There’s movement toward more uniform nutrient analysis of distillers’ dried grains with solubles. At the center is a report, which is the result of a year-long study funded jointly by the National Corn Growers Association, the Renewable Fuels Association and the American Feed Industry Association. It offers recommended testing methods to determine DDGS moisture, crude protein, crude fat and crude fiber content.

To date, different analytical methods have been used to test DDGS, which can cause analytical results to vary significantly between laboratories. It also makes it hard to shop around and compare products between ethanol plants. All of this has created tremendous confusion and skepticism among potential DDGS buyers such as pork producers.

“Testing variances can cause significant challenges for the parties involved in selling and buying the product. It also inflates the perception that DDGS is an inconsistent product,” says Bruce Noel, chairman of NCGA’s ethanol committee.

For example, when five different moisture testing methods were used during the study’s intra-laboratory analysis, moisture values of the same DDGS sample ranged from 9.03 percent to 12.69 percent.

Widespread adoption of the new testing methods could reduce variation in laboratory-analytical methods and increase product certainty for DDGS end-users.

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