph Senna o. has high
moisture content which is followed by Pennisatum p. and slightly followed by Paspalum
s., in the third location, Senna o lead in moisture content followed by Paspalum s and
lastly by Pennisatum p.

Table 7: ANOVA table for % Ash Content for the Three Grass Sample
ANOVA
Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit
Treatment 14617.35 2 7308.676 3.280182 0.109005 5.143253
Error 13368.79 6 2228.131
Total 27986.14 8
*P= 0.05

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% Ash of the sample grasses

200
180
160
140
% Ash content

120 Senna O.
100 Paspalum S.
80 Pennisetum P.
60
40
20
0
1 2 3
Location

The result from the ANOVA table shows that there is not significant difference
between the grass sample in term of % ash content, this can further be explain using the
graph, from the graph in location 1, Senna o. have the highest % ash slightly followed by
Penisetum p. and Panspalum s. has the least, in location two (2) there is not significant
different in the sense that the three sample are within the same range likewise in location
three (3).

Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to Prof. Akosin C. of the department of Forestry and Wildlife
Management, Federal University of Technology Yola, Adamawa State for the knowledge
he has impacted and has served as a father in all area of live, for giving me the
opportunity to know how to carryout proximate analysis. I am grateful sir.

References

A.O.A.C. 1990. Official Methods of Analysis (15 Ed.) the Association of Official Analytical
chemists, Washington D.C. USA.

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Adapted from: Hoffman, P.C., and D. Taysom. How much ash are you feeding your animal.
Hoards Dairyman. Volume 149, No. 20. 659.

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