LPSolve Extra Columns

Hello, and welcome to this LPSolve Knowledge Base video. In this video, we’ll look at the extra columns—sometimes called additional nutrients—that are available within the LPSolve matrix.

Under normal use, the LPSolve matrix includes the standard nutrients you’d expect, such as dry matter, fat, ash, protein, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. In addition to these, LPSolve provides a set of extra columns that can be revealed and used as needed. These columns are labeled C0 through C9.

By default, these columns are empty. They are not associated with predefined nutrients, and all values are initially set to zero percent. You can customize them by right-clicking on the column header and renaming the column to something that describes the nutrient or factor you want to model. In this example, I’ve renamed column C0 as Lys, % of DM

In the current version of LPSolve, all nutrients are displayed as percentages, so any values you enter into these extra columns must also be expressed as percentages. You can enter values for each ingredient and then set minimum or maximum constraints, allowing these custom nutrients to be included in the formulation process.

Let’s add another example. We’ll reveal column C1 and rename it methionine % DM. The values for this type of nutrient need to be calculated manually and then entered into the matrix. From there, you can define a target range—such as a typical concentration for a standard calf milk replacer.

These extra columns are especially useful for modeling nutrients or characteristics that are unique to your operation or specific formulation goals.

One important note: in the current version of LPSolve, the custom column names are not saved with the file. That means if you reopen the file later, you’ll need to re-enter the column names.  Use a Note as a way to maintain identity of the columns.

And that’s it for this LPSolve Knowledge Base video. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next time.