Effect of die length, moisture content and particle size on some mechanical and physical properties of poultry feed pellets

Abstract

This study investigates the role of manufacturing characteristics on some mechanical and physical properties of poultry feed pellets. laboratory study of 3 x 3 x 3 factorial experiment laid out to study the effect of die lengths (L1 = 3, L2 = 4, and L3 = 5) cm, moisture content of feedstuff (M1 = 12, M2 = 14 and M3 = 16) % and particle sizes (P1 = 0.5, P2 = 1 and P3 = 1.5) mm and their interactions on some physical and mechanical properties of poultry feed pellets. Pellet Durability Index (PDI), pellet hardness, bulk density of pellets and feedstuff, unit density of pellets, and power consumption were measured and evaluated. Results revealed that the interaction of longer die lengths, higher moisture content, and smaller particle size treatment (L3M3P1) significantly increased the PDI (95.6%), hardness (6.4 Kg), and bulk density (683.97 Kg m-3) when it compared with other treatments. Unit density increased with the treatment (L3M2P2) when it compared with other treatments which it was 1453.29 Kg m3. The highest power consumption of 4.51 Kwh-1 was recorded with the treatment (L3M3P3) while the lowest value was for the treatment (L1M1P1) and it was 3.07 Kwh-1 but statistically, there were no significant differences in power consumption between the treatments, the differences were only mathematically. According to the results obtained in this work, we can conclude that when using the long die path combined with high moisture content and fine feedstuff can produce better pellets which are physically and mechanically accepted by farmers.