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	Processes

Feed Manufacture – The Processes

Many processes are involved in the preparation of pelleted diets. For example, most of the major ingredients have to be ground, before being mixed together and transported to a conditioning barrel where steam can be introduced and the diet can be held prior to being fed through a pellet press and cooled.

Liquid additives are applied to the diet either in the mixer prior to pelleting or by being sprayed (either as received or after dilution) on to the freshly prepared pellets in a mixer.

Any of these operations can affect the uniformity of the final diet, its feeding value and the stability of any additives. Consequently, they are of considerable interest/importance to many clients involved in maximising the performance of their livestock and to those concerned with product development.

Grab (random) aliquots of feed (150 g for every 20 kg of feed manufactured) at the end of production line are automatically taken by our staff at the mill. However, because we allow clients access to all stages involved in the production of the diets, it is possible to sample and subsequently assess the effects of the different intermediate processes involved in diet preparation on such parameters as diet homogeneity, stability of additives, pellet integrity, nutrient content and shelf-life.

The fineness of grind of the dietary raw materials, the time for which they are mixed and the size of the pellets produced are all factors that can affect the impact of the diet on the target livestock. The time of exposure to conditioning and the temperature to which the diet is subjected are other features which are under our control and can be adjusted to fine-tune the properties of the final diet.

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