Dave Albin, PhD, Applied Nutrition Technologist, Insta-Pro International, USA.
Recently, Insta-Pro experimented with a new die and cutterhead apparatus in an attempt to improve the production of smaller pellets on the MS3000 Medium Shear Extruder. A typical blend of ingredients and formulation for omnivorous fish feeds was used in these experiments. The dry mix was finely ground to an average particle size of 0.5 mm. This fine mix was then preconditioned and extruded to gelatinize the starch, denature the proteins, destroy microorganisms, and produce shaped pellets. New 1.5 and 2 mm die plates were used, and following cooling and drying, 10 pellet samples from each die plate were evaluated by measuring the diameters with calipers. This data was then compared with diameters of pellets made using older versions of the 1.5 and 2 mm die plates. This article describes the results.
Download For fish feed, smaller is better - but only if quality, reliable nutrition is provided (pp 38-41 AQUAFEED: Advances in Processing & Formulation, vol VI issue IV, 2014) (PDF) from the \"read document\" link below.
for-fish-feed-smaller-is-better-but-only-if-quality-reliable-nutrition-is-provided
