Nutritional Characterization of Hay Produced in Campania Region: Analysis by the near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Technology

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Forage is the basis of ruminants’ diet and its nutritional quality strongly influences the productive performance and the health status of animals. Analyzing forage characteristics in a timely and accurate way is, therefore, critical to formulate an adequate ration that can meet the animal needs. For this purpose, the use of the Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) technology is an excellent alternative method to traditional laboratory analysis. In this trial, more than 400 hay samples collected in the Campania region (southern Italy) were analyzed by using the NIRS technology. Alfalfa hay produced in the Piana del Sele area seems the most promising hay, characterized by high protein levels and low structural carbohydrates. On the contrary, the polyphite and Gramineae hays produced in most of the areas of Campania region showed poor nutritional value due to the low protein content and high structural carbohydrate that significantly reduced its digestibility. Results showed that hay quality strongly differs among different areas, and confirmed the usefulness of the NIRS technology to obtain a fast and accurate analysis of forage quality, thus allowing the nutritionists to formulate adequate animal rations and to reveal and correct a number of management factors in order to achieve the highest feed quality to obtain the best performance ensuring animal health. ABSTRACT: Since the dietary characteristics of hays can be very variable, it is of great importance for nutritionists to know their chemical composition in order to formulate adequate rations for the animals. Laboratory analyses are time-consuming and expensive while the Near Infrared Spectroscopy offers several advantages, including obtaining information on feeds nutritional characteristics very quickly and in situ at the farm, thanks to portable NIRS. In this trial, over 400 hay samples collected in the Campania region (Italy) were analyzed with portable NIRS device. The final aim was to analyze the differences in hay quality in different production areas, highlighting the possible factors involved and suggesting possible corrective measures. All the analyzed hays (polyphite, Gramineae and alfalfa) were significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by the area of cultivation/preservation. In particular, the polyphite and Gramineae hays produced in most of the areas of Campania region showed poor nutritional value due to the low protein content and high structural carbohydrate that significantly reduced its digestibility. The use of high-quality forages in the ration represents a pivotal factor to allow the production of high-quality products of animal origin. The use of NIRS seems to be a valuable strategy to select potential treatments that can increase feed digestibility and to avoid long chemical analysis.