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A Phosphatase Test for Determining Heat Treatment of Alfalfa Meal

Eastern Utilization Research Branch

H. G. Wiseman

Dairy Husbandry Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Washington, D. C.

ABSTRACT

Alfalfa meal of highest nutritional value for use in feeds can be prepared only from hay that has been heat-dehydrated promptly after cutting. Alfalfa is dehydrated artificially in a current of hot air to preserve its quality and nutritional value and especially to reduce the loss of carotene, much of which is destroyed by exposure to sun and weather in field curing. Carotene, precursor of vitamin A, is a very valuable nutritional constituent of livestock feeds. Dehydrated alfalfa meal, used as a component of feeds for poultry and animals, is an important and practical source of carotene.

Shepherd et al. (8) pointed out that dehydration, entailing a shorter period of exposure in the field and a shorter time from cutting to storage than other harvesting methods, results in smaller losses of leaves, digestible nutrients, green color, and carotene. Certain investigations including analyses (2, 3, 4, 8) have shown that artificially dried and ground alfalfa may contain between six and 21 times as much carotene as field-cured alfalfa.