Animal Feed Agglomerates Using Gelatinized Starch Binder
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing animal feed agglomerates, such as pelleting, involve high energy use and temperatures that can damage bioactive compounds and reduce nutritional value, while also requiring costly equipment and leading to issues like bridging in silos and feeders due to poor flowability.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the creation of a slurry with a high water content from a starch-containing feed fraction, followed by gelatinization and mixing with a second feed fraction, without the use of pelleting machines, to produce agglomerates with improved flowability and nutritional value, using gelatinized starch as a binder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If pelleting process is used to produce agglomerates, then agglomerate formation is achieved, but energy consumption increases and bioactive compounds are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the pelleting step from the traditional feed production process. By separating the agglomerate formation from the high-energy pelleting operation, the process achieves agglomerate production without the associated energy intensity and thermal damage to bioactive compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical pelleting system with a chemical bonding approach using gelatinized starch as a binder. This substitution eliminates the need for high-pressure mechanical compression and associated energy consumption while achieving similar agglomerate formation.
2Ease of manufacture
If pelleting process is used to produce agglomerates, then agglomerate formation is achieved, but nutritional value is reduced due to high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the thermal processing step from the pelleting process. By removing the high-temperature heating operation, the process preserves heat-sensitive nutrients and bioactive compounds while still achieving effective agglomerate formation through chemical bonding.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces thermal-mechanical pelleting with a chemical bonding method using gelatinized starch. This substitution eliminates the need for high-temperature processing that would otherwise degrade nutritional value, while maintaining agglomerate integrity.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional pelleting equipment is used, then agglomerates are produced, but device complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the complex pelleting equipment from the production system. By eliminating the need for pelleting machines, the process simplifies the equipment requirements to basic mixing and heating devices, reducing both complexity and capital costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical pelleting system with a simpler chemical bonding approach. The equipment needed is reduced to basic mixers and heaters, eliminating the need for complex high-pressure compression machinery while achieving the same agglomerate production goal.
4Device complexity
If agglomerates are produced without proper flowability treatment, then production is simplified, but bridging occurs in silos and feeders
Solution Approach 1:
The gelatinized starch binder provides self-service flowability improvement. As the starch gelatinizes and cools, it naturally forms a bonding matrix that prevents bridging and ensures proper flow, eliminating the need for separate flowability treatment equipment or processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical-chemical parameters of the feed mixture by introducing gelatinized starch. This parameter change modifies the bonding characteristics and flow properties of the agglomerates, preventing bridging while maintaining process simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process results in animal feed agglomerates with enhanced flowability and nutritional preservation, reducing the need for additives and energy-intensive processes, while maintaining industry standards for quality and reducing waste and equipment complexity.
Implementation Method 1
heating the slurry of step (c) or (d) under conditions sufficient to allow the starch to gelatinize
Implementation Method 2
adding one or more enzymes to the slurry of step (c) to at least partially degrade or hydrolyse non-starch polysaccharides contained in said milled first feed fraction
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a process for the production of animal feed agglomerates having increased nutritional values and meeting or exceeding the industry standards for flowability. Also provided are animal feed agglomerates obtainable by the process of the disclosure, including animal feed agglomerates having increased nutritional value as well as good flowability, and which are preferably devoid of disadvantageous ingredients.