Definitions and Background

• Foraging is the process of finding food and bringing it back to ingest.
• Seasonal growth is the growth of a plant that occurs during a specific season.
• Grazing is the process of eating grass or other plants.
• Palatability is the ability of a product to be consumed by animals.
• Longevity of food is the time food can be kept without spoiling or losing its nutritional value.
• Acidification is the process of increasing the acidity of food. It is normally done by creating an anaerobic environment.
• Artificial dehydration is the removal of water from the food by drying grass. This means it can be kept for an indefinite amount of time as it inhibits the growth of organisms.
• Buffered ammonium propionate aids hay making by providing a buffer against acidity.
• Hay is grass that has been mown and dried.
• Silage is a conserved crop of a high moisture content which undergoes fermentation.
• Proteolysis is the hydrolysis of peptide bonds.
• Consolidation for silage making is done by mixing the silage with water and then leaving it to ferment for 24 hours and causes the microbes to produce a lot of gas.
• Dried forages are made by removing water from the forage and then drying it.
• Straw is made of dried stalks of grain, used especially as animal food.
• Lactic acid bacteria helps protein in food to be digested.