Determination of the mineral composition in agroindustrial by-products used in animal nutrition, by neutron activation analysis

This study aimed to analyze some agroindustrial by-products used to feed an imals in order to identify the presence of the main minerals. Samples of co tton seed meal, rice, canola, soybean and wheat; fish meal, feather meal, m eat meal, feather plus viscera meal; rinds of cotton, rice, orange; citrus pulp and tomato residue were collected in different sites of production of the by-products. The method of analysis used was the neutron activation fol lowed by gamma ray spectrometry. The levels of minerals found in all sample s were compared with the levels commonly found in forages. The mineral conc entration, even those of the toxic elements, as As, Cd and Hg, was at low l evel and did not exceed the maximum tolerable levels for domestic animals.