Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The detergent system of feed analysis (developed by Van Soest) separates forage carbohydrates into different fractions based on their digestibility.
This system uses neutral detergent and acid detergent solutions to partition the fibrous components of plant cell walls.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us evaluate each of the given statements:
Statement (A) is correct.
Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) is the residue remaining after boiling a feed sample in a neutral detergent solution.
This step washes away the highly soluble cell contents, leaving behind the insoluble cell wall components: hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin.
Statement (B) is correct.
Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF) is the residue remaining after boiling a feed sample in an acid detergent solution.
This step hydrolyzes and washes away the hemicellulose, leaving behind only the less digestible fractions: cellulose and lignin.
Statement (C) is correct.
Because NDF contains hemicellulose in addition to the cellulose and lignin found in ADF, the NDF content of any given forage is always higher than its ADF content:
\[
\text{NDF} = \text{ADF} + \text{Hemicellulose}
\]
Statement (D) is incorrect because ADF content is always lower than NDF content.
Therefore, statements (A), (B), and (C) are correct.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct statements are (A), (B), and (C) only.