Fish Nutrition and Feed Technology (2+1)

Unit 10 - Methods of feed formulation and manufacturing

10.4.Feed Manufacturing
10.4.1.Introduction
The technology of feed processing has undergone substantial improvement in recent years. It was only sixty years ago that feeds tuffs were mixed on the warehouse floor by the use of a shovel. Feed processing has progressed from the simple mixing of several ingredients by hand to mechanical mixing, to continuous mixing, and now to computer controlled mixing and pelleting. However, the basic concept of mixing ingredients together to result in a nutritionally balanced feed, has remained unchanged.

To accomplish the mixing of different ingredients, grinding these ingredients to similar particle sizes, and then putting them together in a single unit, requires a considerable amount of specialized equipment and technical expertise. Some feed plants are designed for specific functions, such as making poultry feeds exclusively; others are designed for producing a variety of feeds.