The path to sustainable, safe feed

The demand for animal and fish protein alone will increase by an estimated 44% by 2030 and 50% by 2050, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The livestock and aquaculture value chains are under pressure to meet the growing appetite for animal protein by delivering more, faster and while utilizing fewer resources.

The feed industry has a central role to play in increasing feed efficiency, which enables each pound of animal protein to be produced using fewer kilograms of feed and increases the sustainability of the livestock sector.

Pressure to optimize

The use of compound feed production is an important way in which animal protein farmers can decrease their operational costs while increasing the sustainability of their industry. Compound feed can be manufactured from a wide array of ingredients, including feed cereals and by products from the food, beverage and bio fuels industries. The manufactured feed industry contributes to an efficient use of the world's resources by transforming un-useable cereals and by products of the food and biofuel industries into feed that enables the raising of healthy animals.

Specialists in animal nutrition prepare formulas that include the ideal mix of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and essential nutrients for every animal specie, suited to both its stage of growth and its position in the production cycle. Compound feed millers work with nutritionist to ensure feed formulas include raw materials at the lowest cost, that when combined ensure the health of the animals at the maximum feed efficiency.

Feed efficiency is increasing. In the 1950s 5 kilograms of feed were required to produce 1 kilogram of pig live weight and today this ratio has been reduced to 3 kilograms of feed to 1 kilogram of pig live weight. Members of the industry will continue to decrease this feed to protein conversion ratio.

Higher feed efficiency will enable farmers to improve the profitability of their farms. The highest cost for farmers is feed. For example, the European Feed Manufacture's Federation states that feed accounts for 85% of the production cost of a chicken in Europe.

From quantity to quality

Customers increasingly understand that what they eat directly impacts their health. Food scares worldwide, such as the melamine milk crisis in China this year, have sensitized consumers, legislators, and the food and feed industries that every step of the value chain, from farm to fork, is critical in assuring food safety.

In the livestock and aquaculture value chains, safe food begins with safe feed. Regulations and legislations differ both regionally and nationally. However, the American Feed Industry Association has been working with the European Feed Additives and Premixtures Association on an international version of the Safe Feed / Safe Food program and it is now near to implementation. According to the AFIA, the EU arguably has the most stringent feed hygiene and ingredient standards with the implementation of HACCP. FEFANA has already created a "Guide to Good Practice" in Europe that is recognized by the EU Commission and serves as an excellent standard source for the international feed industry. 

Quality and safety through processing

Technology leaders, such as the Buhler Group, work to supply feed manufacturers with process expertise and innovative machinery that will enable feed millers to produce safe, high quality feed with lower operational costs.

Stricter regulation regarding meat safety has correlated into increasing requirements for farmers to be able to trace the feed which they provide their livestock. Feed production plants record the source and exact amount of all ingredients within the feed products. This enables livestock farmers to keep important records in case of a trace back.

The process to quality pellets

While around 40% of the success of pelleting depends on the recipe developed by the animal nutrition specialist and the ingredients, 18% depends on the preparation of the feed mix, 18% on the conditioning of the product, 18% on the pelleting mill and 6% on the cooling of the pellets. Technology partners such as Buhler possess the deep process knowledge and innovative machinery required to enable feed millers to supply of high quality, safe feed to the industry.

Cleaning

Unlike raw agricultural products, industrial feed goes through added-value processes that increase the cleanliness and safety of the end feed product. In the first step in a feed mill, the feed ingredients are all passed through the cleaning sections, where impurities such as iron, straw, paper, pieces of wood, leaves are separated from the pure product.

Weighing, grinding, mixing

After weighing, the product is ground to correct particle size in the Vertica hammer mill. The ability of Buhler's Speedmix to achieve a mix with an accuracy of 1 to 100,000 is critical so that each pellet contains a uniform amount of all the nutrients.

Pelleting

The hygienizing and compacting technology from Buhler's HYSYS plays a central role in enabling a feed mill to produce safe feed. Pathogenic microorganisms and various salmonella species can be present in untreated raw feed materials; this contaminated feed can lead to unsafe food.

Buhler's HYSYS has a "first-in, first-out" principle guaranteeing identical retention time for each product batch and a high-temperature heating of the product to 95 degrees C (203 degrees F) to kill microorganisms and salmonella. A coating of liquids and fine powders can be applied to the pellets using the coating drum to increase the energy, stabilize the protein, and improve the nutrition of the feed product, after which the pellets are cooled. The result: feed pellets providing higher energy, better digestibility and better nutrition for the animal, as well as a better taste. 

The path to sustainable, safe animal protein

From feed miller to retailer, each step in the value chain is linked. Each shift forward in consumer demand for safer and higher quality animal protein is pushing the feed industry forward at different rates, depending on the region of the world. But with time, the safety and quality standards for animal protein will move towards an international standard.