MAR 2022 - International Petfood magazine

March 2022

RAT FOODS The diet of the laboratory rat

- The Kahl Extruder for the production of fish feed and petfood - Are we overcooking our kibbles?

- The grinding of challenging recipes for premium petfood - Petfood plant modernisation & expansion www.internationalpetfood.com www.perendale.com

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March 2022

Erik Hempel (Norwegian edition) erikh@perendale.com Technical Editor Joe Kearns joek@perendale.com Nutrition Editor Prof Simon Davies simond@perendale.com Editorial team Andrew Wilkinson andreww@perendale.co.uk Caitlin Gittins caitling@perendale.co.uk Levana Hall levanah@perendale.co.uk International Marketing Team Darren Parris Tel: +44 7854 436407 darrenp@perendale.co.uk Latin America Marketing Team Clarissa Garza de Yta Tel: +52 669 120 0140 clarissag@perendale.com Cristina María Roldán Otero Tel: +44 1242 267700 cristinaot@perendale.co.uk Turkey, Eurasia and Middle East Marketing Team Mehmet Ugur Gürkaynak Tel: +90 537 3646457 mehmetg@perendale.com Egyptian Marketing Team Mohamed Baromh Tel: +20 100 358 3839 mohamedb@perendale.com India Marketing Team Dr T.D. Babu +91 9884114721 tdbabu@aquafeed.org

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COLUMNS 7

6 Roger Gilbert Joseph P Kearns

8 Professor Simon Davies

FEATURES 12 The diet of the laboratory rat 16 The Kahl Extruder for the production of fish feed and petfood

18 Are we overcooking our kibbles?

22 The grinding of challenging recipes for premium petfood 26 Petfood plant modernisation & expansion

THE PUBLISHER ‘combo’ offer, which includes both access to our During the past month or so I’ve attended two digital edition on publication and to a print version more feed-related events, where I continue to find mailed direct to you. that petfood and its production continues to grow And remember that by downloading our App at pace. from our MagStand site gets you a big bonus - a With our two sister publications of Milling free library of all of our back issues on your and Grain and International Aquafeed, it is clear computer desktop! to me that the technology being supplied and Roger Gilbert Publisher – International Petfood For anyone wanting to find ways to improve used in petfood production is either common to petfood production, reduce costs while managing all feed sectors, or very similar with just some quality that meets customer expectations, then this modifications that makes them suitable to a is the magazine for you. Every story or item published offers the specific sector. reader an advantage - or refreshes them on important aspects of Preparing food for our domesticated animals, whether that’s for petfood production that can save money. our food producers or for our pets, is becoming more specialised In this issue we have once again a variety of topics covered, and refined with stricter quality control requirements being with much of the content including an article that focuses on the expected. diet of lab rats, whilst our troubleshooting section examines the I must admit at this point that I was surprised at the degree of production of kibble for small mammals. interest we received at both these forementioned shows for the This month also features a whole bunch of content relating content of a magazine that focuses exclusively on the production to extrusion, including articles relating to the evolution of process, without ‘drifting’ into the retail and consumer purchases petfood by our editor Joe Kearns, the use of extruders in petfood topics associated with pets. production by Amandus Kahl and Isabella Corsato Alvarenga We are building our reputation around our own monthly asks if we are overcooking our kibbles. production schedule more rapidly now. Much of this is based a Returning to the topic of events, its namesake section in this distribution strategy that is encouraging our existing readership edition features a writeup from the recent IPPE show in Atlanta, and new readers to take up our digital edition. with the spotlight focusing on the AFIA Petfood Conference by Although print is readily available for all those who would Caitlin Gittins, who attended the event that its organisers have prefer to receive the magazine mailed in the traditional manner, described as being a success. On a more personal note, it was which is freely available through our MagStand website (https:// great to be there and see at least some semblance of normality store.magstand.com/petfood). returning.

So, with the event and exhibition world continuing to cautiously Complimentary annual subscriptions emerge from the shackles of Covid restrictions, the team here We are subscription based but we do offer complimentary at International Petfood magazine hope to see you at such an annual subscriptions, this is in support of our commitment in occasion one day very soon. going monthly, during these early months of 2022. It’s a great Happy reading! time to take up our offer of a 12 month free subscription and our

Our last edition

Did you miss our February 2022 edition? If so, then worry not, as you can still read about the stories we published in February on our App - either by downloading it from Apple Store or Google Play of from; https://magstand.com/petfood – with the latter option providing the option to see all back editions on your desktop computer. https://magstand.com/petfood What you might have previously missed:

Give the people what they want… to give to their cats

When it comes to the marketing for cat food, it’s probably fair to say that it's designed to whet the appetite of humans rather than cats.

These same pet owners are also now more aware than ever if the food that they purchase is providing the right nutritional balance for their pet.

With this in mind, it is now more important than ever for petfood producers to know exactly what they want and expect from the food that they are feeding their pets.

This article takes brief look at current cat food ingredient market trends, including plant-based diets, as well as providing tips on how to achieve the right balance and keep pace with a changing market. https://mymag.info/e/1351

The evolution of petfoods

Petfood has evolved over the years, from the pets fending for themselves, right through being feed meat and fat scraps to supplemented table scraps prepared by pet owners. Written by Joe Kearns, Editor of International Petfood magazine, this article takes a comprehensive look at the progression of the petfood industry, a journey that takes in products and machine advancements, as well as related equipment changes.

This article concludes by explaining how efficiency and consistency were not the only drivers of innovation in the petfood industry, with the competitive nature of the market also being credited with much of the technological advancements that the industry has enjoyed. https://mymag.info/e/1352

Sourcing components for petfood handling

When sourcing dry bulk handling equipment in the manufacturing of petfood and its ingredients, several key considerations must be taken into account. Sanitary modifications, interior accessibility, wear compensation, in-line maintenance and dust tight sealing capabilities are all factors that should be evaluated when purchasing these components.

This article by Austin Anderson, Vortex Global, USA, discusses all of these potential pitfalls, helping interested parties to make the right decisions when purchasing equipment for their petfood production facility. https://mymag.info/e/1353

6 | March 2022 - International Petfood

THE EDITOR I will save some details for future Small mammals, lab rat and mice feeds are mostly troubleshooting topics but all of this goes together made by extrusion cooking. It is a market segment in density control, product cell structure, mouth which is quite specialised and one that greatly assists feel, energy usage and many other factors of in laboratory research in all kinds of situations petfood or for that matter any extruded product. around the world, including (but not limited to) nutrition, while it is also important for modelling research in psychology and biomedical science.

Moving forward exponentially Joseph P Kearns Space research resulted in preparation of a special In this edition you will also find an article by Editor, International Petfood Magazine feed in conjunction with Kansas State University, Dr Isabella Corsato Alvarenga. She received her where a rectangular bar was produced of heavy PhD from the Department of Grain Science and density. The bar was strong enough that it was actually milled to a Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA. specific size to fit in a continuous feeding machine for lab rats in The review covers her thesis which deals with starch and their space – you can’t have pellets floating around the cabin! modification as it relates to petfood.

This kind of stuff is what makes extrusion so much fun, ideas As you will see Dr Isabella’s review of her work touches on some get thrown at you and the process begins on how to achieve the of these topics in relation to the cook needed for the animal’s wellgoal. Don’t lose sight of the four rules. Formula, machinery set being. Extrusion is definitely moving forward exponentially. up, running conditions and final product specs. Usually, the final The topic of vacuum coating is one that is making itself a product specs are the first in the development. position in petfood production. The standard atmospheric coating system, works great for the intended use, apply liquids post drying and cooling at about a 10% level.

Just like rubbing your hands together As a note, my interpretation of adding 10% is achieving 10% Production of these feeds is much like any extrusion process, on the final product, thus you are really adding 11.11% (100/.90). although generally these feeds are of much smaller size, similar Advancements have been made in atmospheric coating to yield to aquatic feeds. The extrusion process is quite versatile and can an extremely even coating to all pellets, future possible topic for easily make many animal feeds. review.

In the troubleshooting section this month we discuss dies Vacuum coating of feeds started as a result of aquatic feed and the relationship between the dies and the different types of producers wishing to elevate fish oil levels in salmon and trout extrusion processes on an imparted shear basis. Shear is the force feeds. It was seen that the growth rate greatly increased as the oil seen in the extruder where the movement of the feed against in the feeds increased. itself, the screws and the barrel wall create heat, just like rubbing It was not so simple back in the early 1980s when this started. I your hands together. am sure Wenger, Buhler, Andritz, Extru-Tech and Clextral all had The rate of shear or shear rate can vary in different extrusion similar experiences, getting the cell structure right for vacuum conditions. A short extruder barrel turning at high speeds with die coating. These were the ‘BIG 5’ supplying extrusion equipment restriction gives a faster shear rate then a slower rotating longer during this time and we look forward to having articles about barrel extruder with more die open area. each of these in future issues.

Low shear extrusion is when the material moves slowly from Vacuum coating allows for the air to be removed from the slow speed of the screws and generally smooth barrel walls. Most kibble or pellets. and then when coated and the vacuum released, feeds are made with the middle of the road shear rates and forces the oil is infused deep into the kibble. Which was easy enough or medium shear extrusion. until it was determined that the oil leached out of the pellets and poured out of the bags with the pellets.

Specific mechanical energy Specific Mechanical Energy was the overall solution with some Developments in the extrusion industry have moved the topic select running condition changes in order to create a smaller of specific mechanical energy (SME) input as well as specific cell structure which held the oil in the pellets, mentioned in this thermal energy (STE) inputs forward as indicators of control on month’s troubleshooting section. When you desire about 20% oil/ the process. The use of each in different levels allow for quite a fat levels and above you will get interested in vacuum coating as range of product operational characteristics. A highly expanded the process works and works well. light density product is going to need SME much more than STE. The opposite or low shear cooking utilises more STE than SME, whilst medium shear utilises both to a great extent, which has An extrusion geek allowed the modern-day high-capacity extrusion cookers to make Baked treats are a subject and of interest. To be honest, as an many multiple tonnes per hour. extrusion geek, we tried everything to make treats look like Computer controls and measuring devices allow for these they were baked when the product shape dictated, they should parameters to be visually seen on the screen while running. be baked from the market perspective. It was effective and Getting an indication of SME and STE inputs allow for a greater successful when the die was right, including back up die plates as degree of quality control on products made day in and day out. the hole, generally one so large.

Extruders do wear down and thus conditions change. As the The large bone hole had to be in the middle of the die with an screws wear, the distance between the screw and barrel wall get offset die stub for even flow and correct cutting. Advancements larger, changing the shear rate and product final characteristics. using an extruder for this application improved when a vacuum Typically, adjustments can be made to achieve a predetermined system was mounted on a vent in the extruder barrel as that then level of energy input, thus ensuring the same product is made rounded the edges off much like real baked treats. over time or every time you extrude that product.

All the best and see you next month!

International Petfood - March 2022 | 7

PETFOOD NEWS

Professor Simon Davies Nutrition Editor, International Petfood

Don’t be a fat cat!

Overindulgence is not just a human problem!

Our feline friends comprise a diversity of breeds and are the most popular of companion animals. Although they tend to get more exercise than dogs, there is the increasing tendency to see obesity becoming common as they are sometimes on the receiving end of rather generous owners and get extra treats or often over fed at home.

Cat food is one of the most highly developed technologies with an array of products ranging from dry extruded feeds to wet canned food and moist food pouches containing such animal by-products as chicken, rabbit, fish, and lamb and various cereals.

There are numerous combinations but based on controlled levels of protein, fat and metabolisable energy to meet demands for growth in developing kittens, adult and older cats and basic maintenance requirements for all stages of life.

Certainly, getting this energy balance correct can be quite challenging as one size does not fit all. Energy nutrients contribute to metabolism and fuel this process in all animals. Protein, fats/oils (lipids) and carbohydrates are catabolized to release energy in the form of ATP in cells, tissues and organs for maintenance, growth, and repair.

Any surplus energy to requirement is stored in the body of the animal and accumulates as fat especially around visceral organs and the liver, kidneys, and heart (cardiovascular system). These can have very damaging effects and in older cats’ lead to acceleration of organ damage, ageing and many other side effects.

This is the reason why pet food manufacturers spend much research in evaluating their diet formulations and making recommendations on feeding strategies and effective labelling of nutrient specifications.

Sadly, obesity is an issue in cats and something we see frequently, as overindulgence is not just a human problem. The cat owner must have ultimate responsibility for managing their companion’s diet and health and avoid over feeding.

Overweight cats are classed as being 10 percent over their ideal weight for their breeds and obese when they attain around 20 percent over their ideal weight. Cats below the age of two normally do not tend to gain weight but from two to ten years old will utilize less energy and there will be a higher risk of becoming overweight. As they get much older, geriatric cats (over twelve years) will start to lose weight due to a lowered metabolism and a reduced efficiency to digest and assimilate food.

Stress is also a contributory factor for inducing caloric gain in cats. It is important to avoid stress within their overall lifestyle. Exercise is important for maintaining a healthy weight balance in the domestic cat. Indoor cats often get much less exercise and so may trend towards obesity.

Boredom for the indoor kept cat may also lead to higher meal consumption patterns, so the owner must ensure that a discrete meal size and nutrient density is provided and combined with regular access to the outdoors where feasible.

There is scope for including more digestible cereal-based carbohydrates in the diet and weight for weight carbohydrates contain less than 50 percent of the calories of fats and oils. We should be careful to avoid high levels of fibre, but some fibre is needed for stool formation.

Too much indigestible carbohydrates may lead to inferior nutrient absorption and an elevation of stool frequency, with consequent digestive disorders and potential dehydration. The advantages of selected grain-based carbohydrates are their ability to mitigate high blood sugar levels and improve insulin response. This in turn can also help with maintaining a proper weight target in cats.

Pet nutrition has come a long way, but too much of a good thing is bad, however, science and common sense can prevail together for the health and wellbeing of our feline companion animals.

8 | March 2022 - International Petfood

Kormotech creates an initiative to ‘Save Pets of Ukraine’ “Our four-legged friends are like children.

They also need to be saved from the war” – those are the words of Kormotech, a petfood manufacturer that has three plants across two countries including Ukraine, where the scale of the catastrophe is enormous.

Civilian casualties, refugees, destruction of homes and infrastructure, blockages of supply chains for basic food and water, with owners and their pets becoming completely cut off. A lot of pets remain abandoned in the streets, and shelters are on the verge of collapse.

According to the operational headquarters of Kormotech, production and shipment in Ukraine were suspended on the morning of February 24, 2022 following the start of hostilities.

Since then, the company has coordinated all of its efforts to save pets and has created the initiative ‘Save Pets of Ukraine’. This stratefy sees Kormotech identify and help to ease the problems of pet owners, zoo volunteers and shelters and help them meet their needs. At the moment the company is helping with its own facilities and stock, but very soon it will need financial and physical assistance from abroad.

What Kormotech are doing:

1. Identify the problems of animal owners, zoo volunteers and shelters 2. Help them by solving their problems physically and informationally 3. Involve the external funding to cooperate with partners 4. Support and cover informationally the scale of the catastrophe to increase the pressure on the players of the Russian petcare to stop the war 5. Lobbying for amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Humanitarian Aid" in terms of granting the status of humanitarian aid to include pet products.

If you are ready to support the company informationally, or help financially, please fill the form found at: https://forms.gle/ Wb5JpszoMofn6eBn8

PETFOOD NEWS

UK: Warning as dog food recalled due to bacteria which can cause illness in humans

Krilling me softly: Is it safe for cats and dogs?

Krill is a rich source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids which are under development in the early 21st century as human food, dietary supplements as oil capsules, livestock food, and more recently, pet food.

In addition to its nutrient content, another key health benefit of krill is that it is low down on the food chain and eats algae as its food source, so krill is virtually free of pollutants and heavy metals.

Thanks to millions of years of evolution, krill’s bio-active components and molecules have sustained nature’s diverse species in, and out, of the ocean.

Because krill is a superior source of omega-3s, krill might be the answer to the growing awareness of, and demand for marine omega-3s for both pets and humans.

Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA can be consumed in either the triglyceride form, typically found in traditional omega-3 sources, or in the phospholipid form delivered by krill.

Phospholipid-bound omega-3s are more efficiently incorporated into the body’s cells, tissues, and organs.

Another distinguishing benefit: omega-3 phospholipids are water soluble, making them gentle on pets’ stomachs and readily absorbed by their body.

Even if there was no ongoing debate about the benefits and healthiness of marine foods, the question remains: is it safe for a dog or cat to eat fish, shrimp, or any other type of seafood?

As a species cats are renowned for their appetite for fish, with moist cats also finding shellfish to be especially palatable. There is also the added bonus that it has every essential nutrient that your little feline needs.

Regarding dogs, the short answer is that they can eat some types of seafood, but it all depends on the species, and the method of preparation. Somewhat unsurprisingly, dogs do best with fish such as sardines, pilchards and herring.

Whereas clams, shellfish, shrimps and other aquatic critters usually come with a set of warnings before serving.

Dog owners in the UK are being urged to check their dog food batch numbers because several have been recalled due to salmonella, which is relatively harmless in dogs but can be life-threatening to humans.

Dog owners are being warned after several batches of dog food manufactured by Dogs Choice UK have been recalled due to salmonella which can pose a serious threat to humans.

Any concerned pet owners have been instructed to check their dog food batch numbers and return contaminated food to the shop they bought it from, where they will be provided with a full refund.

Salmonellosis, the bacterial disease that salmonella causes, is relatively harmless in dogs but it could cause life-threatening illnesses in humans if passed on. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include vomiting, fever, stomach pains, cramps and diarrhoea.

"Dogs Choice UK is recalling a number of frozen raw dog foods because Salmonella has been found in the products," reads an alert from The UK Food Standards Agency.

"The product could therefore carry a potential risk, because of the presence of Salmonella, either through direct handling of the pet food, or indirectly, for example from pet feeding bowls, utensils or contact with the faeces of animals.

"Point of sale notices will be displayed in the retail stores that sold these products. The notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product"

The products affected by the recall include:

• Frozen Chicken and Beef - Pack size: 500 g - Batch code: 080222+2 - Best-before date: 8 August 2022 • Frozen Chicken and Beef Ready Meal - Pack size: 500 g - Batch code: 080222+2 - Best-before date: 8 August 2022 • Frozen Chicken Liver - Pack size: 500 g - Batch code: 080222+2 - Best-before date: 8 August 2022 Advice from the UK FSA: "When handling and serving raw pet food it is always advised to clean utensils and feeding bowls thoroughly after use. Consumers should wash hands thoroughly after handling raw pet food, bowls, utensils or after contact with the faeces of animals."

International Petfood - March 2022 | 9

PETFOOD NEWS

New facility seeks to meet growing demand for fishmeal ingredients Scoular, a large-scale grain ingredient supplier for a number of industries including human food, petfood and animal feed, has opened a new fishmeal facility based in Myanmar. The facility will be operating to provide high-quality, consistent product to be shipped to Asian feed markets.

This comes after the release of Scoular’s product, Encompass, to meet the demands of its growing fishmeal business, utilising a range of marine meals. Other products in Scoular’s portfolio to serve the petfood industry include Emerge, as an environmentally friendly and palatable ingredient.

At the time of Encompass’ launch, Scoular said in a press release, “Growth in the aquaculture and petfood industries has increased the demand for fishmeal, which delivers highly digestible protein and valuable omega-3s.”

“We are excited to expand Scoular’s world-class fishmeal operations with an additional investment in Asia. The facility further expands Scoular’s supply of fishmeal and our ability to produce and deliver high-quality ingredients to our customer around the region,” explains Adrian Gasparian, Managing Director for Asia-Pacific.

As a key part in Scoular’s growing presence in Asia, the facility joins an expanded regional headquarters in Singapore, soybean cleaning and distribution operations in Indonesia, and feedstuffs and grain distribution operations in Indonesia and Myanmar, making the company one of the largest distributors of feedstuffs in both of these countries.

The facility is key to Scoular’s expansion into the Asian-Pacific region.

Symrise’s completes acquisition of Wing Pet Food

to around EU€25 million/US$33.2 million, with the close of the transaction expected to take place in Q2 of 2022. With a strong operational network across China and Asian markets, the company is well known for its customer intimacy and proven sales platform.

Symrise will be strengthening its capabilities with access to the manufacturer’s R&D centre in Shanghai and two production sites in Jiangxi and Jiangsu.“The acquisition of Wing Pet Food is an excellent opportunity for Symrise to further strengthen its leading position in petfood and expand its footprint in the APAC region,” explains Dr Jean-Yves Parisot, the President of Flavour and Nutrition at Symrise.

“Our customers will particularly benefit from an enhanced value proposition in Taste, Nutrition and Health.”

“I am very enthusiastic about this transaction,” says Yin Jun, the CEO of Wing Pet Food. “After 15 years of establishing a solid position in the Chinese market we will now take the next step in expanding our business.”

Symrise will be acquiring 100 percent of Wing Pet Food and in 2020 reported sales of EU€3.5 billion/US$3.8 billion.

Global suppliers of ingredients for food, nutrition and flavours Symrise, has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Wing Pet Food, a manufacturer of petfood palatability.

This will give Symrise the opportunity to “further strengthen its market position in the areas of petfood palatability,” it explained in a press release dated from today.

Wing Pet Food’s portfolio will also provide Symrise with access to the Asia Pacific region, a fast growing region for petfood.

Located in Shanghai Wing Pet Food’s sales in 2020 came

10 | March 2022 - International Petfood

F

THE DIET OF THE LABORATORY RAT

T

A look at the lifestyle & nutrition of the Norway rat Rattus norvegicus - and why they might ‘have never had it so good’

by Andrew Wilkinson, International Petfood magazine

he plethora of studies investigating rat ecology and laboratory rat welfare have taught us much about how rats should be cared for in captivity, highlighting the importance of opportunities for digging and nesting, the importance of conspecific companionship and the importance of complex and enriching environments.

Previous research has also demonstrated that exposure to predator species is stressful to rats and that, as a prey species, opportunities to hide and shelter are of great importance to rats.

This evidence has informed the current guidelines on pet rat care provided by the PDSA, RSPCA and CDC, which are easily available as online resources.

In 2020 there were an estimated 10,000 rats being kept as pets in the UK, with the number in the US also steadily increasing.

The fear is that the needs and stressors of rats are filtering through to the owners, meaning that many of these pets may not be receiving appropriate levels of care.

Moreover, pet rats do not require vaccinations or microchipping and so may not be seen by veterinary professionals, meaning an opportunity for owners to receive this guidance about rat care is regularly missed, presenting an obvious welfare concern.

This situation places the often much maligned laboratory rat in what some might describe as an advantageous situation, in some respects at least anyway. This is because the facilities that house

them often appoint a team of animal technicians, veterinarians, environment engineers and feed suppliers, who are all tasked with providing all of their normal daily requirements.

According to US based company Speciality Feeds, these specially trained and appointed individuals “take this responsibility seriously, balancing the nutritional requirements of the animals whilst still providing a stable work platform for the experimental scientists.”

The chosen breed of laboratory rat is the domesticated Norway rat, or Rattus norvegicus, which has long been favoured for nutritional research because of its consistent size, frequent and plentiful reproduction cycle, adaptability to different diets and docile nature.

These factors make it the species of choice for many experimental objectives, as well as the large body of available data and the development of strains with specific characteristics that facilitate the study of disease and other processes.

The albinos of the Norway rat are not indigenous to Europe and were first domesticated in the region in the early 19th century, with them coming into service as experimental animals shortly thereafter.

The Norway rat is believed to have originated in Asia and to have taken advantage of human movement in expanding its range worldwide, making it one of the most widespread and abundant of the more than 70 species of the genus Rattus (family Muridae).

In the wild, they exhibit both territorial and colonial behaviour and typically occupy underground burrows, with females

12 | March 2022 - International Petfood

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producing one to twelve litters per year, and those in a colony nurture their young collectively.

In terms of nutritional requirements, the Norway rat is omnivorous, eating a wide variety of seeds, grains, and other plant matter as well as invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Other than the fact that it lacks a gallbladder, the rat's digestive tract resembles that of other omnivorous rodents in that the stomach contains both non glandular and glandular regions, the small intestine is of moderate length, and the cecum is relatively well developed.

Estimation of nutrient requirements

Although the nutrient requirements of the laboratory rat are better known than those of other laboratory animals, there can be considerable disparity in estimated requirements as a consequence of the criteria used, as discussed in a Journal article published by National Research Council (NRC) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ books/NBK231925/ According to the entry, titled ‘Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals: Fourth Revised Edition’ the amounts of nutrients required to sustain maximum growth of young rats may be different from the amounts needed to maintain tissue concentrations or to maximise functional measures such as enzyme activities.

Moreover, nutrient requirements do not stay the same and like humans, they too are prone to fluctuations during the various developmental stages, during reproductive activity and with the onset of age. There is also evidence of differences in requirements between males and females as well as among various inbred and outbred strains.

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PETFOOD NEWS The maintenance energy requirement can be generally defined as that portion of the total energy requirement that is separate from the needs for growth, pregnancy, and lactation. Animals that are fed at the stage labelled as ‘maintenance’ are in something of an energy equilibrium - they are merely maintaining their bodily functions, and very little else.

Advantages and disadvantages of the methods by which the maintenance energy requirement is typically estimated, whilst the maintenance energy requirement is usually expressed as energy required per unit of body weight in kilograms to the 0.75 power (BWkg0.75).

Experiments with sheep indicate that changes in organ mass associated with the amount of intake and sequence of feeding may be largely responsible for altered heat production.

Therefore, an accurate prediction of the maintenance energy requirement of the rat requires consideration of the amount of intake, previous nutritional history, physiological state, and other factors including the composition of the body.

Nonetheless, data suggest that maintenance energy requirements of the rat will be met in most cases by consumption of 112 kcal/BW kg0.75/day (470 kJ/BWkg0.75/day).

As in all animal related production cycles, feed formulation for laboratory rats is a central operation in the production of their feed, ensuring that feed ingredients are economically used for optimum growth of rats. It is therefore essential that formulation is accurate in order to ensure that the effectiveness and quality of the feed is not adversely affected.

For the animal production scientists, the manipulation of animal diet ingredients is the most effective way of regulating not only the animal growth rate, but their reproduction and survival rates too.

The standard diet of a lab rat

Now it would be fairly crass to make the assumption that any animals are ‘standard’ – that a ‘one size fits all’ recipe can be formulated that gives a 100 percent guarantee of growth performance and behavioural characteristics. However different animal groups do have some specific nutritional requirements that must be met.

Rats should not be fed food designed for rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters or any other herbivores. This is because the feed for these animals is often formulated specifically for them and won’t meet the nutritional protein needs of rats.

Rats need essential amino acids/fatty acids/vitamins/minerals from their diet - they cannot produce these themselves Therefore, laboratory rat feed typically consists of a fixed formulation diet designed specifically for laboratory rats, which has also fortified with vitamins and minerals to meet the requirements of breeding animals, either meeting or exceeding the nutritional parameters set out in NRC guidelines.

These diets are also typically designed to be used as a general ration for breeding and early growth in all rat and mouse strains. The total fat content has been deliberately kept low at around five percent, to maximise the long term breeding performance of most strains.

There is some indication that growth performance in a minority of strains can be improved by increasing dietary energy (fat content). The formulation is designed to be fed ad-lib to rodents of all ages.

The feed is manufactured in a cylindrical form with a diameter of around 12mm, length is variable from 10 to 30mm, which is ideal for overhead hopper feeding, maximising the ease of handling whilst minimising the formation of fines and reducing the risk of bridging in the feed hopper.

When pellet strength is deliberately

kept lower than conventional pelletised diets, this leads to a slight increase in transit and storage damage to the diet (fines generation).

In some cases, the diet is packed in permeable bags suitable for direct loading into an autoclave, followed by a post autoclaving vacuum drying cycle.

Some clumping of the diet can be expected, but the diet clumps can usually be easily broken, although modifying the drying time to leave some residual moisture in the diet can minimise the clumping.

Producing research diets

If you are interested in switching your production facility to the production of laboratory feed, then taking a look at how UK based company Special Diets Services (SDS) could be your first step.

As the largest supplier of Laboratory Animal diets in Europe, SDS is also the only dedicated manufacturer of laboratory feed in the UK. For more than a quarter of a century the company has been manufacturing precisely formulated and controlled diets, setting the standard in accurate feeding for laboratory species, ensuring that the only variables in trials are planned.

Special Diets Services is the largest supplier of laboratory animal diets in Europe and the only dedicated manufacturer in the UK. SDS has an international reputation for the quality of its diets and manufacturing and storage facilities.

As research diets are its core business, the comoany has the formulations, packaging and flexibility to suit all requirements, whilst its technical team consists entirely of experts in the field of animal nutrition research.

Only the highest grade raw materials are accepted at the company’s manufacturing facility, with stringent quality tests carried out even before unloading to maintain our superior standards.

Quality control takes place at every stage of manufacture, assuring customers that variability is kept to an absolute minimum across the entire range of diets. The company’s efficient, computer controlled production plant is ‘drug free’, completely eliminating the risk of contamination by medication such as growth promoters and antibiotics.

14 | March 2022 - International Petfood

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The Kahl Extruder for the production of fish feed and petfood

by Amandus Kahl GmbH, Germany

The extruder OEE 25 NG from Amandus Kahl GmbH & Co KG has set about capturing the market for the production of petfood and fish feed of the highest quality.

The German machine manufacturer has been manufacturing a new extruder for the production of fish feed and petfood since 2019. The extruder OEE 25 NG (New Generation) was introduced onto the market with a screw diameter of 250mm and a resulting capacity of up to 10t/h.

In 2020 the series was expanded with the addition of two extruders with screw diameters of 200mm and 150mm for smaller production volumes.

New equipment & technology

After more than 20 years of experience with extrusion machines, customers now receive a completely new extruder to meet the growing demands in the production of fish feed and petfood. During the design phase, the focus was on producing a user-friendly machine with new performance standards.

A double-jointed connection enables a fast tool and knife change.

The design was also a focal point - the extruder OEE 25 NG is manufactured with a frame-mounted touch screen to control all relevant operating data, settings and options even during operation.

The machine also features the proven Kahl stop bolt technology for successful mixing and venting in the first cylinder section.

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of setting options for processing feed. Exchangeable screw elements ensure perfect adaptation to different recipes and quality parameters.

These features of this extruder are complemented by very effective fine-control measures, such as screw speed adjustment, steam/water addition to the extruder barrel and individually controllable heating/cooling jackets - all adjustable during operation for direct product quality response.

During the design process of the extruder OEE 25 NG, our engineers focused on developing a user-friendly machine. This is ensured by a double-joint connection, which enables fast tool and knife changes.

The frame-mounted touch panel complements the user-friendly design and provides access to all relevant operating data, settings and options during commissioning and operation of the extruder in the compound feed sector.

A comparison of the screw diameters of both Kahl extruders clearly shows an increase in throughput: Thus, a capacity range of 10t/h is achieved in large industrial applications.

Advantages & options

Special process zones for compaction, cooking and kneading ensure high flexibility and a wide range of adjustment options.

The Kahl extruder can also be ideally adapted to changing formulae.

Fine control measures, such as the possibility of adjusting the screw speed, adding steam or water to the extruder barrel or individually adjustable heating and cooling jackets have also been taken into account in the design.

This extruder features Amandus Kahl’s own stop bolt technology for ideal mixing and venting in the first cylinder section. Special process sections for compaction, cooking and kneading provide a high degree of flexibility and a wide range

The already mentioned fast knife and die change provides high efficiency. Furthermore, the possibility to change the distance between knife and die during operation allows a flexible definition of the desired extrudate size.

Amandus Kahl produces the requested machine as a single unit or turnkey extrusion line. In both cases, no expensive additional equipment is required to influence the expansion behaviour. This saves not only investment costs, but also operating costs.

The company also defines the specific project together with the customer and finds the most suitable solution for a successful production. Apart from the actual extrusion, turnkey extrusion lines include all process steps such as grinding and mixing of the components. Steam conditioning, drying, coating, cooling and packaging are also performed by machines from the company.

Quality made in Germany

Founded in 1876, Amandus Kahl has been successfully manufacturing machines and plants for conditioning and pelleting of various raw components and product mixtures for more than 140 years. Ever since the company was founded, the pelleting press has been at the centre of production.

Thanks to its flat die, it has established itself as a unique selling point on the commercial market in countless industrial sectors.

The high quality is also reflected in every other machine and plant ‘Made in Germany’.

In addition to pan grinder mills for energy-efficient wood crushing, cooling and drying plants or expanders in various designs, the company’s customers can obtain extruders for various industrial sectors such as the food or animal feed sector for different production capacities.

Applications and Advantages:

• Exact proportioning of solid matters, liquids, steam, and water • Double-walled tubular case for cooling and heating • Belt drier in stainless steel design with variable layer height and retention time, resulting in gentle drying and low mechanical stress on the shaped pellets • Coating system for spraying on fat, flavourings or other liquids • Belt cooler with variable layer height and retention time.

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Are we overcooking our kibbles?

An approach to retaining resistant starches in dog nutrition

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by Isabella Corsato Alvarenga, DVM PhD

xtrusion is still the most common process to produce petfoods worldwide.

Some important benefits include that it is a continuous and efficient process, it provides commercial sterilisation of the food, it cooks, it binds and it unifies all ingredients in a kibble, providing complete nutrition in every bite.

Extrusion is a pressure-cooking process that involves both thermal and mechanical energy addition to the dough. Thermal energy comes from the water and steam added to the pre-conditioner and extruder barrel, while mechanical energy is transferred from the friction of screw components present inside the extruder barrel.

Starches like cereals, tubers and legumes, usually included at 30 to 60 percent in the formula, are lower cost ingredients that provide functionality to the process. With increased temperature and moisture, starches undergo a process called gelatinisation, which is the hydration of starch granules with simultaneous

unfolding of the tightly packed crystals. This promotes dough elasticity, uniformity, binding, and ultimately expansion upon exiting the die to atmospheric pressure.

For a long time, it has been thought that a kibble with highly cooked starch was synonymous with quality petfood. While fully cooked starches are desirable to the process, would it be the same for the dog nutritionally?

The simple answer is no. Unfolded glucose chains in fully gelatinised starches become highly available for enzymatic hydrolysis at the small intestine (SI). Hence, by fully cooking the starches, they become highly digestible. Highly digestible starches cause a quick absorption of glucose at the SI level, with subsequent release of insulin by the pancreas.

Excess sugars are converted to adipose tissue. If consumption of excess highly available carbohydrates is repeated for a long period of time, it may lead to metabolic conditions like obesity or diabetes. Thus, glucose should ideally be absorbed slowly, or not absorbed at all.

If glucose chains are in the packed crystal form, or raw, these

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Figure 1: Graphical representation showing process parameters necessary to partially cook the kibble starch (upper right corner), and to fully cook the starch (lower right corner).

Figure 2: Slowly digested starch, resistant starch, and starch cook of dog foods produced at high, medium and low shear (HS, MS and LS, respectively).

Figure 3: Fecal butyrate measured in dogs fed the high, medium and low shear (HS, MS and LS, respectively) for 28 days each.

Figure 1

can be resistant to enzymatic digestion. Resistant starches (RS) comprise a portion of the starch that bypasses SI digestion and absorption. These reach the colon where microbial fermentation takes place, producing postbiotics that are beneficial for the host.

At the Pet Food Processing Laboratory at Kansas State University, we conducted a research project where we modified extrusion process settings to reduce starch cook and therefore yield some RS in the final kibble. This was accomplished by three mechanisms (Figure 1): 1. Increasing starch particle size. By grinding corn at a coarse particle size, we reduce the area to volume in the particles. This delays water and heat penetration that are essential for cooking.

2. Decreasing screw shaft speed. The screw rotation and friction generate mechanical energy and disrupt starch granules, increasing their ability to absorb water and gelatinise. Thus, by lowering the mechanical energy, we delay starch cook.

3. Increasing the extruder in-barrel moisture. Water in excess decreases process temperature and dissipates the energy that

Figure 2

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would be otherwise used to gelatinise the starch.

In this research project, dog foods with the same recipe containing corn as the sole starch ingredient ground coarsely were produced at low (LS, high RS), medium (MS, medium RS) and high shear (HS, low RS) by modifying the extruder screw shaft speed (Corsato Alvarenga, Keller, et al, 2021). The LS and MS foods were also cooked with greater in-barrel moisture when compared to HS. Final LS kibbles were not much different in density, expansion and aesthetics when compared to HS (Figure 1), but the LS food presented a lower starch cook (Mason M., Gleason B, 1982) and greater slowly digested and resistant starch (K-DSTRS kit, Megazyme Inc.) when compared to the other treatments (Figure 2).

A powerful design

In the next phase, the three diets were fed to 24 Beagle dogs in a 3x3 Latin square design, for 28-day periods (Corsato Alvarenga, Jackson, et al, 2021) medium and low shear (HS, MS and LS. This is a powerful design because all dogs are fed all treatments at different periods and therefore serve as their own control.

Fresh fecal samples were collected at the end of each period, properly processed and frozen until analyses. The differences we found in the dog response were indicative of an improvement in the gut health.

There was no difference in fecal quality among dogs fed the three diets. In the past, it has been thought that undercooked starches would cause soft stools or flatulence due to overfermentation in the colon, but this was not observed.

Fecal metabolomics revealed the presence of oligosaccharides from starch in the feces of dogs fed the MS and LS foods, which indicates that some undigested starch reached the colon. There

was also a shift towards saccharolytic (sugar fermenting) bacteria in these dogs.

This ultimately led to an increase in butyrate production (Figure 3). Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that is used as direct energy substrate for colonocytes. It also has an important role in suppressing colonic cancer and regulating immunological homeostasis (Lee and Hase, 2014).

In conclusion, the production of kibbles with low extruder screw shaft speed and high in-barrel moisture did not significantly affect kibble expansion and density, while yielding enough resistant starches to promote gut health in dogs.

Future studies should focus on palatability and additional benefits from cooking petfoods with less thermomechanical energy.

References

Corsato Alvarenga, I, Jackson, M. I., et al. (2021) ‘A low to medium-shear extruded kibble with greater resistant starch increased fecal oligosaccharides, butyric acid, and other saccharolytic fermentation by-products in dogs’, Microorganisms, 9(11). doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9112293.

Corsato Alvarenga, I, Keller, L. C., et al. (2021) ‘Extrusion processing modifications of a dog kibble at large scale alter levels of starch available to animal enzymatic digestion’, Foods, in press.

Lee, W. J. and Hase, K. (2014) ‘Gut microbiota-generated metabolites in animal health and disease’, Nature Chemical Biology. Nature Publishing Group, 10(6), pp. 416–424. doi: 10.1038/nchembio.1535.

Mason M., Gleason B., R. G. (1982) ‘A New Method for Determining Degree of Cook’, American Association of Cereal Chemists 67th Annual Meeting, pp. 123–124.

20 | March 2022 - International Petfood

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The grinding of challenging recipes for premium petfood How pre-crushing can protect your process integrity whilst also saving energy

by Volkan Aktan, Project Engineer Dry Grinding, Thomas Runde, Managing Director and Karsten Frese, Senior Project Engineer Dry Grinding, Tietjen Verfahrenstechnik, Germany

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As a specialist in grinding technology, Tietjen Verfahrenstechnik always keeps an eye on the size reduction of mixed raw materials, especially in challenging applications such as pet food and aqua feed. Together with its worldwide customers and partners, the company continues to optimise and search for the economically best solutions for targeted crushing according to customer requirements.

ince 1959, Tietjen has been building hammer mills and individual grinding solutions in Hemdingen near Hamburg.

To ensure that its customers achieve even better grinding results, the company has also been taking a closer look at optimising the pre-grinding process. Good grinding depends on the one hand on the technical design of the hammer mill itself (sieve surface, impact surface, motorisation, speed and sieve perforation) and on the other hand on the aspiration of the mill (air volume flow, air speed, filter type, filter surface).

The grinding plant itself can only be optimally operated with appropriate, load-dependent controlled dosing of the input material. However, other components of a good overall system such as the pre-crushing system discussed here - also contribute to improved results.

If raw material components are simply too hard for the fine grinding stage, then the grinding stage should be protected. In this scenario, pregrinding is then strongly recommended.

This is especially true for recipes with legumes such as peas and beans and with sugar beet pellets. For mixtures with a very wide grain spectrum, such as recipes for flours with legumes, pellets, cereals or rice, a pre-grinding for homogenisation for the further

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grinding process can be advantageous.

A homogeneous structure can be ground more efficiently as this prevents screen damage and increases the availability of the hammer mill - from a technical and economic point of view! Pre-grinding guarantees the pre-crushing of hard ingredients with simultaneous homogenisation of the recipe, thereby optimally preparing the raw material for the actual fine grinding process.

Producing the final product

The pre-grinding is dependent on the hammer mill that follows in the process. Depending on the maximum size of the components of the existing raw material, the first step can be a primary crusher or again a hammer mill. After a successful pre-grinding, a hammer mill can produce the final product in the second step. In the third and last step, a classifier mill can be integrated, if this should be necessary for the end product.

The Tietjen Impact Classifier Mill (TICM), for example, can be used as a classifier mill. The impact classifier mill is designed for fine grinding in the production of fish and shrimp feed. The TICM can be used to grind various types of grain, peas, fish or poultry meal. It combines efficient grinding with precise classification in a single machine.

The decisive advantage is the narrow particle size range with precise separation from 100µm to 400µm. In the medium size 1300 the TICM has a mill motor with 160kW and a classifier motor with 15kW. This classifier mill thus achieves a throughput capacity of 5t/h with a fineness requirement of 98% < 200 µm.

If the final product is to be < 400µm, the classifier mill has a throughput capacity of approximately 9t/h. This is based upon typical fish feed recipes/ premixes with maximum eight percent fat inclusion.

These data values are approximate values which may vary depending on the recipe as well as the origin and quality of the raw material. This example shows very clearly that the grinding capacity decreases further and further depending on the fineness of grinding.

Therefore, pre-grinding is usually an efficient and economically sensible solution.

Design a system with pre-crushing

Ideally, the individual grinding components are placed one above the other so that gravity can be used for product transport.

Each grinding step must have its own aspiration. Especially in the production of pet food and in aqua feed, components are often used in the recipe which have a very large variation in particle size, which means that different grinding energies must be applied.

Our preceding compact primary crusher guarantees, on the one hand, that the hard components are reliably crushed and the fine screens in the following hammer mill are thus protected. On the other hand, a homogeneous product is produced, which enables more efficient grinding - and all this without the additional energy input of double grinding with two hammer mills; one placed on the top of the other.

Pre-grinding is recommended, for example, in the production of fish meal or meat-and-bone meal. The various components (whole fish, waste from slaughterhouses, bones and smaller components) are first dried and then ground.

As the different components have different grain sizes, they also require different grinding energies.

The very hard and large components are crushed by the primary crusher and can then be fed into the hammer mill. With the help of the pre-grinding, a higher throughput rate can be achieved in the actual grinding process.

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Selecting the right approach & machine for precrushing

Tietjen has developed a new type of crusher for pregrinding so that grinding can be made more efficient. For this reason, the crusher has a compact design and is pressure shock resistant.

In addition, the screens and beaters can be changed quickly and without much effort. Another advantage is the low aspiration required for pre-grinding.

The Tietjen Crusher can crush 30- 50m³ per hour with a screen perforation of 8 - 12mm. When the pre-grinding or crushing is completed, a suitable hammer mill must be found afterwards.

Depending on the final product to be produced, we offer different grinding solutions.

For the second grinding stage, for example hammer mill FD, hammer mill GD or hammer mill VDK can be used. The hammer mill FD is suitable for fine grinding, especially for pet food and fish feed. The FD mill can be used to grind fish and poultry meal as well as peas, corn and other cereals.

The FD mill is also tighter compared to the GD mill, meaning it has fewer gaps for spray grain. The screen basket guides have become more robust and effective. This means that, especially screens with small perforations, can be guided and supported more optimally. As a result, it can grind the product even finer, giving the ground products a premium quality.

Other special features include a tighter tolerance, split baffle plates and new screen holders. The baffle plates and sieves can be changed optionally. This means that the grinding fineness can be adjusted as required.

Pre-grinding is not always necessary

Depending on the product or product requirements, pre-grinding is not always necessary. In order to achieve optimum and efficient grinding, the overall concept must be coordinated. This means that the grinding system must be adapted to the grinding process and the raw material mixtures used.

Tietjen offers a wide range of grinding solutions so that you can find the right grinding system for your company. www.tietjen-original.com

24 | March 2022 - International Petfood

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Petfood plant modernisation & expansion AVI-Products gears up for a booming petfood market

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by Famsun

y investing in production expansion with a new state-of-the-art plant and modernising its old production line, AVI-Products (Pty) Ltd is well prepared to seize petfood market opportunities to grow.

The pet industry was one of the few industries that reaped benefits from Covid-19 and its related lockdowns, with pet adoption rates soaring. Many people have

turned to their dogs and cats for companionship and see their pets as critical family members.

As pet owners spend more time at home, they care more about their pets’ health and the food they eat. A study has found that 30 percent of global pet owners spent a significant amount of time researching the best food options for their pets in the past year.

Instead of feeding them with by-products meat that humans do not eat, pet owners increasingly prefer buying high-quality and differentiated food to improve pet nutrition, health, and

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wellbeing.

As a result, the petfood industry experienced its largest period of growth in the past few years. Premium petfoods continue to see growth, although economic conditions also allowed for an increase in the purchase of lower-cost feeds as well.

The trend continues to grow everywhere around the world, from the developed western countries to the emerging and developing countries such as South Africa.

Petfood in South Africa: A booming market

Africa is the next biggest growth market for petfood manufacturers globally.

An aspirant middle class is driving this trend as pet ownership increases across the African continent, including South Africa’s emergent middle class.

Currently, South Africa’s petfood market comprise of a mixture of imports and domestic products with the country being a major gateway to regional pet food markets, especially for the members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The past few years have seen year-on-

Increase nutritional value with our innovative split-grinding solution.

Optimized feed conversion rate.

Improved feed quality.

Higher line-capacity.

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Split-grinding: Minimum investment. Maximum results.

Pre-grinding has a proven advantage over post-grinding when considering the digestive properties of the nutrients, but a pre-grinding set-up requires a high investment. Our newest split-grinding process combines the best of both worlds. So instead of making one grinding batch with all the raw materials, or invest in a pre-grinding set-up, split-grinding enables you to grind separate subbatches of different raw materials, which enhances the nutritional value, increases the quality of the feed, all at a low investment. www.aarsen.com/machines/hammer-mills

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year growth being recorded by local petfood manufacturers and international brands in South Africa. In 2020, the nation’s petfood production experienced annual growth of eight percent, reaching 423,000 tonnes in total.

Consumers in the region demand a wide range of products across a variety of price points, which allows room for both international and local players in pet food in South Africa. Among them, AVIProducts (Pty) Ltd is well prepared to seize the market for growth with production expansion and modernisation.

Seizing the initiative

Based in Durban of South Africa, AVI-Products (Pty) Ltd manufacture and supply specialist nutritional products for dogs, cats, birds, fish, and other exotic species. AVI-Products use ingredients of the highest quality and nutritionally balanced formulas to produce petfoods that are ideally suited to South African pets and their environment.

When the first plant with an extrusion line of 2TPH opened, it marked the start of AVI-Products’ expansion and diversification.

The company currently owns the welcomed pet food brands of Ideal, Top Dog, Menu, Trusty, Lifestyle, AVI Plus, Top Pet, and Aqua Plus.

The growing demand for its products had prompted AVI-Products to plan for production expansion in 2018. It chose integrated solution provider FAMSUN as its technology partner to construct a greenfield project, upgrade the old line with modern technology and move its production to the new facility.

FAMSUN and AVI-Products collaborated closely on the development of the new factory that ensures AVI- Products to expand its supplies with flexible, efficient and safe production as well as innovative products to meet future growth demands.

A plant to meet future growth demand

Experts from Famsun introduced lean manufacturing and biosecurity layout and the latest full-plant automation system. The aim of this course of action was to bring the plant with improved

efficiency and output while eliminating wastes generated from transport, inventory, motion, waiting, overprocessing, defects and lack of skill.

The new extrusion line mainly consists of a Famsun SJPS150X2 twin- screw extruder, an M8 dryer, and a CYPJ2 coater. Among which, the advanced extruder can process customised recipes with a variety of raw ingredients into favourable petfood products, the dryer can help to improve energy efficiency with reduced wastes, while the flexible coater allows AVI-Products to diversify its products and provide a nutritional, functional, and differentiated experience for pets with innovative formulas.

Famsun’s delivery also included two steel silos for storing maize and wheat, a steel structure workshop tower for accommodating the new 8TPH extrusion line and the updated 2TPH line, and associate equipment that help create a positive impact in the production of premium petfoods.

Completed in June 2020 despite the pandemic, the new plant has exceeded AVI-Products’ expectations and has been a big contribution to the production and supply growth of pet food in the region for 2020 and beyond.

With the new production facility, AVI-Products can offer a wide range of products across a variety of price points to meet the demands of different markets, from low-cost feeds to premium petfoods such as high-meat and customised foods.

“FAMSUN is extremely proud to be helping shape AVI-Products’ journey in the petfood industry and South Africa and Africa markets with this landmark plant,” says Jason Wang, Sales Head of Famsun International Pet Food. “I’m confident that Famsun will continue as a trusted partner for AVI-Products in the petfood industry, enabling its continued growth.”

According to Wang, Famsun will provide sales and after-sales services to AVI-Products via its local network in Africa. Also, the company's global experts and engineers can access the plant for technical assistance such as inspection, error diagnosis, calibration, and troubleshooting through remote connection.

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TRAINING

Industry Training Online Aquafeed Production School returns in April 2022

Following a break over the festive season, April 2022 sees the long-awaited return of the Online Aquafeed Production School for its Spring 2022 Edition.

Presented in its now familiar format of two hours of related material to the topic delivered by selected industry experts, the two hours of presentations is then followed by a dedicated question and answer session that allows participants to interact live with the program facilitators. Interested? Keep reading to find out more.

What is the Online Aquafeed Production School? Developed

by Progressus Agrischools, this course itself is formulated specifically to help attendees to build an understanding of the design, development, and operation of an aquafeed production plant for the range of products typically used in this industry.

This goal is achieved through two hour long weekly sessions featuring industry experts who share their extensive knowledge relating to aquafeed ingredients, the equipment used, as well as providing a general nutritional review.

These industry experts possess centuries of industry experience includes Joe Kearns, whose experience in our industry includes decades in senior roles at Wenger manufacturing. This edition sees Mr Kearns take over the role of lead presenter, a role that he will no doubt deliver with the same level of professionalism that has seen him earn a solid reputation throughout his career for wisdom and reliability.

Online Aquafeed Production School will enable interested individuals to understand the possibilities and developments over time with regards to what can be produced, as well as examining how all aspects of the process interact in order to achieve and maintain a successful standard of aquafeed production.

Basically, there are four areas of importance for aquafeed production; ingredients, equipment used, how it is operated, and the desired final product specifications. All aspects interact as each affects the other as the nutritionist makes the formula, sales or the customers define the desired end product while the production needs to perform efficiently.

Communication between these areas and the interactions between them will vastly increase the chances of producing positive results, including excellent aquafeed produced with acceptable margins.

It’s not too late to enrol

The Aquafeed Production School is running every Tuesday, from April 19 to July 13, 2pm Bangkok time and 9am CET. For those based in the US and Latin America, sessions begin on April 21 and conclude on July 15, 9am Chicago time.

The course certification is very beneficial for the workplace, as it both signals an attendee’s interest in the industry and demonstrates an acquisition of the knowledge that they’ve gained whilst attending the program.

To enrol, be sure to visit https://aquafeed.co.uk/events/onlineaquafeed-production-school-autumn-2021/ for more information.

Who should attend Online Aquafeed Production School?

Feed mill plant owners Feed mill managers and plant operators Quality assurance and maintenance staff Nutritionist and feed formulators Feed additive and animal health suppliers Industry advisors and technical consultants

Online Aquafeed Production School Spring Edition 2022 schedule Week 1 – Raw Materials: Process interaction and function of use Week 2 – Nutrition aspects of aquafeed production: Basics formulation requirements Week 3 – Ingredients: Receiving, storage, batching and mixing Week 4 – Course Grinding Through to Micro- Pulverising Week 5 – Micro- Ingredients and Final Preparation prior to Pellet Production Week 6 – Extrusion vs Pelleting: Production via Single-Screw Extruders Week 7 – Extrusion: Utilising Twin-Screw Technology Week 8 – Pelleting of Aquatic Feeds Week 9 – Drying and Cooling of Aquatic Feeds Week 10 – Other Processes of Feed Production and Unique possibilities Week 11 – Coating: Atmospheric and Vacuum Week 12 - Overall Plant Design and Control Possibilities

30 | March 2022 - International Petfood

TROUBLESHOOTING

Petfood production troubleshooting Part 3:

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Extrusion Dies

he discussion on dies can be quite complex – but let’s see if we can explain a few things regarding dies and the products produced. Die designs vary and are usually specific for the equipment manufacturer, based on attachment and the knife system used.

In another troubleshooting section we will discuss knives.

There are many extruder capacities and sizes, and all of them need a die or final orifice or collection of die holes for the product intended. Extruders have three classifications: high, medium or low shear with shear also related to the extrusion pressure behind the die.

High shear usually yields very low bulk density products, 5 lb/ ft³ or 80 gm/l as seen in some small animal or bird feeds. Special dies with few holes and a backup die plate or plates are used to create the pressure needed for high expansion.

Medium shear is where the bulk of petfood production occurs for dogs and cats. Low shear or low expansion products can be seen in some of the treat type products where expansion is not desired.

Medium shear dies have a relation of total open die area in the 200mm² to about 600mm² per ton produced per hour and the amount has an effect on density and capacity of the final product.

Shaped holes, round holes and a combination of many different opening designs can be used even all at the same time if the die is balanced.

Balanced as in the open area around the die, which is similar

in all areas. Also, attention is needed regarding the area without holes as the product flow must exit the die and the volume from each hole needs to be similar to avoid uneven product sizes.

When making small animal petfood the diameter of product size is much smaller thus the die has a greatly increased number of die holes in order to achieve any sort of capacity. Much like an aquatic feed die where hole size can be 0.5 mm and up. Typically, in small animal petfood about 1.5 to 3mm products are usual.

Care is needed with regards to hole spacing for die strength over the width of its face.

Land length is the straight portion of the die hole just after the taper usually seen when looking at the back of a die. This land length has an effect on expansion and product shape. The shorter the land length you achieve more radial expansion, longer land length increases the axial expansion.

This is the basis of this discussion, which will continue with knives and situations including what to do when you have uneven production or long and short or wedged products, in future columns.

Previously on Troubleshooting…

1. Density This article examines product density and its relationship with moisture levels, heating, cooling, feeder screw rate and automation.

2. Non-uniform and rough product appearance A guide to understanding the science involved in improving the art of making products of all the same size.

International Petfood - March 2022 | 31

PRODUCTION FOCUS Innovations this month March 2022 In this month’s Production Showcase, we take a look at equipment involved in all stages of the petfood manufacturing process, taking you right from the recipe book to the product leaving your factory’s door.

If you would like your product or service to appear on this page in a future edition of International Petfood magazine, then please contact us at editorial@perendale.co.uk

The gear-driven K70 Pellet Mill by Famsun Improving the pelleting line’s yield efficiency is an essential design objective to help feed and petfood factories to operate more sustainably. The Famsun K70 Pellet Mill is such a machine using this design principle.

The gear-driven mill boosts capacity while also improving energy efficiency and operational reliability, which seeks to minimise line interruptions that can create substantial raw material waste.

Designed with the latest innovations, the K70 Pellet Mill is a new member of the K-Series which already includes the K15, K15X, K20, K25, K35 and K50 in its family.

Since the initial introduction of the first K-Series model in 2014, over 350 units of this gear-driven pellet mill are now in operation worldwide.

The popularity of this line of pellet mills is a result of its excellent reputation to perform reliably, its ability to control product quality and its ease of maintenance. http://en.famsungroup.com

Annular Gap Expander from Amandus Kahl The Annular Gap Expander comprises of a thick-walled mixing tube with replaceable liners and a cantilevered shaft. It also includes an adjustable cone at the outlet, which can be adjusted to control the pressure, intensity of kneading, product heating and energy consumption according to requirements.

Manufactured by Amandus Kahl, the maximum pressure is about 40 bar, with operating temperatures at the expander outlet between 90 to 140°C. Its applications range from being able to process large quantities of liquids such as fat, molasses and fish solubles, controlling pellet hardness and fines, and eliminating pathogenic germs such as salmonellae or moulds through its treatment.

The Annular Gap Expander is available in five tube diameters and different tube lengths, from 150-450mm, with an operating length of 1000-3000mm and capacities ranging from 2-60 t/h. www.akahl.com

Schenck Process’ KEK Centrifugal Sifters As an industrial rotary sifter for powder and granule processing, Schenck’s KEK Centrifugal Sifter incudes high capacity and highefficiency sifting, a cantilever shaft with no oversized bearing, and seven model sizes. Typical applications of the KEK sifter look at sifting, sieving, and bakery mix de-lumping and final dressing.

KEK sifters classify the size of material by sifting and separating out material that isn’t to the required size. This particular screening process helps to remove unwanted material and reduces risk by removing contaminants such as plasters, insects and metals.

Operational benefits of the KEK sifter include a direct connection into conveying line, a compact design, easy access for cleaning and maintenance and the ability to mount the sifter at floor level. www.schenckprocess.com

Micro Ingredient Systems by APEC APEC’s Micro Ingredient Systems are designed to achieve accurate weighing of your ingredients, time and time again. They are equipped with removable capacity stainless steel bins with hinged and gasketed covers, as well as power cords with twist lock plugs and a control panel mounted on the frame.

Primary advantages include having rectangular bins with chamfered corners, to ensure material doesn’t stick to them, a pneumatic clean out enhancement on the scale tub to ensure no product carry over, and a polished stainless steel scale hopper for better clean out and test weight hangers for easy calibration.

The Micro Ingredient Systems have numerous additional options, such as bin extensions to increase the capacity of ingredients it can hold, electric bin lid locks, and a dust collection pick up point. The sizing can range from 2300kg to 7050kg. www.apecusa.com

SEE YOUR PRODUCTS IN THIS MAGAZINE If you produce a product that you think we should feature in International Petfood magazine, please get in touch To be considered for inclusion in the magazine please; Email: editorial@perendale.co.uk Include 75 words about the product along with a high resolution image and a web link to more information about the product in your email

32 | March 2022 - International Petfood

TruClean Sheet Forming & Cutting Systems by Baker Perkins Sheet forming and cutting lines for petfoods consist of a series of best-in-class unit machines, offering reliability, durability and low running costs and are designed to handle the low fat, abrasive doughs used in the petfood industry.

The system consists of a sheeter, gauge rolls and rotary cutter. It uses a proven process to ensure reliable operation, low waste and accurate performance.

A robust, stable and highly visible process controlled by a PLC with local touch screen interfaces makes it simple for operators to run the plant. Clear and intuitive touch screen HMIs include indication and setting of all the main running adjustments.

Low-deflection solid gauge rolls with pre-loaded bearings mounted in rigid frames guarantee precise weight control over many years.

The control system also makes a significant contribution through accurate speed control of each unit, and a sophisticated cascade system that maintains a smooth flow of dough along the line. www.bakerperkins.com

We can help you improve your feed pellet durability testing...

Holmen NHP100 Portable, manual pellet tester.

Holmen NHP200 Series 2 Laboratory based, automatic pellet tester.

Feed Innovation Award 2022 If you know of or have a newly introduced innovation for the production of animal feeds, including petfoods then consider proposing it for inclusion in this year’s Feed Innovations Award to be held at the Victam International 2022 exposition, which takes place in Utrecht, The Netherlands from May 31-June 02, 2022.

Don’t miss out on seeing the finalists of the feed innovation award, coming soon in International Petfood magazine.

For more information: https://mymag.info/e/1290

Holmen NHP300 Inline, process based system.

N HOLM

®

Made in Britain, Trusted Worldwide.

We are

Industry Events 2021

February

2022

26-28 Pet Fair South East Asia 2022 Bangkok, Thailand www.petfair-sea.com

21-23 Animal Health, Nutrition and Technology Europe 2022 London, UK https://www.kisacoresearch.com/events/ah-europe-2022 2022 22 February – May 24 Online Aquafeed Production School Online https://www.onlinemillingschool.com/omsaquafeed 2022

October

November 17-20 China International Pet Show (CIPS) 2022 Guangzhou, China http://en.cipscom.com/CIPS.htm

March 23-25 Global Pet Expo 2022 Orlando, Florida, USA https://globalpetexpo.org/Default.asp

2022

May 2-4 Petfood Forum 2022 Kansas City, Missouri, USA www.petfoodforumevents.com 24-27 Interzoo 2022 Nuremberg, Germany https://www.interzoo.com/en

2022

June 2 Build my Feed Mill Utrecht, The Netherlands https://vivhealthandnutrition.nl/visit/conference-program/

Build my Feedmill conference to take place at VIV Europe 2022 The Build my Feedmill conference is based on a flow chart of a typical feedmill and will cover many aspects of feedmill operations.

It provides an excellent opportunity for companies that supply feed manufacturers with advanced equipment and other services, to explain their most technically-advanced innovations and why they offer advantages in the feed production line.

During the Build my Feed Mill Conference which is set to take place in June 2nd , 2022, companies are given the chance to present 10-minute presentations about how their solutions assist feed mills in their everyday processes and practices.

Taking attendees through every process within a feed mill, Build my Feed Mill enables attendees to discover the latest innovations that help make your feed mill truly innovative, efficient and profitable.

Topics being discussed include grinding, feed formulation, extrusion, pelleting, dosing and more.

Find out more: https://mymag.info/e/1326

Two-hour event

13:00-15:00

June 2nd , 2022 Part of VIV Europe

2022

August

Organised by

17-21 Pet Fair Asia 2022 Shanghai, China www.petfairasia.com 34 | March 2022 - International Aquafeed

Industry Events

#IPPE2022 AFIA Petfood Conference amongst highlights of successful show

by Caitlin Gittins, International Petfood magazine The return of IPPE after a two-year hiatus owing to the pandemic was a welcome one, and one that oversaw the attendance of a surprisingly high number exhibitors and attendees.

Although these numbers were reduced compared with the attendance numbers at IPPE in 2020, being able to meet and congregate brought back a welcome feeling of returning to normalcy.

The exhibition took place over a three day period at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and ran from January 25-27. It featured a wide range of exhibitors across three halls, which were divided into feed equipment and ingredients, and meat and poultry processing, and packaging.

A number of engaging educational talks were held over the three-day period, including AFIA’s 15th annual petfood conference, the international rendering symposium, and the international poultry scientific forum.

AFIA Petfood Conference

Topics covered at the petfood conference, which was hosted by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), sought to provide a comprehensive overview of issues current to the industry, including talks on the Center for Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM’s) regulations within petfood, the best cybersecurity practices for the industry The conference also featured presentations from Masters and PhD students on their research on pet nutrition, exploring the introduction of novel ingredients in petfood diets such as pulse and starch ingredients, and utilising technology to control foodborne pathogens in meat-based diets.

The conference also saw the awarding of the Friend of Petfood Award, which seeks to recognise those who have made significant contributions to the growth of the petfood industry.

The recipients of the award this year consisted of two winners: George Fahey,

from the University of Illinois, and Dennis Jewell, formerly from Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Speaking on the award recipients, Louise Calderwood, AFIA’s director of regulatory affairs, explained the decision-making behind choosing Mr Fahey and Mr Jewell: “Doctors Fahey and Jewell have both made tremendous advances to pet health and we are thrilled to recognise them today.”

International Rendering Symposium

Another conference of note - among others - was the international rendering symposium, which took place on the final day of the exhibition, and explored the vital importance of rendering, as an “invisible” support to agriculture, and key in promoting the sustainability of food production.

Speakers in attendance included Kent Swisher, the president and CEO of North American Renderers Association (NARA), Fred Turner, the Customer Relations Manager at Jenkins Centrifuge, and Anna Wilkinson, also from NARA. The presentations delivered by industry professionals helped to shed further light on the sustainability promoted by rendering, by utilising by-products and food waste.

A highly successful show

Those in attendance from International Petfood magazine reported a highly successful show, celebrating the ability to International Petfood - March 2022 | 35

reunite with customers and to learn more about ongoing developments within the food sector.

The 2022 IPPE had almost 22,000 registered attendees from the poultry, meat and animal food industry. Despite the challenges of travel, approximately 21 percent of registered attendees were international, representing 110 countries.

As in previous years, Latin America had the strongest international presence, representing 51 percent of international registrants.

A total of 1121 exhibitors showcased their latest technology and solutions, occupying more than 500,000 square feet of exhibit space. The equipment and technology on display demonstrated continual innovations to support the industry.

The exhibition proved a great success, in bringing industry professionals back together and demonstrating that, in spite of the pandemic, people continued to eat and food production is vital to supporting the world population.

IPPE also reported that thanks to its ‘Giving Back to Atlanta Campaign’, it succeeded in raising US$34,932 for the Atlanta Food Bank, to fight against hunger.

IPPE2023 is set to take place between January 24-26, 2023, with the event returning once again to the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta GA, United States.

The Milling and Grain team look forward to seeing you there!

INTERNATIONAL

PETFOOD

International Petfood comes to you either in print or digitally.

Whichever way you want to receive, please sign up on our MagStand for your personal copy which will give you access, from your desktop, to our back-issue library. https://magstand.com/petfood The App can be downloaded from your favourite app store.

We invite you to use the code below for a free edition of our March magazine either mailed to you or via our App Use coupon code:

IPF2203

The Market Place lists leading manufacturers of equipment used for the production of petfood.

To be included in the Market Place please contact Tuti Tan at tutit@perendale.co.uk.

Bagging systems

Coolers & driers

Bühler AG +41 71 955 11 11 www.buhlergroup.com

Bühler AG +41 71 955 11 11 www.buhlergroup.com

FAWEMA +49 2263 716-0 www.fawema.com

Consergra s.l +34 938 772207 www.consergra.com

Statec Binder +43 3112 38 5800 www.statec-binder.com

FrigorTec GmbH +49 7520 91482-0 www.frigortec.com

Bulk storage

FAMSUN +86 85828888 www.famsungroup.com

AGI www.aggrowth.com

Van Aarsen International +31 475 579 444 www.aarsen.com

Behlen +1 402 564 3111 www.behlengrainsystems.com

Yemmak +90 266 7338363 www.yemmak.com

Behn + Bates +49 251 9796 252 www.behnbates.com Brock +1 866 658 4191 www.brockgrain.com Bühler AG +41 71 955 11 11 www.buhlergroup.com Ozpolat Makina Gida +90 342 337 1217 www.ozpolatmakina.com.tr Silo Construction & Engineering +32 51723128 www.sce.be Silos Cordoba +34 957 325 165 www.siloscordoba.com Symaga +34 926640475 www.symaga.com Sukup +1 641 892 4222 www.sukup.com The Essmueller +1 800 325 7175 www.essmueller.com TSC Silos +31 543 473979 www.tsc-silos.com Van Aarsen International +31 475 579 444 www.aarsen.com

Computer software Inteqnion +31 543 49 44 66 www.inteqnion.com Van Aarsen International +31 475 579 444 www.aarsen.com

Yemtar Feed Mill Machines +90 266 733 8550 www.yemtar.com

Dosing Bühler AG +41 71 955 11 11 www.buhlergroup.com Van Aarsen International +31 475 579 444 www.aarsen.com

Elevator buckets 4B Braime +44 113 246 1800 www.go4b.com Tapco Inc +1 314 739 9191 www.tapcoinc.com Yemtar Feed Mill Machines +90 266 733 8550 www.yemtar.com

Elevator & conveyor components 4B Braime +44 113 246 1800 www.go4b.com Bühler AG +41 71 955 11 11 www.buhlergroup.com Henry Simon +44 0161 804 2800 www.henrysimonmilling.com

Van Aarsen International +31 475 579 444 www.aarsen.com

Extruders Almex +31 575 572666 www.almex.nl Andritz +45 72 160300 www.andritz.com Bühler AG +41 71 955 11 11 www.buhlergroup.com IDAH +866 39 902701 www.idah.com Wenger Manufacturing +1 785-284-2133 www.wenger.com Yemmak +90 266 7338363 www.yemmak.com Yemtar Feed Mill Machines +90 266 733 8550 www.yemtar.com

Feed milling PLP +39 05 23 89 16 29 www.plp-systems.com VAV Conveyor Components & Solutions +31 7140 23701 www.vav-nl.com vibronet-Gräf GmbH & Co.KG +49 6441 62031 www.vibronet.com Yemmak +90 266 7338363 www.yemmak.com Zheng Chang +86 2164184200 www.zhengchang.com

Feed Mill Automation Bühler AG +41 71 955 11 11 www.buhlergroup.com Van Aarsen International +31 475 579 444 www.aarsen.com

Laboratory equipment

Tapco Inc +1 314 739 9191 www.tapcoinc.com

Bastak +90 312 395 67 87 www.bastak.com.tr

Yemtar Feed Mill Machines +90 266 733 8550 www.yemtar.com

Bühler AG +41 71 955 11 11 www.buhlergroup.com

International Petfood - March 2022 | 37

Industry PROFILE

Bühler

Innovation driven on a sustainability ticket

humanisation of pets amongst owners, are all fuelling growth of the global petfood processing market.

Necessity breeds innovation

Fast forward to 2022 and thanks to its continued development of new products, services, and applications, the company grew order intake by 16 percent, to more than CHF 3 billion/US$3.241 billion (CHF1 = US$1.08).

Owing to its strong global production, supply, and Balancing economy, nature and humanity through service network, Bühler was able to secure timely strong values and a keen purpose deliveries to customers even under difficult conditions.

At the same time, Bühler further improved its financial stability with improvements in the net liquidity and the equity The global pet food processing market is expected to grow from ratio.

US$4.71 billion in 2020 to US$6.79 billion by 2028 at a CAGR “Our engaged employees in our strong global network allowed of 4.67 percent during the forecast period 2021-2028, that’s us to prove our reliability to our customers and partners. And we according to the new report published by The Brainy Insights. clearly strengthened our innovation power,” says Bühler CEO The increased premiumisation amongst petfood producers Stefan Scheiber. and an uptick in the ownership of domesticated animals across The key markets of Bühler in the food, feed, and mobility all regions, are widely considered to be factors that are set to sectors underwent fundamental transitions driven by changed contribute to market growth over this forecast period. consumer requirements and enabled by new technologies.

Key players operating in the global petfood processing market As a result, the demand for sustainable solutions has clearly include Andritz Group, Buhler Holding AG, Coperion GmbH, increased. As part of the long-term innovation strategy of Clextral SAS and the FN Smith Corporation, with these now Bühler, spendings into R&D over the last 3 years including concentrating on implementing strategies to improve their market the “coronavirus years” increased to more than CHF 400 position in the global pet food processing industry. million (2021: CHF 141 million, 5.2% of turnover). Bühler has In 2019, Bühler North America announced the acquisition of positioned itself as a key enabler and partner for its customers, PR&D, Inc, a major equipment service firm located in Perham, supported by collaborations with key partners in industry and Minnesota. Speaking at the time the company stated that science. purchasing PR&D will help the company to broaden its markets Positive market demand was noticeable in the results from for processing pet food, grain, feed and oilseeds and improve its Bühler’s food and feed businesses too. In its processing solutions services. for plant-based proteins or for dairy alternatives, for example, Since this acquisition incidents such as the massive increase in services were in high demand and contributed to growth in pet ownership during the Covid-19 lockdowns, rising awareness Bühler’s Value Nutrition business. of the importance of maintaining good pet health and its New types of chocolates, pralines, and various confectionary relationship with that they feed them, as well as the increased 38 | March 2022 - International Petfood

and snack products required new applications which the Bühler Consumer Foods segment (which includes the technologies of the former Haas business acquired in 2018) created.

Also, Bühler’s Milling Solutions business grew in the wheat and rye and speciality segments, with processing solutions for high-capacity plants as well as for special applications for local niche markets.

Digitalisation and cloud-based services acted as key enablers to improve performances of existing assets of customers all over the world, and this also addressed the need for improved sustainability and CO2 emission reductions.

A global network teeming with passionate people

The global network of Bühler with 30 factories, 103 services stations, and 24 Application & Training Centers across the globe was key to being successful in a very dynamic business environment.

This allowed the company to secure on-time deliveries, also in times when supply-markets were difficult and logistic chains partly interrupted. In 2021, the company executed over 2000 customer projects, and as part of this it produced and delivered around 50,000 machines and key components. This was only possible thanks to the expertise and dedication of its employees, and their focus on customer success.

In 2021, Bühler continued to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all employees, while maintaining its focus on training and education. With nearly 12,500 staff across the globe, flexibility and resilience became key success factors in response to public health challenges and all related limitations.

The company continues its commitment to its global apprenticeship program and to the development of employees on all levels. The same was true for the training of personnel of customers, both in Bühler schools as well as in dedicated training centres.

A service portfolio enjoying growing demand

It has long been the company’s strategy to be in the region for the region with Bühler’s global Services & Sales organisation.

This strategy was key to its ability to continue important service offerings at all times for its customers globally.

Having experts present in all key markets proved yet again to be a key success factor. Understanding the challenges its customers were facing in the different countries and continents has allowed it to make decisive steps towards providing an even more customer-centric approach in its service offering.

The recently renewed and expanded services portfolio – including new digital services and Service Level Agreements – grew in orders by 15 percent to CHF 746 million. Combined with Bühler’s Single Machine business, the Service business represents about one-third of the overall turnover.

Orders on the online platform ‘myBühler’ grew by 50 percent to CHF 90 million; nearly 100 customer sites are now connected to the Bühler Insights platform; and RemoteCare contracts, of which the company’s customers make use of online support functions, have increased by a factor of six to nearly 400.

Nearly 160,000 service orders were carried out. “It is not only that we grew volume, but that we changed the character of our Service business to specific value additions for our customers, enabling them to improve the performance of existing and new assets. This, at the same time, is a key contributor to improved sustainability in the value chains of our customers,” says Mr Scheiber.

Despite stable turnover volume, Bühler managed to further

Highlight The key markets of Bühler in the food, feed, and mobility sectors underwent fundamental transitions in 2021. Much of this is believed to be driven by changed consumer requirements and enabled by new technologies. As a result, the demand for sustainable solutions has noticeably increased.

In order to adapt to this shift, research and development spending over the last three years, which forms a key part of Bühler’s long-term innovation strategy, has also increased to more than CHF 400 million/US$432.7 million, a year-on-year increase of more than five percent.

improve its financial position. Driven by a strong operating cash flow which stood at CHF 256 million at year end, net liquidity more than doubled to CHF 329 million. Consequently, the equity ratio rose to strong 47.2 percent.

“Our balance sheet is stronger than before the coronavirus crisis,” says CFO Mark Macus. “This financial strength gives our customers and stakeholders security in a volatile economic environment and enables us to continue executing our strategy, including strategic investments into assets and innovation. We are a reliable partner for our customers – in critical times, this is more important than ever.”

Strong order intake

Across all of the companies that constitute the Bühler Group, order intake increased by 16% to CHF 3 billion. Because of the time gap in the plant business between order entry and turnover, the upward trend on orders is not yet visible in turnover, which remained stable at CHF 2.7 billion. Net profit amounted to CHF 113 million, also slightly better than last year. Orders on hand by year-end 2021 increased strongly by 27.2% to CHF 1.9 billion.

“Our innovations, both for plants and services led to growth in our order book. Our strategy to position ourselves as an innovative solution provider for material transformation has been paying off,” adds Mr Scheiber.

All three business segments of Bühler contributed to this positive development, with Grains & Food orders growing by 12% to CHF 1.8 billion, Consumer Foods by 6% to CHF 584 million; and Advanced Materials showed the strongest growth of 37% to CHF 620 million. Although the business areas with the highest grow rates were die casting, grinding & dispersing, grain quality & supply, and milling solutions.

From a regional perspective, the Americas, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and India experienced the strongest upswing, with China representing the single largest market for the company in 2021.

Accelerated impact in 2022

Political tensions, climate change, supply chain issues, and rising inflation continue to be key factors impacting the economic climate, and it is unlikely that these issues will change in the foreseeable future. At the same time, new market opportunities continue to emerge. Bühler considers itself well positioned to continue a growth path in the running year and beyond.

“During the past two years of coronavirus crisis, we have learned to master the demanding environment with a strong purpose and value orientation, with a positive mindset, and a focus on innovation and on people,” says Stefan Scheiber.

International Petfood - March 2022 | 39

the interview Matt Zeigler

Matt Zeigler, Vice President of Operations/Process Engineer, joined the company in January of 2002 after six years of employment as a process engineer at a major US confectionary company.

Mr Zeigler has led various projects at Zeigler, including the installation of Zeigler's state of the art “Extrusion Process and Vacuum Coating Technology.” In addition, Mr Zeigler managed operations of the East Berlin Pennsylvania facility and later moved onto Director of Technology managing new products and processes.

Mr Zeigler attended the Kansas State University and studied Food/Feed Extrusion completing his MS in Engineering from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Penn State University. He earned a BS in Engineering from the Department of Agricultural Engineering at Penn State University.

In 2011 Matt assumed the role of President of Zeigler. In 2013 he was named Chairman of the American Feed Industry Association’s Aquaculture Committee.

You have had a rich career in industry, what lead you into this field of work?

Well, the short answer is growing up in the animal food manufacturing industry. Becoming a Food Process Engineer was somewhat in my blood. When it came to the aspects of dealing with Agriculture Products and Processes, I simply enjoyed it. My undergraduate and graduate education and work outside of the family business seem to be really what I enjoyed doing.

To this day, whether at our own facilities in Pennsylvania or an international licensee partner, I still love being in the plant working with all the products and processes. Did you always know you would join the family business? It probably wasn’t until I worked six years for a large US confectionary corporation following my graduate work, that I truly realised that I missed the aspects of working in a small family size business.

We call it a family business not only because of the Zeigler family, my co-workers are like family to me.

Many of which I grew up with and still work with today. How many businesses can say that they have a number of employees exceeding 40 or even 50 years of employment together?

Throughout your extensive career what have been the most significant changes have you observed in the petfood industry?

The first thing that comes to mind is Food Safety! As you may have noticed, I used food vs. feed! Today we recognise the safety of our pet foods just as important as the foods we put on our table. Whether it is a pet dog, cat, fish, bird, rabbit, rodent or reptile; we need to look out for their safety as well as the safety for all the pet owners.

What aspects of petfood production would you like to see addressed in the future?

Manufactures are now being audited and reviewed by many certifying/regulatory bodies. Some are from the private sector, some by regional governments and some by the customers to which we sell.

While the intent of the audits and certifications are

similar; however, a number of the criteria can be a bit unique to the different entities – in short, it would be beneficial, both from a cost savings, as well as, time resource; to have consistency in their auditing criteria or regulations.

What are the most common barriers you feel our industry must continually overcome to ensure we are providing the most efficient and safe products to our customers? What advice would you give to those looking to improve their operations?

The owners, managers, operators, quality personnel and even customers must all “buy-in” to a food safety program and initiatives.

If in the early stages of developing a food safety program; don’t hesitate to reach out to outside resources for training and support. There are a number industry associations that can direct you to numerous educational and third party resources.

There is an ever increasing demand in the USA for higher meat and fat level in petfood. Why do you think this is, and what should industry do to address this?

While it’s my belief that much of this is geared towards the dog and cats pet foods, so it’s a little out of my area of expertise. It is my suggestion that the manufacturers of the foods partner with the manufacturers of the processing equipment to make this happen! I am personally aware that Wenger Inc (a manufacturer of high-quality extrusion and other food process equipment) has been working on this exact concept for a number of years!

Outside of the processing, the proper storage management and handling of these higher meat and fat ingredients will be key to how they will be processed and accepted by the pets.

Zeigler feeds produces feed for lab rats, a process that requires rigorous control over variables in order to provide a consistent product. What are the greatest challenges with this?

Supply of high quality and consistent quality

40 | March 2022 - International Petfood

ingredients and these ingredients formulated. objective these products is regardless of the day, year crop, the nutritional profile of the foods delivered to the products is consistent.

how are The of that or

These diets are being fed to animals that may be used for high-end cancer or other medical research. The nutritional profile of the foods provided to the animals must be consistent to avoid undesired variables in their high-end studies.

As the number of pet owners in the USA continues to rise, do you feel the industry is in good shape to meet this increased demand for petfood?

From the manufacturer’s perspective, I think the product demand is higher (specifically for US manufactured pet products) than there is manufacturing capabilities.

THE INDUSTRY FACES Elanco announces the appointment of new executive VP Elanco has announced the appointment of Rajeev ‘Bobby’ Modi as the company’s executive vice president of US Pet Health and Global Digital Transformation. He brings two decades of responsibility and expertise in marketing sales, having been responsible at Conagra Brands for the company’s substantial grocery business and facilitating its growth. He has built and grown brands for companies such as Procter & Gamble, and J.M. Smucker.

His duties include overseeing veterinary sales, retail and e-commerce teams, alongside pet health marketing and operations. He will also be working closely with R&D and marketing in preparation for the launch of the company’s late stage pet health.

“Watching Elanco over the years, I have been inspired by the company’s deep, purpose-driven culture and energised by the robust pet health portfolio addressing some of pet’s greatest challenges,” says Mr Modi. “I’m excited to join a passionate and proven team, with capable leaders, all unified behind a strong purpose.”

Percuro Pet Food appoints internationally recognised veterinary surgeon Described as a Vet surgeon who has appeared on national and international TV shows, Dr Scott Miller joins Percuro Pet Food as its company brand ambassador. Born in Australia, Dr Miller graduated from Queensland University Veterinary School in 1997. Since then, the veterinary surgeon has gained over 23 years of clinical experience.

The innovative company identified conservationist Dr Miller as the perfect celebrity veterinary spokesperson to represent the company.

Dr Miller will be instrumental in directing Percuro’s initiatives to raise further awareness of the amazing benefits to not only our pets but crucially also to our earth’s natural resources by feeding dogs with Percuro’s insect protein pet food as a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional dog food.

“We are honoured and delighted to welcome Dr Scott Miller on board the Percuro team as the first ever celebrity veterinary surgeon to validate a planet friendly insect-based pet food range," comments Brett Vye, Percuro’s CEO.

Premier Nutrition appoints new support nutritionist Following the completion of her degree in Bioveterinary Science at Harper Adams University, Chloe Poolman joins Premier Nutrition's team as a support nutritionist across all species.

"As part of my new role I will be providing tailored support and advice to our customers in the pet food industry. I will be analysing the latest research and looking into developing premix formulations for a variety of diet formats, including treats, while working closely with our customers,” she explains.

This happened just before the outbreak of Covid-19 which has limited the number of meetings within the petfood sector, but she hopes to foster new relationships through the events and conferences taking place this year.

"Despite the restrictions that have been in place, I've been very fortunate in working alongside a great team,” she adds.

Premier Nutrition's commercial manager for pet and equine, Rob Halls, calls the appointment an exciting prospect, "Chloe brings knowledge and enthusiasm to the team with the scientific backing of her degree, so I'm looking forward to working with her to build on this."

Sky UK TV executive appointed next chief of Pets at Home Lyssa McGowan will become the first female chief executive of Pets at Home, Britain's largest pet supplies retailer. The appointment comes after current boss Peter Pritchard revealed in November that he would step down this summer.

Mr Pritchard, who agreed in November to step down, has been crucial to Pets at Home's strategy development, and during his tenure, the group exceeded for the first time billion pounds (US$1.36 billion) in annual retail sales.

Sky UK executive Ms McGowan, who has spent the past 11 years at the British media conglomerate and most recently served as its chief consumer officer, will succeed Peter Pritchard on June 1, 2022.

With a background of managing product, service and subscription-led businesses, McGowan has "significant experience in customer and digital-first initiatives across multiple channels and sites", says Ian Burke, Chairman of Pets at Home.

42 | March 2022 - International Petfood

24 – 27 May 2022 | Nuremberg, Germany

37. International Trade Fair for Pet Supplies

TOGETHER AGAIN AT THE WORLD’S LEADING TRADE FAIR IN NUREMBERG With this unique overview of the market, you will benefit from countless ideas for structuring your product range, the most important trends, and innovations.

And from valuable business contacts – all with a very personal touch at Interzoo.

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