This extensive process refer to the use of grains, cereals, vegetable and animal by-products, oil and fats, molasses, vitamins and minerals to create a balanced formula for different animals in all the life stages to cover all nutritional requirements. After first cleaning the seed particle size reduction (grinding) is the next step in this process, all ingredients needs to be reduced in size to accomplish a homogeneous process into the mixer. Once ground, the ingredients are stored separately prior weighing and dosing and then mixing. In the mixer the ingredients remains for a certain amount of time (wet and dry mixing time) and then some liquids are added. From here the mash can go to two different processes, for pelletized feeds or extruded feed, these two processes involve starch gelatinization (total or partial) to create a feed pre-digestion effect and at the same time the bacteriologic level is reduced due to the high temperatures reached at the conditioners where live steam is used. Once molded (into pellet or collets) the feed is dried (if required), cooled, covered with liquids (fat/oil/enzymes/flavors coating) and then screened to remove fines prior bagging or bulk storage.
The main finished products from this process are: Poultry Feed, Swine Feed, Cattle Feed, Horse Feed, Pet Food, Fish Feed and Shrimp Feed.
High-shear extrusion processing deals with a short-time (20sec), high-temperature (up to 320°F) and high-pressure (40 atm) cooking condition which leads to rupturing cell wall, liberating oil, and protein de-naturation.
The extruded full-fat soybeans have the same amount of protein and oil but lower moisture content.
By using extruded full-fat soybean meal in the poultry feed (TMEn: >3800 Kcal/Kg), there won’t be any need for added fat. Also, there won’t be a need for costly equipment to add fat to the diet in the feed mill (pumps, tanks…). Extruded full-fat soybean meal can also replace a considerable amount of the protein source in the diet.