Evaluation of alternative tissues and equipment for the analysis of neutral and acid detergente fiber

The objective of this study was to compare alternative devices and tissues for the determination of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) with the conventional method. Two tissues, nylon (50 μm) and TNT (100 g/m²), and two devices (fiber digester and autoclave) were used for the determination of NDF and ADF content compared to the conventional method. A completely randomized experimental design, which consisted of five treatments and 10 repetitions, was used. The NDF content obtained with TNT in the two devices differed from that obtained with the conventional method (P0.01), indicating this combination as a possible alternative to the conventional method. There was no difference (P>0.01) between the alternative methods for the analysis of NDF. The content of ADF differed between the devices and tissues evaluated (P0.01) and may be indicated as a practical alternative for the analysis of ADF. The NDF content obtained with nylon tissue, irrespective of the equipment used, and the ADF content obtained with nylon tissue in the fiber digester were similar to the conventional method.