The suitable evaluationof nutritional value of forages depends on the adoption of appropriate methodologies.Forage quality is highly dependent of fermentation products, in case of silage,and the losses of soluble compounds and microorganisms activity in the caseof hay. The theme "Methodological advances in evaluation of preserved foragequality" at the 44th Annual Meeting of Brazilian Society of AnimalScience has as main goals to highlight the more useful and particular methodologicalprocedures for conserved forages and additional to the standard chemical analysis..Analytical procedures for preserved forage should suffer a standardization topermit comparisons of results obtained by the world wide laboratories. Thisreview brings to discussion the description and systematization of importantphysical and chemical methods to be implemented in preserved forage evaluation.The methodological procedures available permit not only quantify, but also permitqualify the losses occurred during preservation process and across the aerobicexposition of the roughage source during feed out. It suggests that the adoptionof any management strategies for conserved forages may depend on an evaluationaccordingly fit to the losses observed in the overall process.
