Animal nourishment remains an integral aspect of the food chain. High quality compound feed has emerged as a significant concern for ensuring food safety as well as the entire livestock, along with the aquaculture production and the supply chain.
What is Compound Feed?
Compound feed is developed based on the animals’ various growth phases, different physiological needs as well as production uses, along with the experiment and review of the nutrition value.
How is Animal Compound Feed Developed?
Development of compound feed started in the early 20th century. In the 1950s, the understanding the need for vitamins, trace elements and amino acids among domestic animals elevated, giving way to the incorporation of antibiotics as well as sulfonamides into feed as additives. This way, the development of compound feed has grown rapidly since then, with its use first becoming popular in North America and Europe, then spreading hroughout Asia and other regions. Presently, some of the commonly deployed technical processes to develop compound feed are volumetric batching, manual addition batching, multi bins multi scales batching, one bin one scale batching, and multi bin one scale batching, to name a few.
More on Compound Feed Development
Compound feed is developed in the form of pellets or blocks. In terms of feed block development, a blend of preferably tree leaves, cereal crop straws and ingredients, coupled with crushed grains, binders (such as molasses), oil cakes, and other feed ingredients, which are minerals and vitamins are chosen to certain proportions, blended thoroughly and put in the feed block forming machine.
In terms of feed pellet production, just oil cakes, crushed grains, and various feed ingredients, viz. vitamins and minerals are blended to certain proportions, combined thoroughly and then put in the feed pelleting machine.
The blending process is carried out either manually or with a mechanical feed mixer. Once blended, the entire mixture is kept for some period of time on the surface of a smooth cemented floor, for each particle of the feed ingredients sucks in the moisture and is homogenized. Afterwards, this mixture is then put in the feed pelleting machine or the feed block forming machine via a hopper.
Market Research Future (MRFR) projects the compound feed market to attain a 4.1% growth rate from 2020 to 2027 (appraisal period).
What are the Types of Compound Feed-Producing Machines?
Feed Block-Making Machines
A feed block making machine can be manually driven, is either power operated or screw press-type or piston/plunger press-type.
The benefits of using the feed block technology are:
- Easy to transport and feed to free grazing and stall-fed animals.
- Air pollution can be reduced
- Can be utilized as a carrier of numerous anthelmintic medicines and chemicals.
- These machines facilitate fractionated and synchronous supply of important nutrients for use in ruminants that are fed on low-quality roughages.
- These machines ensure less usage of traditional concentrate feeds, which means lower feeding costs.
- Efficient and simple method for conservation of agro-industrial by-products that have high-moisture.
Feed Pelleting Machines
Pellets are commonly utilized in animal feeds, and are produced by extruding the ingredients by forcing and compacting via die openings using the mechanical process of extrusion. Pellets usually have diameters under 19 mm and have lengths lesser than 25 mm. Animals are rendered healthier with the consumption of pelleted feed instead of meal ration. Tests show that majority of the animals, when made to choose from the same feed in mashed or pellet form, prefer the former.
Pellet is one of the most sought-after forms of compound feed with benefits including convenience of use, higher yield, and balanced diet.
A few advantages of pelleted feed include:
- Pellets form help prevent segregation of different ingredients in handling, feeding or mixing process, which in turn prevents waste.
- With pelleted feed, every animal is granted a well-balanced diet. As a result, pelleted feed ensures high animal performance as well as significant feed conversion in comparison to feeding in the form of diet.
- Feed pellets are far easier and more precise to control to ensure a desired feed ration for each animal or animal groups with higher nutritional needs, including the lactating females or immature stocks.
- Higher bulk density, which elevates the storage capabilities of majority of the bulk materials.
Compound Feed Market Status Quo
Escalating Demand for Meat Products and Seafood to Favor the Worldwide Market
The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in global economic downturn, which interestingly has not had much impact on the worldwide meat market. The meat sector has maintained a tremendous outlook, given the escalating demand in Asia Pacific as well as various South American countries with evolving eating habits, booming population, and urbanization. For instance, as per the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, the meat demand in China continues to go beyond the total domestic production.
Since fish are low in cholesterol, carbohydrates and fats, their demand is humungous among the health-conscious people. Fish also offer essential amino acids and vitamins. Different seafood products are enjoying vast demand with more and more consumers realizing the health advantages of their consumption. Worldwide surge in the population has pushed the demand and consumption of meat and seafood products as well. This elevates the need to use compound feed. Surging life expectancy as well as limited land and water resources’ availability for use in animal feed production raise the need for animal feed within the meat industry. Thus, the remarkable surge in the organized livestock industry worldwide could have a significant impact on the compound feed market.
Asia Pacific to Take the Lead in the Worldwide Market
Asia Pacific generates massive demand for meat protein, with India, China, Thailand, and Malaysia showing high economic growth and consequently, leading the regional market. The high consumption of meat protein among consumers in the region triggers the meat production rate, augmenting the uptake of compound feed. In addition to bolstering the nutritional value, compound feed in the region is gaining traction for its role in improving the meat quality.
Latest News
February 2022
Kerry, an ingredients company has acquired Enmex, a Mexico-based enzyme developer, and is also part of an agreement to purchase c-LEcta, a German biotechnology firm. The two major biotechnology acquisitions should help Kerry bolster its technology portfolio, production proficiency and expertise in the compound feed space.
Future of Compound Feed
MRFR foresees massive growth including digital platforms to commercialize compound feed, with livestock farmers not sticking to just one brand, but reviewing the entire platform to buy compound they need, developed by any feed mill, and at a price they are comfortable with. MRFR also projects higher digitalization of information, use of sensors to assess movements, feeding and diseases in the barn, and that information helping develop nutritional framework in real time.