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Smartamine™ can be incorporated in a wide variety of
feeds, as illustrated in the previous section. The best results
are achieved when the standard recommendations are followed.
Smartamine™'s main feature is its coating, which makes
methionine physiologically effective in ruminants. Therefore,
certain precautions should be followed during feed production
in order to maintain the coating's integrity while incorporating
Smartamine™ and manufacturing the feeds. This, in turn,
will provide your customers with a quality product that exceeds
their expectations.
Smartamine™'s coating can be damaged by excessive physical
impact, cutting, abrasion, pressure, heat (above 40°C) and
prolonged exposure to wet air or humid raw materials. In particular,
Smartamine™ does not withstand standard feed pelleting.
By developing both the feeds and the processes used for manufacturing
with these considerations in mind, you can deliver the best
feeds possible to your customers.
This guide describes the equipment and processes used in most
premix, supplement and feed plants in a step-by-step fashion.
Step by Step Do's and Don'ts
Outlined below is a guide for successfully manufacturing Smartamine™-enriched
feeds.
Incorporation
It is best to incorporate Smartamine™ as close as possible
to the mixer itself, for example, directly above the mixer,
as this will minimize any chance of damaged from machinery.
In particular, pneumatic conveyors should not be used to transfer
Smartamine™ to a mixer as its coating can be shattered
when hitting corners in a low-density, high-speed pneumatic
conveyor.
Mixing
Smartamine™ mixes quickly with most feeds due to its size,
shape and smoothness.Some abrasion of Smartamine™ can take
place during mixing. We therefore recommend keeping the time
that Smartamine™ remains in mixers to a minimum.
Tests both in Adisseo's development facilities and in customer
production plants have shown Smartamine™ to be well mixed
within 1 minute.Keeping mixing time to a minimum can be achieved,
for example, by incorporating Smartamine™ after homogeneity
of fine components (trace-elements, vitamins...) has been reached
(often 2-3 minutes or more) and then mixing for 1-1.5 minutes.
"Flow-bins"
"Flow-bins" or rotating containers, such as those
often used for premixes, have been shown to deliver high-quality
feeds with excellent Smartamine™ protection levels.
Flow-mixing
Flow-mixing is generally a non-damaging process for Smartamine™
as mechanical interaction with the beads is minimized.
Outlined below is an example of a relatively simple and inexpensive
flow-mixing installation currently used with success in a number
of plants.
This type of installation has been particularly useful for producing
mineral mixes in plants with an aggressive process (e.g. high-speed
mixers, long mixing times, blade molassors).
Paddles-mixers and plough-mixers
Paddle-mixers and plough-mixers are generally suitable for mixing
Smartamine™ with feeds (0-5% loss in protection). Best
results are obtained when Smartamine™ is introduced in
the center of the mixer.
Ribbon-mixers
While damage can occur from Smartamine™ beads getting caught
between a sharp ribbon and the sides of the mixer, surrounding
equipment such as a lengthy incorporation circuit and baggers
account for the majority of damage associated with these mixers.
Molasses Application
Incorporating molasses in feeds is not detrimental to Smartamine™.
We do, however, recommend the following:
- For best results, molasses sprayers should be located directly
in the mixer, as illustrated.
- High-speed blade molasses incorporators should not be used
due to their effect on Smartamine™ protection (see chart
below).
When using molasses sprayers in the mixer, we recommend the
following procedure:
- Mix main ingredients and molasses until homogeneity of fine
components (vitamins, trace elements ...) is reached.
- Then, add Smartamine™ and mix for required time (generally
1 minute).
Pelleting
We do not recommend pelleting feeds containing Smartamine™
as the pressure and abrasion incurred can greatly degrade Smartamine™
protection.
Transfers
Bucket elevators and chain conveyors
These do not present any significant problem in manufacturing
Smartamine™ -enriched feeds (may induce a 0 - 5 % loss
in protection) once Smartamine™ has been incorporated in
a feed batch.
Pneumatic conveyors
These should not be used, particularly for pure Smartamine™
transfers (e.g. at incorporation). Their use has been shown
to crack Smartamine™ coating due to projection against
bends in conveyor tubes.
Augers
Depending on type, length and feed composition, these can damage
Smartamine™ due to friction created within the auger or
cutting between the screw and the inner side of the auger tube.
Wherever possible:
- Use wide-diameter augers.
- Use augers with a screw diameter significantly smaller than
the inner diameter of the auger tube.
- Do not use high speeds.
Bagging
Gravity fillers and conveyor - belt baggers
These are currently used successfully in a large number of plants.
Screw fillers
These baggers can inflict damage to Smartamine™ (5-30%
loss in protection) depending on size and speed of screws, and
feed composition.
Stability during Storage and Use
When incorporated into feeds, Smartamine™ has been shown
to be stable over long periods of time. This is a great advantage
in the storage and distribution of Smartamine™ -enriched
feeds. The following examples, typical to the industry, illustrate
this benefit.
Minerals
- Mineral-mix containing 4% Smartamine™ M (fed at 300 g/cow/day)
- Manufactured using direct incorporation above mixer. Mixer
was a paddle-mixer, and molasses was sprayed directly in mixer.
Feeds
- Feed supplement was a crumble-mix containing 1.5% Smartamine™
M (fed at 1 kg/cow/day).
Silages
Overall view of a typical production line
The process diagram above provides an overall view of a typical
production line found in many feed plants. It identifies process
stages which are harmless to Smartamine™ and those which
are damaging. Please refer to the section "Do's and Don'ts"
for the standard recommendations for each stage. |
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