Can Milling Efficiency Aids Support Commercial Fish Feed Production?

Commercial fish feed is crucial to ensuring the health and growth of fish within aquaculture operations and maintaining high standards in its production is critically important. Studies have shown that processing aids can improve production and milling efficiency parameters in feed pelleting and extrusion processes.

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Manufacturing Commercial Fish Feed

The main ingredients in commercial fish feed are protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. These ingredients are carefully selected and mixed in precise ratios to provide the right balance of nutrition for the fish. Protein is the most important ingredient, as it is necessary for growth and development. Fish feed typically contains between 25% and 50% protein, depending on the species of fish being raised.

Commercial fish feed is typically manufactured using a process called extrusion. This process involves mixing the ingredients together and then heating them under high pressure. The mixture is then forced through a die, which shapes the feed into pellets. The pellets are then dried and cooled before being packaged and shipped to fish farms.

Benefits of Using Maxi-Mil® in Commercial Fish Feed Production

Anitox experts have spent time in the field evaluating the impact of milling efficiency aid, Maxi-Mil^®, on various commercial fish feed diets, including Tilapia, Catfish and Shrimp feeds in different mills.

These field evaluations aimed to measure extruder productivity, moisture percentage in finished feed, energy consumption during extrusion and feed quality in terms of water activity and buoyancy. Each of the participating mills followed the standard process of manufacturing extruded aqua feed and multiple production runs of each feed type were used to collect data of untreated control feeds and Maxi-Mil^® treated feeds.

Results show that Maxi-Mil^® had a significant impact on extrusion production rate of commercial fish feed and also led to energy savings and improved finished product moisture retention. More specifically, extrusion production rate increased by 10.55%, while energy savings improved by 12.51%. Finished product moisture retention increased by 1.09%, indicating that Maxi-Mil^® can improve the overall quality of commercial fish feed. Feed water activity and water stability were similar, indicating that the introduction of Maxi-Mil® did not compromise the quality of the feed.

In conclusion, the use of Maxi-Mil^® in the production of commercial fish feed has been shown to have a positive impact on milling efficiency parameters. The benefits of feed treated with Maxi-Mil^® included a significant reduction in energy consumption, an increase in extruder productivity, and an increase in moisture retention. The aquaculture industry can benefit from the use of Maxi-Mil^® to improve the production and quality of commercial fish feed.

To learn more about how Anitox can support commercial fish feed production, connect with your clean feed expert today.

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