FR2729828A1 - Prodn. of a flour-based animal food for pigs - Google Patents

Abstract

Prodn. of flour-based animal foodstuff comprises mixing flour with steam. The temperature and time of mixing are set to allow the dispersion of fines by their gelatinisation, the mixture is then dried and cooled. Also claimed is an appts. for producing the flour-based foodstuff in which the flour (2) and steam (3) are mixed (1) in a cooker. The product is then dried in a tumble drier (5) before cooling in a cooler (9).

Description

 The invention relates to a process for the production of flour-based livestock feed which will be given to the cattle, which can be mixed with water, and an installation for carrying out this process.

 A feed of this type is used in particular in pigsties to feed pigs automatically.

The food is for this purpose stored in a silo and is extracted using a small screw and weighed before introduction into the machine where the flour is mixed with water to obtain the soup which will be then given to the animals.

 These automatic feeding installations have the main problem that the food does not always descend well inside the silo because it clumps and forms an arch in it. Therefore, these facilities do not provide regular automatic and safe feeding of animals. So far, the only solution to this problem, which is proposed, is to process the food to form crumbs.

 If this process ensures obtaining a food which flows relatively well in the storage silo, it does not however make it possible to manufacture the food at a price lower than that of flour. Indeed, the lowering of the material cost by an adapted formulation, due to a treatment in presses, is compensated by the cost of granulation which is necessary before the production of the crumbs implying a steam heating around 600C .

 Consequently, the problem of the enormous material cost which represents 85 to 90% of the sale price remains unresolved.

 The object of the present invention is to propose a process for manufacturing livestock feed, which manages with simple and inexpensive means to process the flour to make it fluid and perfectly flowing and whatever its components, that is to say -to say its formulation.

 To achieve this object, the method according to the invention is characterized in that water vapor is added to the flour by kneading this assembly, at a temperature and for a predetermined period of time ensuring disappearance, thanks to their gelatinization, fine particles of flour, dries and cools the flour thus treated.

 According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the kneading of the assembly formed by the flour and the steam takes place at a temperature advantageously between 85 and 900C for a time delay of the order of one to two minutes.

 According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the aforementioned cooling of the flour is carried out at a temperature of the order of + 50C maximum relative to the ambient temperature.

 The installation for implementing the process according to the invention is characterized in that the mixing and kneading of the flour and the steam are carried out in a cooker and that the drying is carried out in a vortex dryer in which hot air is introduced and a cooler is mounted downstream of the dryer.

The invention will be better understood and other objects, characteristics, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly during the explanatory description which follows, made with reference to the single figure showing schematically and only by way of example an installation for implementing the method according to the invention
In the example shown, the installation for implementing the method according to the invention essentially comprises a cooker 1 having inlets 2 and 3 for the introduction of the flour to be treated and water vapor, a dryer vortex 5 intended to receive at 6 the flour which has been treated in the cooker 1 and at 7 hot air, as well as a cooler 9 receiving at 10 the flour which has been dried in the dryer 5. The finished product leaves cooler at 11.

 The single figure also shows that the hot air which is introduced at 7 into the dryer 5 comes from a heating battery 13 which receives air from an inclination device 14 equipped with servo-motors making it possible to vary the quantity of air to be introduced into the dryer. The cooler is also associated with an inclination device bearing the reference 15, provided with servomotors for varying the quantities of cold air introduced into the cooler.

 Regarding the operation of the installation, which has just been described and is shown and ensures the implementation of the method according to the invention, the flour is introduced in 2 into the cooker which operates in overflow and the steam is received in 3 and incorporated into the flour while gently kneading the product in order to better penetrate this vapor at the level of each particle, at a temperature advantageously between 85 and 900C for a period of time of the order of one to two minutes. The steam acts as a catalyst.

 The desired final flow rate, the residence time of the product in the cooker, essential for effective processing, and the density of the flour determine the interior volume of the cooker. It is heated by a double jacket and fully insulated to stay perfectly clean without creating any condensation. Likewise, the moving mechanical parts are produced in such a way that they can self-clean and scrape all surfaces perfectly to prevent any product from remaining in the cooker at the end of the treatment. It is essential between each batch to let the cooker heat up in order to create a thermal barrier. An inverted helmet valve, at the outlet, makes it possible to vary the flow rate, and therefore the residence time.

 In the vortex dryer where hot air is introduced in variable quantity using the tilting device 14 and a temperature adjustable using the heating coil 13, the flour which has just been treated in the cooker is dried so that a product with an acceptable humidity comes out of the cooler allowing the flour to keep well.

 The hot air introduced into the dryer allows at the start of operation to warm up part of the cooler in order to avoid any condensation phenomenon and will then mix in the dryer with the flour treated in the cooker in order to allow in winter for example when the air is cold and humid to be able to remove the water introduced in the form of vapor.

 It should be noted that hot air is also continued to be sent to the dryer during interruptions in the manufacture of the food, in order to avoid any bacterial proliferation.

 The cooler 9 is also insulated and is of a design such that no deposit can be made inside this machine. Thus the internal angles are rounded, the welds are ground and the slopes are negative. The air introduced into the cooler must be as clean as possible.

Thanks to the treatment method according to the invention, which has just been described, a product is obtained which has changed color and particle size. Indeed, the product is darker and the fine particles have disappeared, they have been gelatinized. The product which leaves at 11 from the cooler has the following considerable advantages
- excellent flowability and increased water solubility
- the formulation is released, which allows a reduction in the material cost and an improved palatability (cooking of peas, molasses ...)
- the product is perfectly healthy
- For identical performances, the energy level of the formula can be reduced, compared to the known process;
- control of shrinkage
- absence of dust.

Claims (7)

 1. A process for the production of flour-based livestock feed which will be given to the cattle by being able to be mixed with water, characterized in that water vapor is added to the flour by kneading this together, at a temperature and for a predetermined period of time ensuring the disappearance, by their gelatinization, of fine particles of flour, dries and cools the flour thus treated.  2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the kneading of the assembly formed by the flour and the steam is carried out at a temperature advantageously between 85 and 900C, for a period of time of the order of d one to two minutes.  3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the above-mentioned cooling of the flour is carried out at a temperature of + 50C maximum relative to the ambient temperature.  4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cooker is adapted to avoid any condensation inside thereof.  5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the temperature and the quantity of hot air introduced into the dryer are variable.  6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the amount of cold air introduced into the cooler is adjustable.  7. The installation for implementing the method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mixing and kneading of the flour and the steam are carried out in a cooker (1), that the drying is carried out in a vortex dryer (5) into which hot air is introduced and a cooler (9) is mounted downstream of the dryer to cool the dried flour.