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Rapid Gas Chromatographic Procedure for measuring Moisture in Silage

USDA, ARS Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, P. 0. Box 5677, Athens, G A 30613

ABSTRACT

A simple gas chromatographic procedure for rapidly determining moisture in silage is described. Isopropanol was used as the extracting solvent and n-butanol as an internal standard. Chromo-sorb 102 was used as column packing. Excellent resolution and symmetry of water, isopropanol, and n-butanol peaks facilitated accurate, automatic integration of peak areas, and quantitation of results. Excellent linearity of response and high correlation were obtained between the amount (1 to 10 g) of water in standards and that measured. Silages containing 33 to 72% moisture were analyzed by this procedure, and moistures were compared with those from oven drying and toluene distillation. Unlike the oven drying and toluene distillation methods where inte-fering "volatiles" bias results, the gas chromatographic procedure determines only water. Moistures obtained are, therefore, more accurate. With the gas chromatographic procedure, moisture can be determined rapidly in a large number of silage samples with accuracy and precision.