GB2341307A

GB2341307A - Improved animal feed and production process

Info

Publication number: GB2341307A
Application number: GB9918818A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anson Derek I
Original assignee: ANSON BROS I
Current assignee: ANSON BROS I
Priority date: 1998-08-14
Filing date: 1999-08-11
Publication date: 2000-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2019-08-11
Also published as: GB9918818D0; GB9817615D0; GB2341307B; GB2341307A8

Abstract

An improved animal feed production process is defined wherein sugar beet pulp, molassed or otherwise, is warmed and made moist by the introduction of steam and subsequently subjected to infra-red, microwave or other radiation which "micronizes" the pulp. The micronization reduces all the complex macromolecules, starches and proteins which may be present in the sugar beet pulp in such a manner that there is no longer a need for intensive soaking of the pulp prior to issuing to animals and livestock for feeding thereof. The steaming is conducted at a temperature of below 800{C and the rapid heating from the steaming temperature to approximately 180{C for ideally 20 seconds by infra-red or other radiation surprisingly renders the feed far more manageable and digestible by animals.

Description

2341307 Improved Animal Feed and Production Process

This invention relates to an improved manufacturing method for the production of animal feed, and also to improved animal feed per se obtained by such a process. The invention has particular application to the manufacture of feed for farm animals such as ruminant livestock and horses, but should not be considered as exclusively limited to feed for such animals, even although the following description is limited to horses. Indeed the applicant has found that the feed produced by the invention is of particular benefit to pigs.

Feed for horses conventionally derives from a number of different sources, but a most popular source is sugar beet pulp which is one of the waste products from beet sugar production. Sugar beet pulp is usually fed to ruminant livestock and horses as part of a complete diet. but the inherent capacity of this material to absorb water necessitates soaking for a period of 24 hours prior to feeding of the animals to prevent excessive absorption of water within the animal, which may cause dehydration thereof. Although dehydration of ruminant animals is less likely on account of the large capacity and liquid environment of the reticulo-rumen, the soaking period is essential if the feed is to be administered to horses to prevent physical and digestive problems resulting from either the dehydration of the animal, or the swelling and expansion of the feed which occurs as it absorbs water.

Currently, if such feed is to be administered to horses then it is soaked in water for a period of 24 hours at a ratio of four parts water to one of feed. It will be thus instantly appreciated that this requirement presents a significant hindrance to animal feeding operations, especially as many other feeds do not require such a soaking procedure.

2 The sugar beet pulp discussed above may optionally contain molasses which enhances the nutrient effect of the feed, but this also increases the proclivity of the material to absorb water. Henceforth, molassed sugar beet pulp may require a soaking period significantly in excess of 24 hours before it may safely be administered to horses. Regardless of whether the product contains molasses, the fact that both the feed and water being absorbed thereby lay stagnant for a long period of time serves to attract flies which may contaminate the feed.

It should be pointed out at this stage that the problems described above associated with soaking feed are well established in the feed industry and farming and horse owning communities, especially in stables, and there is currently available no alternative to the soaking process described if sugar beet pulp is to be administered as a foodstuff. Furthermore, the horse owning community does not generally approve of administering feed to animals which has been provided with additional additives to increase digestibility.

Processes such as pre-steaming and micronization are currently effected on cereals and vegetable protein sources and are recognised methods of improving the physical and nutritional properties of such products. These processes have the effect of reducing the chain length of complex carbohydrates, oligosaccharides, proteins, starches and the like and henceforth improving the overall digestibility of ruminant and nonruminant animal feeds comprising said materials.

The existing process initially involves the steaming of the cereal or vegetable protein matter which has the effect of introducing excess water molecules into the matter. The moist matter is then allowed to pass through infra-red or microwave heating apparatus emitting radiation having a wavelength typically between 1.8-3.4 x 10-6 m 3 which has a number of desired effects. Firstly, the rapid evaporation of the moisture content of the matter causes expansion thereof and thus decreasing its cohesion. Secondly, the heating of the matter breaks down the complex starch and other carbohydrate molecules from which it is comprised rendering the matter more digestible to ruminant and non- ruminant animals. Finally, the intense heat delivered by the infra-red radiation reduces of destroys heat sensitive anti- nutritional factors which are often present within this type of matter.

Although the specification refers exclusively hereinafter to the use of infra-red heating apparatus, the use of this term is intended to cover microwave heating apparatus, and microwave heating in general, being as the relative wavelengths of the infra-red and microwave radiation do not differ substantially from one another, and also that the method of heating using such radiation is also similar.

This process has up until now never been considered for application to sugar beet pulp because the pre-steaming and micronization processes have traditionally been expensive in terms of plant and machinery to effect, and also the relative inexpensive nature of sugar beet pulp has previously dissuaded persons from conducting the abovementioned processes thereon. Within the farming and horse owning communities, sugar beet pulp has therefore become renowned as an inexpensive feed which although high in nutrients requires lengthy soaking procedures before it can be used.

It is an object of the invention to provide a relatively inexpensive method of treating sugar beet pulp to vastly reduce the soaking time required before the feed may be administered to ruminant and nonruminant animals.

4 Accordingly there is provided a method of treating sugar beet pulp comprising the steps of steaming the sugar beet pulp at a temperature lower than 80' to allow ingress of water molecules thus rendering the sugar beet pulp moist, subsequently subjecting the moist pulp to infrared radiation to effect a rapid heating of the moist pulp to substantially dry same, and finally rolling said substantially dry pulp to produce flakes.

The term "micro niz atio n" used above and hereinafter is intended to refer to the infra-red heating step, and preferably the apparatus used to carry out the method steps of the invention comprises a header bin in which the sugar beet pulp is subjected to steaming, a micronizing chamber in which the moist sugar beet pulp is subjected to infra-red radiation.

It is further preferable that the moist sugar beet pulp is allowed to fall onto a conveyor belt once said sugar beet pulp attains a predetermined temperature, said conveyor belt transfering the moist pulp into the micronizing chamber and ultimately towards rolling means to roll the substantially dry sugar beet pulp which emerges from the micronizing chamber.

It is preferable that the steaming is conducted within a temperature range of 15C and 30'C.

Preferably, the sugar beet pulp which has been rendered substantially dry by the action infra-red radiation is rolled between fluted rollers to give a corrugated effect to the resulting flakes.

Preferably the fluted rollers are calibrated to produce a flake of predetermined thickness, typically in the range 1.0-2.8mm.

Preferably the moist sugar beet pulp is subjected to infra-red radiation of required intensity for a period of 20 seconds to elevate the temperature of the moist pulp to 18WC.

Preferably the speed of the conveyor belt is such that the moist sugar beet pulp is carried as a single thickness into and through the micronizing chamber to ensure substantially uniform micronization of the moist pulp.

Further preferably the rolled sugar beet pulp is air cooled after it emerges from said rollers, and further preferably the cooled sugar beet pulp is ultimately bagged.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a material for feeding animals comprising sugar beet pulp processed according to the method steps of the invention described above.

Sugar beet pulp without molasses processed according to the invention typically requires only a 10 minute soaking time prior to administration to an animal, whereas molassed sugar beet pulp processed according to the invention requires a soaking time of approximately 2 hours. Both these times represent a significant decrease in the soaking times required for untreated sugar beet pulp, whether molassed or otherwise, and those skilled in the art will instantly recognise the advantage of such a material.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, Figure 1, which shows a schematic view of the process.

Apparatus indicated generally at 2 for carrying the process according to the invention comprises firstly a header bin 4 provided internally with steam injection means 6 and additionally with 6 temperature measurement means (not shown). The steam injection means allows steam to permeate a mass of sugar beet pulp 8 as shown by arrows 10. Once a predetermined degree of moisture ingress into the sugar beet pulp mass 8 has been achieved and said mass attains an average overall temperature, the mass 8 is allowed to fall onto a conveyor 12 supported on rollers 14 whose direction of rotation is indicated at arrow 14. Some of said rollers may impart a driving force to a belt 16 supported thereon.

The speed of travel of the belt 16 is such that there is no significant build up of moist sugar beet pulp on the belt in the region of the outlet of the header bin, and that there is a substantially uniform thickness of moist sugar beet pulp on the said belt.

A layer 18 of moist sugar beet pulp is thus transported on the belt towards a micronizing chamber providing internally with infra-red radiation means 22 which effects a rapid evaporation of the moisture content of the sugar beet pulp layer and simultaneously heats same to approx. 180C. This has the effect of expanding the sugar beet pulp, reducing and/or destroying any heat sensitive antinutritional factors, and reducing the number of complex starches and other carbohydrates within the sugar beet pulp.

It is thought that the predetermined level of steaming prescribed by the invention and the subsequent rapid heating of the moistened sugar beet pulp has the additional effect of physically disrupting the fibrous portion of the material, possibly by rapid expansion of the water molecules introduced into the sugar beet pulp by steaming.

The level of steaming is particularly important in the successful exploitation of the invention, especially as under-steaming provides insufficient moisture ingress into the sugar beet pulp such that insufficient expansion is achieved in the micronizing chamber, 7 whereas over-steaming renders the sugar beet pulp too damp, the short burst of heat supplied in the micronizing chamber being insufficient to adequately expand the water molecules. Furthermore, it may not be possible to simply increase the heating time because this can have a detrimental effect on the physical nature of the pulp material.

Any particular portion of the layer 18 is typically heating to 180'C within a period of 20 seconds within the micronizing chamber 20, whereafter the said layer is transported towards a pair of fluted rollers rotating as shown at 26. The speed of rotation of said rollers 24 is matched to the belt travel speed to avoid a build up of shortage of the dried sugar beet pulp emerging from the micronizing chamber.

The fluted rollers produce a flake 28 from the dried sugar beet pulp emerging from the micronizing chamber which is conveyed to points for storage, packaging, or bulk delivery.

It is also believed that the fluted rollers further exploit the disruption in the fibrous portion of the sugar beet pulp material effected within the micronizing chamber allowing easy ingress of water on soaking the resultant pulp material.

It is to be appreciated that modifications and improvements may be made to the invention without departing from the scope or exceeding the spirit thereof.

8

Claims

1. A method of treating sugar beet pulp comprising the steps of steaming the sugar beet pulp at a temperature lower than 80' to allow ingress of water molecules thus rendering the sugar beet pulp moist, and subsequently subjecting the moist pulp to infra-red radiation to effect a rapid heating of the moist pulp to substantially dry same.

2. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the substantially dried pulp is subsequently rolled to produce flakes.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the steaming is conducted within a temperature range of 15'C and 3TC.

4. A method according to any of claims 1-3 characterised in that the steamed sugar beet pulp is conveyed to a micronising chamber in which it is subjected to infra-red radiation.

5. A method according to claim 4 characterised in that the speed of the conveyor belt is such that the moist sugar beet pulp is carried as a single thickness into and through the micronizing chamber to ensure substantially uniform micronization of the moist pulp.

6. A method according to any of claims 2-5 characterised in that the rolled sugar beet pulp is air cooled after it emerges from said rollers.

7. A method according to claim 6 characterised in that the cooled sugar beet pulp is ultimately bagged.

8. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterised in that the moist sugar beet pulp is subjected to infra- 9 red radiation of required intensity for a period of about 20 seconds to elevate the temperature of the moist pulp to about 18TC.

9. Apparatus used to carry out the method as prescribed in any of claims 1-8 comprising a header bin in which the sugar beet pulp is subjected to steaming, sugar beet pulp transfer means, and a micronizing chamber in which the moist sugar beet pulp is subjected to infra-red radiation.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 characterised in that the transfer means comprises a conveyor belt onto which the moist sugar beet pulp is allowed to fall once said sugar beet pulp attains a predetermined temperature, said conveyor belt transfering the moist pulp into the micronizing chamber.

11. Apparatus according to either claim 9 or 10 characterised by rolling means which roll the substantially dry sugar beet pulp which emerges from the micronizing chamber.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 characterised in that the rolling means are fluted rollers to give a corrugated effect to the resulting flakes.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 characterised in that the fluted rollers are calibrated to produce a flake of predetermined thickness in the range LO-2.8mrn.

14. A material for feeding animals comprising sugar beet pulp processed according to the method steps as claimed in claims 1-8.