Prediction of the metabolisable energy content of forages and mixed diets for horses: validation and comparison of two evaluation systems

The metabolisable energy (ME) content of feeds is a better estimate of their 'true' energy value than their digestible energy (DE) content, because ME takes account of the gross energy of methane (GEgas) and the gross energy of urine (GEurine) losses. The accuracy and precision of the Gesellschaft fur Ernahrungsphysiologie (GIE) and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) systems for predicting the DE and ME contents of diets for horses were compared using the results of a study comprising 15 mixed diets. The INRA system was more accurate than the GtE system for predicting DE, GEurine and ME: the biases between the predicted and the measured values were -0.26 vs -0.46 MJ/kg DM for DE (P < 0.05), - 0.03 vs 0.13 MJ/kg DM for GEurine (P < 0.05) and - 0.09 vs -0.62 Mj/kg DM for ME (P < 0.05). The biases for GEgas were not significantly different (P> 0.05) between systems. In addition, a study was carried out with 24 forages to compare the ME value of permanent meadow and lucerne hays predicted with the GfE and the INRA systems. The INRA system gave higher prediction values of DE than the GtE system (P < 0.001) and lower estimates of GEgas (0.34 vs 0.63 Mi/kg DM for permanent meadow hays and 038 vs 0.63 Mj/kg DM for lucerne hays) (P < 0.001) and GEurine (0.85 vs 0.93 MJ/kg DM for grassland hays and 1.08 vs 137 Mj/kg DM for lucerne hays) (P < 0.001). The INRA system thus gave higher estimates of ME (7.57 vs 6.77 MJ/kg DM for permanent meadow hays and 8.80 vs 6.46 MJ/kg DM for lucerne hays. P < 0.001) in agreement with the results obtained with mixed diets. The ME values of permanent meadow hays and legume hays should therefore be predicted separately using specific equations as previously established for the DE value. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Animal Consortium.