Articles and Resources

The Art (Science) Of Pelleting

Pelleting has been, and continues to be, a popular processing technique in feed manufacturing. In basic terms, pelleting converts a finely ground blend of ingredients into dense, free flowing agglomerates (pellets). There are many reasons used to justify the process, but it may be appropriate to list just a few:
• improved animal performance,
• decreased feed wastage,
• reduced selective feeding,
• improved bulk density,
• better material handling characteristics,
• destruction of deleterious organisms, and
• customer expectations.
Pelleting operations are not without cost. It is a fairly expensive process in terms of both capital and variable costs, but the expense is usually justified in improved plant profit as well as animal performance.

Tags · Pellet · Feed · Pelleting · Pellet Die · Pellet Quality · Formulation

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 11.06.2009. 05:21

The Art (Science) Of Pelleting: Part 2

Pellet Quality

For purposes of this paper, pellet quality will be equated to the ability of pellets to withstand repeated handling without excessive breakage or fines generation. There are many factors that affect pellet quality, but the following will be discussed in some detail:
• formulation
• ingredient particle size
• mash conditioning
• feed rate
• die speed
• die specifications (design)
• other factors

Tags · Pellet · Feed · Pelleting · Pellet Die · Pellet Quality · Formulation

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 10.06.2009. 06:46

The Art (Science) Of Pelleting: Part 3

Particle Size

Optimum particle size for best pelleting results has been a matter of controversy for almost as long as feeds have been pelleted. Young (1960) found no significant differences in pellet durability when he experimented with feed rations containing 40, 60, and 70 percent ground corn or grain sorghum when the grain portions were ground coarse, medium, and fine.

Tags · Pellet · Feed · Pelleting · Pellet Die · Pellet Quality · Formulation

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 09.06.2009. 06:50

Post-Pelleting Liquid Application: A Practical Guide: Part 1

Introduction And Background

In most cases, post-heat liquid application treatment has been limited to fat additions of 1-10 percent. Equipment to apply fat is present in many mills and in some cases can be adapted to apply other liquid ingredients. In the past five years, several hundred pellet lines globally have been retrofitted to dispense enzymes. This increasing trend in Asia has been mostly in high capacity integrated operations. However, today, benefits can be realized in most mills as technology has changed to offer more cost effective solutions.

Tags · Liquid Addition · Post Pelleting Liquid Addition · Spray · Fat · Molasses

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 07.06.2009. 07:14

Post-Pelleting Liquid Application: A Practical Guide: Part 2

The Application

Dry Flow Measuring
Achieving the desired accuracy is greatly dependent upon the level of accuracy obtained from the dry-flow measuring device. In general, the steadier the dry flow, the more accurate the liquid can be applied. (Aicher, 1998).

Tags · Liquid Addition · Post Pelleting Liquid Addition · Spray · Fat · Molasses

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 06.06.2009. 11:53