Van bulk tot pellets: het complete proces voor het produceren van hoogwaardige diervoeders

De huidige veehouderijsector blijft floreren. With the gradual standardization of animal husbandry, significant demands are being placed on the quality of animal feed.

Daarom, a scientific and efficient feed production process is essential for producing high-quality animal feed.

This article will explain the entire production process, from bulk raw materials to finished pellets, to illustrate how high-quality feed should be produced.

1. Raw Material Receiving: The First Step in Controlling Product Quality

Raw materials are the cornerstone of high-quality pellet feed production. Upon receipt, they undergo preliminary quality screening and measurement.

1. Unloading and Transportation

Upon arrival at the feed processing plant, raw materials are first mechanically transported to subsequent storage or cleaning stages via conveyors such as screw conveyors or belt conveyors.

2. Initial Screening and Impurity Removal

After the bulk materials are delivered, they must be screened to remove impurities to prevent subsequent equipment failures caused by external factors. Bijvoorbeeld, a vibrating screen can be used to remove large particles of impurities during screening.

3. Metering Control

Electronic weighing scales are used to precisely control the amount of raw materials input. Weighing values ​​for different ingredients are set according to the recipe requirements, and the scales provide real-time weight data, enabling automated, high-precision batching and ensuring consistent feed quality.

2. Raw Material Cleaning: Removing Impurities and Purifying Raw Materials

In addition to large particles, raw materials can also contain dirt, zand, gravel, and metal impurities. If not cleaned, these impurities will not only wear out equipment, but also affect feed quality and even endanger animal health. Daarom, the cleaning process requires the use of multiple devices working together to thoroughly purify the raw materials.

1. Magnetic Separation and Iron Removal

Magnetic separators are generally used to remove metal impurities from raw materials. As the raw materials pass through the separator, they remove magnetic metal impurities and trap them within the separator. This is particularly effective for raw materials high in magnetic metal content.

2. Gravity Destoning

Destoning equipment, such as a destoning machine, separates the raw materials from impurities such as sand and gravel based on their density.

Generally, raw materials with lower density tend to move upward within the equipment and enter the next process. Bijvoorbeeld, wheat bran is separated from denser impurities in the destoning machine, improving its purity.

3. Screening and Grading

Using equipment such as flat rotary screens, we can further separate impurities such as dust and empty grains with similar or smaller density than the raw materials. We can also grade some raw materials by particle size.

Bijvoorbeeld, for wheat, we can separate dust while also grading wheat of different particle sizes.

3. Pulverization: Refines the raw materials for easier processing

Raw materials are generally large and difficult to process. Daarom, they need to be pulverized to improve the efficiency of subsequent conditioning and pelleting processes, while also promoting nutrient absorption by animals.

1. Hammer Milling

A common pulverization method, this method uses high-speed hammers to drive the material, causing it to collide violently with each other or with equipment components. The high-speed impact crushes the material, and the material is then screened to remove the acceptable particle size.

It is suitable for crushing brittle materials. A common device is a hammer mill.

2. Shearing Milling

Reciprocating blades or toothed discs shear the material, cutting or tearing it apart. It is most suitable for raw materials with high fiber content and is often used to crush materials such as straw and rubber. A common device is a knife mill.

3. Rolling Milling

Two counter-rotating rollers or grinding discs apply pressure to the material, flattening and crushing it. It is commonly used to crush hard materials such as millet and ore.

Common equipment used for this process is the roll crusher and jaw crusher.

Crushing raw materials shouldn’t be done blindly; it should be tailored to the specific characteristics of the feed being produced.

4. Mixing: Uniform Proportions and Nutritional Balance

The ground raw materials need to be mixed with other additives and raw materials to ensure consistent nutritional content in each portion of feed and meet animal growth requirements.

1. Mengapparatuur

There are many types of mixing equipment available. The most popular equipment for feed mixing on the market is the ribbon mixer. The rotating blades of a ribbon mixer propel the material through the mixer, stirring it.

During mixing, the rotation of the ribbon pulls the material from the ends toward the center and then disperses it toward the ends, achieving uniform mixing.

2. Premixing

During mixing, some trace elements are also added. Echter, due to the small amount of trace elements used, it is easy to overdosage.

In this case, premixing the trace elements is necessary. The premixed materials are then fed into the main mixer according to the desired ratio. The main mixer then mixes the trace elements with the feed to ensure the appropriate level of trace element addition.

3. Testing for Mixing Uniformity

During the production process, regular testing is performed to determine whether mixing is uniform, allowing adjustments to parameters such as mixing time and equipment speed to ensure uniform feed mixing.

5. Pelletiseren: Shaping Pellets and Improving Quality

Pelletizing is the core of the entire production process and the key step in converting bulk raw materials into pellets. Pelletizing ensures a feed that combines palatability, convenience, and longevity. Conditioning gelatinizes the starch and deforms the protein in the feed, making it easier for animals to digest and improving digestibility.

1. Pelletizing Equipment

The most common type is the ring die pelletizer, which consists of a ring die, rollers, cutters, a feeder, and a conditioner. The ring die pelletizer pre-treats the raw materials by adding steam or other liquids to gelatinize the starch in the feed, enhancing its taste and nutritional value.

The raw materials are then fed into the pelletizing chamber for compression. The material is then formed by the ring die and rollers, extruded through the membrane, and then cut, cooled, and screened.

2. Quality Control

When producing pelletized feed, it is important to carefully control the compression ratio of the ring die. A higher compression ratio results in harder pellets. Different livestock have different pellet requirements. Bijvoorbeeld, beef cattle require a higher compression ratio to ensure chewiness.

Poultry generally prefers a lower compression ratio to ensure soft pellets. Verder, careful steam pressure control is crucial. Improper conditioning can lead to pellet cracking, fragmentation, and equipment clogging, impacting production efficiency.

6. Cooling: Stabilizing Pellets for Storage

Freshly produced pellets have high temperatures and moisture content, making them prone to mold. Daarom, they need to be cooled to maintain their hardness and stability for long-term storage and transportation.

1. Koelapparatuur

A common cooling device is a counterflow air cooler. Feed pellets enter the cooling chamber from above, while cool air enters from below, flowing in the opposite direction of the pellets, removing heat and moisture from the pellets.

The cooled pellets can be discharged from the pellet outlet for subsequent packaging, storage, and transportation.

2. Precautions

During cooling, the cooling time and air volume should be controlled according to the season and the pellet characteristics. Bijvoorbeeld, in summer, the air volume and cooling time should be increased appropriately. For smaller pellets, the cooling time should be shortened or the air volume should be reduced to prevent pellets from breaking due to overcooling.

7. Packaging: Finished Product Sealing for Easy Distribution

Packaging primarily involves packaging pellets according to specifications, ensuring product protection, clear labeling, and ease of transportation, while also providing convenience for the livestock industry.

Verpakkingsapparatuur

Automatic packaging machines are a common type of equipment. Their advantage lies in their integrated weighing, bagging, sealing, and packaging functions. Precise metering settings ensure consistent quality control for each bag. Some feeds with high requirements for moisture and oxidation resistance may also be equipped with vacuum packaging machines or nitrogen filling equipment.

During packaging, the product name, formula, date, manufacturer, and traceability code should be printed on the bag to ensure traceability and enhance brand trust among buyers.

From bulk feed to finished pellets, feed production equipment requires seamless integration. Each piece of equipment must work together, and every step must be precisely controlled to produce high-quality feed.

With growing awareness of food safety and increasingly stringent requirements for livestock farming, feed production processes are undergoing continuous iteration, including intelligent equipment, environmental and public welfare upgrades, and customized formulas. With the continuous development of feed production, animal husbandry is also moving towards high-quality development under its impetus.