Animal Feed Processing

Animal feed

Animal feed is the food grown or developed for livestock and poultry. Animal feeds are produced by precisely choosing and blending ingredients to provide highly nutritional diets that both maintain the health of the animals and increase the quality of such end products as milk, meat, or eggs.

Chemical analysis, experimentation, and research by agricultural scientists have resulted in big improvements in animal diets.

Animal feed companies

There is a lot more to animal feed manufacturing than simply achieving a high level of production. Nutrition and health are closely linked to each other.

When animal feed companies formulate food rations, there is rising attention for the development of immunity, the supportive effect on animal health, and the removal of the need for antibiotics.

Developments in the field of animal health, and particularly the restrictions concerning conventional treatments for animal disease, require comprehensive research to be done.

Animal feeding and nutrition

Animals, in general, require the same nutrients as humans. Some feeds, such as pasture grasses, hay and silage crops, and certain grains, are grown specifically for animal feed manufacturers.

Other feeds, such as sugar beet pulp, brewers’ grains, and pineapple bran, are
by-products that remain after a food crop has been processed for human use.

Surplus food crops, such as wheat, other cereals, fruits, vegetables, and roots, may also be fed to animals.

Feed grains are the most important source of animal feed globally. The amount of grain used to produce the same unit of meat varies substantially.

Depending on the specific formulation, animal feed can contain up to 10 different components including protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, and additives.

Animal nutrition technologies

Growing populations, increased meat consumption, the need for higher quality ingredients, and healthy eating are just some of the factors that influence animal nutrition technologies.

It’s all about high-quality feed that helps farmers and agriculture, and ultimately the end consumer. Innovative animal nutrition technologies serve both animal agriculture and the public consuming animal products.

It starts with Knowledge of the particular type of animal. Knowledge of how different nutrients interact with digestion and health. Knowledge of how environmental factors impact feed conversion efficiency. Knowledge of which blends of feed ingredients deliver the most cost-effective results.

Minerals in animal nutrition are used in the production of feed for both farm animals and pets. Mineral Salts can be classified into the following groups: Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Potassium, Selenium.

Animal feed processing

Animal feed processing is the conversion of diverse raw agricultural feed ingredients into a single, homogenized form of feed, such as mash, pellet, and crumbles, among others.

Depending on the type of animal feed, the feed manufacturing process normally starts with the grinding process.

The grinding process of the raw bulk materials is to produce particle sizes that can be easily handled, blended, and homogenized.

Pelleting is achieved by various methods but is mostly done by means of extrusion.

A hygienic processing environment is crucial during the entire process of feed manufacturing to ensure high-quality feed.

Feed processing technology

Within the global animal feed manufacturing industry, the manufacturing requirements are changing rapidly towards human food manufacturing standards.

Product quality, safety, process reliability, and low operational cost are important aspects when selecting and designing feed processing equipment.

Common feed processing technologies include:

Trends Process Technology for the Feed Industry

The global feed industry is characterized by the increasing demand for meat, dairy, and other livestock-based products, which, consequently, influences growth and innovations in the global feed industry.

To meet the growing demand of consumers, feed manufacturers are focusing on manufacturing more customer-focused products and increase their efficiency by searching for alternatives for raw materials.

Animal feed is the essential link in the livestock production chain, between crop cultivation and animal protein production and processing.

The global feed industry is in a transition phase over the last years, especially in upcoming markets, due to the human population growth, higher prosperity and urbanization.

Innovations of technologies in the feed sector

Feed manufacturing technology is experiencing innovations in various segments, including processing and feeding systems.

Technological advancements help to increase the production efficiency by improving the accuracy and consistency of feed formulations.

Advanced process equipment also enables feed manufacturers to change the feed consistency and formulation with each batch.

Through increased production efficiency, reduced wastage, and through alternatives to traditional ingredients overall costs can be reduced.

Challenges and opportunities in animal feed processing

Animal feed manufacturers are challenged to manufacture feed that precisely meets the nutritional requirements of the livestock.

These precise formulas result in optimum production efficiency, and therefore better-quality animal products. They also contribute to a cleaner environment.

Advanced feed processing technology will also enable feed manufacturers to change the feed consistency and formulation with each batch.

Next generation process automation solutions also contribute to increased production rates, inventory tracking, increased efficiency, and high-speed process monitoring.