LIMS Q&A:What types of testing occur within an animal feed testing laboratory?

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Title: What types of testing occur within an animal feed testing laboratory?

Author for citation: Shawn E. Douglas

License for content: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Publication date: June 2024

Introduction

Like food and beverage testing laboratories and the human food supply, the feed testing laboratory plays an important part in improving and securing the animal feed raw material supply, as well as the consumable feed products that get made from those raw materials. The feed lab plays a number of roles within the overall feed industry, including within the research and development (R&D), pre-manufacturing and manufacturing, and post-production regulation and safety phases of feed production. It's within these roles a multi-disciplinary approach to testing occurs, depending on the role played by the lab. However, regardless of role, all testing boils down to a means of better ensuring safer, more nutritious feeds for livestock and their derivative products, as well as for other animals raised for consumption.

This brief topical article will examine the types of laboratory testing taking place within the three primary roles of a feed testing lab.

Broad testing within the industry

A feed testing laboratory can operate within a number of different research and development (R&D; academic and industry), production, and post-production roles. They can[1]:

  • act as a third-party consultant, interpreting analytical data;
  • provide research and development support for new and revised formulations;
  • provide analytical support for nutrition and contaminant determinations;
  • provide development support for analytical methods;
  • ensure quality to specifications, accreditor standards, and regulations;
  • develop informative databases and data libraries for researchers;
  • manage in-house and remote sample collection, labeling, and registration, including on farms; and
  • report accurate and timely results to stakeholders, including those responsible for monitoring public health.

This wide variety of activities and workflows within these major roles highlights several aspects of the labs operating in the animal feed sector. First, like the more human-based food and beverage industry, the types of testing will vary based upon the role. From R&D and pre-production optimization and quality assurance (QA) to production and post-production quality control (QC) and regulatory safety, analytical workflows can differ, sometimes significantly, in the food and beverage industry.[2] This is similarly true for labs in the animal feed industry. As such—regulations and standards aside—we can draw similar parallels in the test types found in feed analysis labs.

Second—and also similar to food and beverage testing[2]—the activities and workflows listed above also highlight the cross-disciplinary nature of analyzing animal feed ingredients and products, and interpreting the resulting data. The human biological sciences, veterinary sciences, environmental sciences, chemistry, microbiology, radiochemistry, botany, epidemiology, and more may be involved within a given animal feed analysis laboratory.[3][4][5] Given this significant cross-disciplinarity, it's can be challenging to characterize the full spectrum of testing found within feed testing labs.

For the rest of this article, we'll take a similar approach to the food and industry[2] and break down testing by the various roles feed testing labs can fill.

Testing within the primary roles of a feed lab

The type of testing occurring within a feed lab will vary depending on the role it plays within the larger framework of industry needs. The following subsections examine the three primary roles of these labs and the testing required to meet their goals.

R&D roles

Aroma/flavor analysis and formulation: Broadly speaking, "sensomic" studies—an approach to describing the sensory properties of foodstuffs at a molecular level[6]—are not as important to the feed industry as they are to the food and beverage industry. However, secondarily, sensomic studies may be conducted on the resulting animal proteins (whether produced by the animal, e.g., milk or eggs, or as part of the animal, e.g., their meat) consumed by humans in conjunction with what is fed those animals. For example, laboratory research on the sensory perceptions of dairy and meat products derived from feeding animals certain forage and feed remains important.[7][8] This can be a challenging task for laboratorians given complex matrices, chemical changes, and sensory relationships, requiring specialized analytical techniques and equipment.[9]

Genetic modification for improved yields and nutrition: Genetically modified (GM) crops continue to be important to the feed industry, given that historically 70 to 90 percent of all GM crops and their biomass have been used in animal feed.[10] However, feed safety studies are also vital to any R&D efforts to genetically improve crops and biomass used in animal feed. These studies seek to answer questions of substantial equivalence, overall safety to animals and humans, and overall safety of any products derived from the animals consuming GM feed. These types of studies incorporate molecular characterization testing using, for example, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR); traceability testing using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) or loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP); and toxicological testing using a variety of omics techniques.[10]

Nutritional reformulation: Improving "animal growth and performance, as well as the quality of animal-derived products" remains a goal for the feed industry.[11] Developing new products and reformulating existing products to meet those goals involves the careful consideration of additives, their beneficial properties, and their practical incorporation into feed. As such, seaweeds[11], hempseed[12], insects[13], and food losses and wastes[14] have been investigated as ways to improve nutritional quality and animal-derived product outcomes. However, given the diverse array of input materials, accurately portraying the testing that comes with reformulation is challenging. A broad array of analytical techniques and industry knowledge, varying based upon the component sought out for change, can be at play. A combination of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and wet chemistry techniques can be used to determine, for example, concentrations of key nutrients. Even more complicated can be the application of nutrigenomics to feed optimization and reformulation efforts, requiring knowledge and equipment for a variety of omics techniques.[15]

Stability, cycle, and challenge testing: Multiple deteriorative catalysts can influence the stability of a feed product, from microbiological contaminants and chemical deterioration to storage conditions and the packaging itself. As such, there are multiple approaches to limiting the effects of those catalysts, from introducing additives to improving the packaging.[16] The analytical techniques applied in stability, cycle, and challenge testing will vary based on, to a large degree, the product matrix and its chemical composition.[16] Microbiological testing of feed is sure to be involved in stability testing[17], as well as in challenge testing, which simulates what could happen to a product if contaminated by a microorganism and placed in a representative storage condition.[18][19]

Pre-manufacturing and manufacturing roles

The feed laboratory participating in this role is performing one or more tasks that relate to the preparative (i.e., pre-manufacturing) or QC (i.e., manufacturing) tasks of feed production. Predominantly, this looks like QA and QC testing in the feed industry.

QA and QC testing: Feed producers invest significantly in a product they believe in, requiring assurances along the way that it will have its best chance of success in the open market. The producer will want to ensure high-quality raw ingredients, high-quality equipment, an effective processing layout, and high customer satisfaction. A well-implemented quality management system (QMS) plays a major role in ensuring those requirements, and by extension that includes both QA and QC testing. Are microbiological, physiological, or chemical risks being managed? Have allergens been inadvertently introduced? Are the nutritional requirements for the product still being met given the raw ingredient inputs as they stand currently? Is dangerous, unexpected foreign matter being introduced somewhere in the production workflow? Is their a product problem requiring analytic-based traceability back to a particular supplier?

These and other risk-based questions get answered through QA and QC testing. Many aspects of feed production require high levels of quality, and as such, the type of analytical testing that takes place will vary, sometimes significantly, depending upon what aspect is being tested. NIRS and wet chemistry methods may be used, as well as microbiological, genetic, microscopic, and physical methods, depending on what characteristics are being examined.[1][20][21][22][23][24]

Post-production regulation and safety roles

The laboratory participating in these roles is performing one or more tasks that relate to the post-production examination of animal feed for regulatory, safety, or accreditation purposes. The following types of activities within the post-production regulation and safety stages will typically involve some level of laboratory participation.

Authenticity and adulteration testing: In the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), in conjunction with state governments, plays a role in the regulation and enforcement of safe animal feed.[25] Regulatory testing laboratories play a part in this regulation and enforcement. While voluntary, U.S. states enrolled in the Animal Food Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS) agree to standardize approaches to regulatory laboratory testing, whether performed by a government lab or third-party commercial lab.[26] The analytical services provided are geared towards ensuring analyzed product matches labeling, and that the feed product is not adulterated.[26] This regulatory testing will look similar to that found in other roles, though arguably held to a higher standard. (The CVM used to also have a Feed Contaminants Program[27], but it appears to be paused as of 2024, possibly pending revision.[28])

Public health investigations: Public health departments will work with the FDA, particularly during recalls of adulterated or mislabeled animal feed, or animal-derived products affected by such feed. When biological, chemical, and physical hazards are identified in animal feed—either through the efforts of the manufacturer, e.g., reporting through the Reportable Food Registry (RFR)[29] or by regulatory testing labs—the consequences may adversely affect an animal population, and even radiate beyond animals to the human population.[28] In these cases, public health laboratories may need to be involved, performing clinical laboratory analyses of veterinary and human specimens to identify vectors of contamination and limit further exposure to animals and humans. While this context isn't directly in the realm of feed testing, these labs can get involved as part of resolving feed issues. Beyond recalls, the testing of feed may also occur in other public health contexts, such as antimicrobial resistance monitoring programs.[30]

Conclusion

This brief topical article sought to address the types of laboratory testing that occur in an animal feed laboratory. We learned that this lab type has some similarities to the food and beverage laboratory, not only in the different roles the lab could potentially play but also the multidisciplinary nature of the testing that occurs within those roles. Operating in R&D, pre-manufacturing and manufacturing, and post-production regulation and safety roles, the workflows in these labs may differ, sometimes greatly. Performing analyses and research in nutritional reformulation can involve different methods and equipment when compared to, for example, adulteration testing. As humans consume animal products and byproducts, even public health contexts appear, particularly when something goes wrong with the production or storage of animal feed. Taken together, anything from microbiological testing to genetic testing may be involved in the workflows of the feed testing laboratory.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ward, R. (27 February 2024). "Obtaining value from a feed/forage lab engagement" (PDF). Florida Ruminant Nutrition Symposium. https://animal.ifas.ufl.edu/media/animalifasufledu/dairy-website/ruminant-nutrition-symposium/archives/12.-WardRNS2024.pdf. Retrieved 28 May 2024. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Douglas, S.E. (August 2022). "LIMS Q&A:What types of testing occur within a food and beverage laboratory?". LIMSwiki. https://www.limswiki.org/index.php/LIMS_Q%26A:What_types_of_testing_occur_within_a_food_and_beverage_laboratory%3F. Retrieved 11 June 2024. 
  3. ↑ Schnepf, Anne; Hille, Katja; van Mark, Gesine; Winkelmann, Tristan; Remm, Karen; Kunze, Katrin; Velleuer, Reinhard; Kreienbrock, Lothar (6 February 2024). "Basis for a One Health Approach—Inventory of Routine Data Collections on Zoonotic Diseases in Lower Saxony, Germany" (in en). Zoonotic Diseases 4 (1): 57–73. doi:10.3390/zoonoticdis4010007. ISSN 2813-0227. https://www.mdpi.com/2813-0227/4/1/7. 
  4. ↑ Partnership for Food Protection Laboratory Science Workgroup (December 2018). "Human and Animal Food Testing Laboratories Best Practices Manual" (PDF). https://www.aphl.org/programs/food_safety/APHL%20Documents/LBPM_Dec2018.pdf. Retrieved 28 May 2024. 
  5. ↑ Wood, Hannah; O'Connor, Annette; Sargeant, Jan; Glanville, Julie (1 December 2018). "Information retrieval for systematic reviews in food and feed topics: A narrative review" (in en). Research Synthesis Methods 9 (4): 527–539. doi:10.1002/jrsm.1289. ISSN 1759-2879. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jrsm.1289. 
  6. ↑ Vrzal, Tomáš; Olšovská, Jana (15 October 2019). "Sensomics - basic principles and practice". KVASNY PRUMYSL 65 (5). doi:10.18832/kp2019.65.166. ISSN 2570-8619. http://www.kvasnyprumysl.eu/index.php/kp/article/view/190. 
  7. ↑ Schreurs, N.M.; Lane, G.A.; Tavendale, M.H.; Barry, T.N.; McNabb, W.C. (1 October 2008). "Pastoral flavour in meat products from ruminants fed fresh forages and its amelioration by forage condensed tannins" (in en). Animal Feed Science and Technology 146 (3-4): 193–221. doi:10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2008.03.002. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S037784010800059X. 
  8. ↑ Faccia, Michele (27 August 2020). "The Flavor of Dairy Products from Grass-Fed Cows" (in en). Foods 9 (9): 1188. doi:10.3390/foods9091188. ISSN 2304-8158. PMC PMC7555911. PMID 32867231. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/9/1188. 
  9. ↑ Regueiro, Jorge; Negreira, Noelia; Simal-Gándara, Jesús (3 July 2017). "Challenges in relating concentrations of aromas and tastes with flavor features of foods" (in en). Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 57 (10): 2112–2127. doi:10.1080/10408398.2015.1048775. ISSN 1040-8398. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2015.1048775. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Giraldo, Paula A.; Shinozuka, Hiroshi; Spangenberg, German C.; Cogan, Noel O.I.; Smith, Kevin F. (11 December 2019). "Safety Assessment of Genetically Modified Feed: Is There Any Difference From Food?". Frontiers in Plant Science 10: 1592. doi:10.3389/fpls.2019.01592. ISSN 1664-462X. PMC PMC6918800. PMID 31921242. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2019.01592/full. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Mahrose, Khalid M.; Michalak, Izabela (2022), Ranga Rao, Ambati; Ravishankar, Gokare A., eds., "Seaweeds for Animal Feed, Current Status, Challenges, and Opportunities" (in en), Sustainable Global Resources Of Seaweeds Volume 1 (Cham: Springer International Publishing): 357–379, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-91955-9_19, ISBN 978-3-030-91954-2, https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-91955-9_19. Retrieved 2024-06-14 
  12. ↑ Xu, Youjie; Li, Jun; Zhao, Jikai; Wang, Weiqun; Griffin, Jason; Li, Yonghui; Bean, Scott; Tilley, Mike et al. (1 February 2021). "Hempseed as a nutritious and healthy human food or animal feed source: a review" (in en). International Journal of Food Science & Technology 56 (2): 530–543. doi:10.1111/ijfs.14755. ISSN 0950-5423. https://ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijfs.14755. 
  13. ↑ van Huis, Arnold; Gasco, Laura (13 January 2023). "Insects as feed for livestock production" (in en). Science 379 (6628): 138–139. doi:10.1126/science.adc9165. ISSN 0036-8075. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adc9165. 
  14. ↑ Boumans, Iris J.M.M.; Schop, Marijke; Bracke, Marc B.M.; de Boer, Imke J.M.; Gerrits, Walter J.J.; Bokkers, Eddie A.M. (1 December 2022). "Feeding food losses and waste to pigs and poultry: Implications for feed quality and production" (in en). Journal of Cleaner Production 378: 134623. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134623. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652622041956. 
  15. ↑ Haq, Zulfqar ul; Saleem, Afnan; Khan, Azmat Alam; Dar, Mashooq Ahmad; Ganaie, Abdul Majeed; Beigh, Yasir Afzal; Hamadani, Heena; Ahmad, Syed Mudasir (1 September 2022). "Nutrigenomics in livestock sector and its human-animal interface-a review" (in en). Veterinary and Animal Science 17: 100262. doi:10.1016/j.vas.2022.100262. PMC PMC9287789. PMID 35856004. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2451943X22000333. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Subramaniam, Persis, ed. (2016). The stability and shelf life of food. Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition (Second edition ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier/WP, Woodhead Publishing. ISBN 978-0-08-100436-4. OCLC 956922925. https://www.worldcat.org/title/mediawiki/oclc/956922925. 
  17. ↑ International Cooperation for Convergence of Technical Requirements for the Assessment of Feed Ingredients (March 2019). "Stability Testing of Feed Ingredients" (PDF). ICCF Guidance #01. International Cooperation for Convergence of Technical Requirements for the Assessment of Feed Ingredients. https://ifif.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ICCF_GL_01-Stability-Testing-Step7.pdf. 
  18. ↑ Lanni, Luigi; Morena, Valeria; Scattareggia Marchese, Adriana; Destro, Gessica; Ferioli, Marcello; Catellani, Paolo; Giaccone, Valerio (23 December 2021). "Challenge Test as Special Tool to Estimate the Dynamic of Listeria monocytogenes and Other Foodborne Pathogens" (in en). Foods 11 (1): 32. doi:10.3390/foods11010032. ISSN 2304-8158. PMC PMC8750539. PMID 35010159. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/1/32. 
  19. ↑ Komitopoulou, E. (2011). "Microbiological challenge testing of food". In Kilcast, David; Subramaniam, Persis. Food and beverage stability and shelf life. Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition. Oxford: WP, Woodhead Publ. pp. 507–526. ISBN 978-0-85709-254-0. OCLC 838321011. https://www.worldcat.org/title/mediawiki/oclc/838321011. 
  20. ↑ Fink-Gremmels, Johanna, ed. (2012). Animal feed contamination: effects on livestock and food safety. Woodhead Publishing series in food science, technology and nutrition. Cambridge, UK : Philadelphia: Woodhead Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-84569-725-9. OCLC 711047986. https://www.worldcat.org/title/mediawiki/oclc/711047986. 
  21. ↑ Kostyra, H.; Kostyra, E.; Złotkowska, D. (2008). "Potential animal feed allergens". Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences 11 (3): 251–255. ISSN 1505-1773. PMID 18942549. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18942549. 
  22. ↑ Campden BRI (April 2013). "Animal Feed Safety and Quality" (PDF). https://www.campdenbri.co.uk/_access/download.php?type=whitePaper&file=feed-white-paper.pdf&access=public&name=feed-white-paper.pdf&hash=a9a2d6a87f18363a561b5f333e6016abcf4b7acff6bdb49333432355905f7b5c. Retrieved 15 June 2024. 
  23. ↑ "Role of Quality Control Laboratories in Animal Feed Production". Trouw Nutrition. 23 June 2020. https://www.trouwnutritionasiapacific.com/en-in/7.0-tn-In-news-and-events/highlighted-stories/2020/role-of-quality-control-laboratories-in-animal-feed-production/. Retrieved 14 June 2024. 
  24. ↑ Koeleman, E.; Trouw Nutrition (12 June 2023). "5 questions for MasterLab around feed analysis". All About Feed. https://www.allaboutfeed.net/animal-feed/raw-materials/5-questions-to-masterlab-around-feed-analysis/. Retrieved 15 June 2025. 
  25. ↑ "Product Regulation". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 31 January 2024. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-food-feeds/product-regulation. Retrieved 15 June 2024. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Office of Regulatory Affairs (2023). "Animal Food Regulatory Program Standards" (PDF). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/media/136030/download?attachment. Retrieved 28 May 2024. 
  27. ↑ U.S. Food and Drug Administration; HHS (29 October 2013). "Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals". Federal Register. National Archives. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/10/29/2013-25126/current-good-manufacturing-practice-and-hazard-analysis-and-risk-based-preventive-controls-for-food. Retrieved 15 June 2024. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Biological, Chemical, and Physical Contaminants in Animal Food". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 19 January 2024. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-food-feeds/biological-chemical-and-physical-contaminants-animal-food. Retrieved 15 June 2024. 
  29. ↑ "Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals - Guidance for Industry". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. July 2022. https://www.fda.gov/media/110477/download. Retrieved 15 June 2024. 
  30. ↑ "The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System Strategic Plan 2021-2025- Questions and Answers". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 1 May 2024. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/national-antimicrobial-resistance-monitoring-system/national-antimicrobial-resistance-monitoring-system-strategic-plan-2021-2025-questions-and-answers. Retrieved 15 June 2024. 

References

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