In feed pelletizing, conditioning temperature, moisture and retention time work in a coupled way to affect pellet fines rate: all three parameters within optimal ranges allow sufficient starch gelatinization and protein softening, which enhances internal pellet bonding and gives the lowest fines rate, while any of the three being too low or too high will lead to increased fines rate; to reduce fines, sufficient moisture should be guaranteed first before matching temperature and time, with higher requirements for aquafeed and high-fiber feed needing appropriate compensation of the three parameters.

This text introduces that high-quality raw materials, scientific formulas and reasonable equipment are three core elements for ensuring compound feed quality, with raw material cost accounting for 70%-85% of total feed cost, and cost control in feed production and processing has become increasingly important with the promotion of refined management. It details cost control measures for 10 key aspects: reducing power consumption by optimizing production arrangement, making full use of tiered electricity prices and keeping equipment at full load operation; controlling coal cost by settling coal payment by steam volume, checking steam pipelines and arranging continuous pelleting production; reasonably managing spare parts inventory and controlling maintenance costs by formulating reasonable inventory, assessing supplier quality and implementing preventive maintenance; accelerating the upgrading of process and equipment and promoting full automation to reduce labor and comprehensive costs; controlling raw material loss by reducing dust and moisture loss through improving unloading sheds, adjusting production links and implementing online moisture monitoring; comprehensively balancing raw material cost and processing cost, requiring formulators to consider raw material processing performance besides raw material price; strengthening training for employees and key management personnel, improving staff quality and cultivating professional production managers; implementing scientific on-site fine management through methods such as 6S and PDCA cycle to continuously reduce processing cost; and doing a good job in safety prevention and control to avoid high safety costs caused by hidden safety hazards. Finally, it concludes that cost control in feed processing is a systematic project that requires the participation of all staff, and a complete cost control system including organization, management system, assessment indicators and incentive mechanisms needs to be established to achieve continuous improvement of production efficiency, product quality and cost reduction through continuous implementation, inspection and optimization.

This document specifies the standardized operating procedures for pulverizers in feed production, covering pre-startup preparation (screen selection and installation check, inner chamber cleaning, safety interlock and component inspection, rotation direction confirmation), operating steps (no-load start-up after starting the dust collection system, feeding with current controlled at 80%-95% of the rated value, regular particle size inspection, ordered shutdown sequence), operational precautions (no-load start requirement, residual material clearing before restart, safety protection during inspection/maintenance, immediate shutdown for abnormal vibration/noise, use of qualified wear parts), post-shutdown procedures (equipment inspection, impurity cleaning, site cleaning, tool storage and shift handover), and routine maintenance (daily inspection/cleaning, bearing lubrication every six months, damaged/worn part replacement with dynamic balance check for rotor, full cleaning and screen removal for long-term idle), to standardize the operation and maintain safe, stable operation of the pulverizer.

This article introduces the working principle of cyclone dust collectors (commonly called cyclones) used for dust separation in feed mills: cyclone dust collectors use centrifugal force to separate feed dust from high-temperature and high-humidity airflow without filter media, and the working process includes four key steps: tangential air intake forming an outer vortex, centrifugal separation making dust impact the cylinder wall, gravitational settling into the bottom hopper, and inner vortex reverse flow discharging purified gas. It also systematically summarizes the common reasons for dust escape in cyclone dust collectors: rotary valve (airlock) clogging caused by condensation, damage to the internal exhaust pipe leading to airflow short circuit, improper fan airflow volume (too high or too low), poor airtightness of the rotary valve, and damage or leakage of the cyclone body wall disrupting the rotating airflow, and points out that when abnormal dust leakage occurs, the root cause should be found through inspection one by one against the above possible reasons.

Feed cost accounts for over 60% of the total cost in aquaculture, and a high feed conversion ratio is essentially caused by feed failing to be converted into the body weight of farmed animals, which may result from excessive residual feed, poor water quality, low dissolved oxygen, disease death, wild fish competing for feed, poor feed quality or overfeeding. To reduce feed waste and improve feed utilization, aquaculture farmers should adopt the methods of precise feeding following the "four fixed" principle and adjusting feeding amount according to actual conditions, setting feeding platforms to check residual feed and adjust feeding amount and estimate the actual storage amount of farmed animals regularly, selecting and storing feed properly by choosing nutritionally balanced complete feed instead of blindly pursuing high protein and storing feed correctly, regulating water quality to maintain sufficient dissolved oxygen and keep water indicators within safe ranges, preventing intestinal and liver diseases regularly, and thoroughly removing wild competitive organisms that eat feed without gaining weight. After eliminating the above influencing factors, the feed conversion ratio will gradually decrease, feed costs will be minimized, and farmers' profits will be guaranteed accordingly.

With the rapid development of the aquaculture industry driving up demand for aquafeeds, diverse protein raw materials have been developed for aquatic feed that requires higher protein content than livestock and poultry feed. Currently, the common protein raw materials mainly include fish meal, plant-based protein sources (soybean meal and soy protein, rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, peanut meal, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten) and animal by-product protein. As the high-quality traditional protein source, fish meal still cannot be fully replaced and remains irreplaceable in high-end and carnivorous fish feeds for its high-quality protein, balanced amino acids and good palatability, but it will be partially replaced by other protein sources due to resource constraints and high price. For alternative plant protein sources, processed products such as fermented/enzyme hydrolyzed soybean meal, double-low/fermented rapeseed meal, detoxified cottonseed meal all have broad application prospects, and different raw materials can be matched according to their nutritional characteristics to make up for the deficiency of amino acids and reduce anti-nutritional factors. Processed animal by-product proteins can also partially replace fish meal, but it is necessary to pay attention to amino acid balance, safety and compliance. At present, plant-based protein matching with amino acid balance, fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis technology has become the mainstream solution for aquafeed enterprises, and any protein raw material solution that can bring practical benefits to aquaculture will be recognized by farmers.

This content systematically sorts out the innovation of ruminant feed processing technology and equipment, pointing out that due to the special rumen digestive physiology of ruminants, ruminant feed processing cannot copy the technology of monogastric livestock and poultry, and its core goals include protecting the rumen, improving rumen bypass nutrition, reducing costs and reducing emissions. It analyzes the pain points of traditional processes such as unreasonable crushing, difficult pelleting and unstable rumen bypass rate, and then introduces innovations in graded precise crushing, biological/thermal pretreatment of raw materials, rumen bypass protein and fat processing technology, low-temperature pelleting, TMR pelleting and mixing processes, and corresponding core equipment innovations such as composite shear crushing equipment, low-temperature conditioners and special pelletizing machines. These new technologies can improve the utilization rate of rumen bypass nutrition, reduce the risk of rumen acidosis, reduce feed waste and production costs, and realize emission reduction. At present, the industry still has difficulties such as high production cost of high-fiber TMR pellets and large fluctuations in the quality of coated products. In the future, it will develop in the direction of green physical processing, low-temperature processing and post-spraying integration, process digitalization, customized processes and efficient utilization of by-products.

This text systematically introduces the changes of different nutrients in feed during the extrusion expansion processing, including carbohydrates (starch, fiber, hydrophilic colloids, and sugar), protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, as well as the effect on anti-nutritional factors: carbohydrates undergo specific changes like starch gelatinization, with different categories showing varied impacts on extrusion effects and feed properties; protein produces denaturation, thermal denaturation, enzyme inactivation, and decreased dispersibility, which improves protein digestibility while causing certain losses of amino acids through Maillard reaction; part of fat forms complexes with starch and protein, which reduces free fat content, slows down fat oxidation in storage without affecting digestibility; heat-sensitive vitamins suffer different degrees of loss that can be reduced by stabilisation treatments, while extrusion generally does not destroy minerals but affects their bioavailability; the biggest advantage of extrusion expansion processing is that it can effectively destroy most anti-nutritional factors in feed raw materials, such as trypsin inhibitors, free gossypol and glucosinolates, and processing parameters determine the destruction effect, with twin-screw extrusion achieving the best inactivation effect on anti-nutritional factors.

To systematically address market complaints regarding excessive pellet powder, a process analysis is essential, focusing on ten key nodes: the pellet mill observation port, pellet mill discharge port, rotary grading screen inlet, finished product bin inlet, pelleting floor screen inlet, packing port, palletizing area, loading area, customer storage area, and animal feeding end feed trough. By observing these specific points, operators can diagnose root causes ranging from upstream issues like pulverization particle size, mixing uniformity, and steam conditioning to downstream factors such as equipment wear, screening capacity, buffer settings, and handling procedures. This comprehensive inspection allows for the identification of interactions between variables—such as improper die compression, cooling inefficiencies, or physical impact during transport—enabling targeted adjustments to equipment parameters, operational workflows, and maintenance schedules to effectively reduce powder generation throughout the entire production and supply chain.