09/06/14: A Tide Change in Feed Manufacture?

Could a practice which began decades ago, primarily for increasing palatability in extruded pet foods, transform aquatic feed manufacture over the coming decades? Extruded aquafeed manufacture currently relies on utilisation of processed animal meals. The ability to do away with the rendering process and utilise fresh fish, terrestrial animal by-product, de-watered algae or other wet by-products directly through the extrusion process has the potential to reduce/replace requirement for rendering, lower process energy requirements, increase palatability, lower protein/nutrient damage, increase feed value, improve FCR and lower cost. Whilst fresh meat inclusion is not new to extrusion, its inclusion has previously been limited. Wenger Manufacturing have developed the “Thermal Twin” extruder, designed to maximise thermal energy inputs and allow for inclusion of high moisture content raw materials at inclusion rates in excess of 50%, in a revolutionary process which could change the way we utilise raw material sources. 

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd.