This experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of steam addition to the conditioner on moisture content throughout the pelleting process and subsequent effects on pellet quality. Treatments consisted of diets pelleted with no steam and steam added to achieve conditioning temperatures of 62.8 and 87.8°C. Conditioner retention time was set at 30 sec and diets were pelleted with a 6.4×63.5 mm pellet die. Pellet samples were collected and immediately placed in an experimental counter-flow cooler for 15 min. All treatments were replicated at 3 separate time points to provide 3 replicates per treatment. Mash (M), conditioned mash (CM), hot pellets (HP), and cooled pellet (CP) samples were collected for moisture content analysis and CP for pellet durability index (PDI). Data were analyzed with pelleting run as the experimental unit and time period as the blocking factor. Moisture samples were analyzed as a 3×4 factorial of steam-conditioning and sample location. There was a steam-conditioning×sample interaction (P< 0.01) for moisture. Mash samples for all treatments were similar (13.3%; 36.2°C). For the no steam treatment, there was no difference in moisture content for the M, CM, and HP; however, moisture decreased in CP, with samples having 13.4, 13.1, 12.9, and 12.0% moisture, respectively. For the 62.7°C treatment, there was an increase in moisture from M to CM, followed by a decrease in both HP and CP, with samples having 13.2, 15.3, 14.9, and 12.7% moisture, respectively. For the 87.8°C treatment, moisture increased from M to CM, and decreased in HP and CP with samples having 13.3, 17.3, 16.3, and 13.4% moisture, respectively. Increasing conditioning temperature from no steam to 87.8°C increased (P< 0.01) PDI from 3.3, 59.1, to 91.1%, respectively. In conclusion, increasing feed temperature from 36.2 to 87.8°C via steam addition increased condition mash moisture content by 4.2% resulting in improved pellet quality.
The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of conditioning temperature on pellet durability index (PDI) and pellet hardness. A nursery pig diet was formulated to contain 25% spray-dried whey. Treatments consisted of three different conditioning temperatures: 54, 63, and 71°C. Diets were steam conditioned (245 mm × 1397 mm Wenger twin staff pre-conditioner, Model 150) for approximately 30 sec and pelleted using a 1-ton 30-horsepower pellet mill (1012-2 HD Master Model, California Pellet Mill) with a 4.8 mm × 31.8 mm pellet die (L:D 6.7). The production rate was set at 900 kg/h. Treatments were pelleted at 3 separate time points to provide 3 replicates per treatment. Samples were collected directly after discharging from the pellet mill and cooled in an experimental counterflow cooler. Samples were analyzed for PDI using the Holmen NHP 100 for 60 sec (TekPro Ltd, Norfolk, UK). Pellet hardness was determined by evaluating the peak amount of force applied before the first signs of fracture. Although conditioning temperature was increased in a linear fashion, a quadratic increase (P < 0.002) in hot pellet temperature (HPT) was observed. The HPT were 68, 72, and 74°C for diets conditioned to 54, 63 and 71°C, respectively. Increasing conditioning temperature resulted in increased (linear, P < 0.045) PDI and pellet hardness. As conditioning temperature increased from 54, to 71°C PDI increased from 87% to 92% and the force required to crush pellets increased from 13.5 to 15.9 kg. There was a tendency for a correlation (P < 0.076, r = 0.618, r2 = 0.382) between pellet hardness and PDI. Overall, increasing the conditioning temperature increased pellet hardness and pellet durability.
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of formic acid and lignosulfonate (LignoTech USA) on pellet quality. The 5 treatments consisted of a control, or the control with 2 levels of formic acid (0.36% and 0.60%), or the control with formic acid with lignosulfonate (0.24% and 0.40%). Diets were steam conditioned (245 mm×1397 mm Wenger twin shaft pre-conditioner, Model 150) for approximately 30 sec and pelleted on a 1-ton 30-horsepower pellet mill (1012-2 HD Master Model, California Pellet Mill) with a 4.8 mm×31.8 mm pellet die (L:D 6.7). The production rate was set at 900 kg/h. Treatments were pelleted at 3 separate time points to provide 3 replicates per treatment. Samples were collected directly after discharging from the pellet mill and cooled in an experimental counterflow cooler. Samples were analyzed for pellet durability index using the Holmen NHP 100 (TekPro Ltd, Norfolk, UK) and via both standard and modified tumble box methods. Pellet hardness was determined by evaluating the peak amount of force applied before the first signs of fracture. Pellets were crushed perpendicular to their longitudinal axis using a texture analyzer (Model TA-XT2, Stable Micro Systems). Voltage and Amperage data was collected via Supco DVCV Logger (Supco, New Jersey, US). Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS 9.4, with pelleting run as the experimental unit. Increasing formic acid in the diet decreased (linear, P < 0.0001) pH. No evidence for differences were observed for pellet mill energy consumption, pellet durability regardless of testing method or pellet hardness when adding formic acid or lignosulfonate to the diet. In conclusion, pellet quality was not influenced by formic acid or lignosulfonate.
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