Considerations for Pelleting for

Aquaculture
BY EUGENIO BORTONE, PH.D, PAS, DPL. ACAS

REVIEWED AND EDITED BY CHARLES STARK, ADAM FAHRENHOLZ, AND CASSANDRA JONES

Figure 18-1. Proportioning, dosing and weighing

Global production of aquafeed is approximately system cost center. Drawing courtesy of Rosal
6.3 million metric tonnes (MMT) per year (FAO, Agro Instalaciones.
2012). Of this total, approximately 44 MMT is
inland production and 19 MMT is marine
production. The growth in aquaculture will continue
as countries increase aquaculture production to meet
the demand for food production, specifically as a
protein source.

The aquafeed mill

Feed mills designed to produce aquafeed have
major differences when compared to traditional
animal feed mills. To understand the differences, it
is necessary to have a basic understanding of an
aquafeed plant layout. Figures 18-1, 18-2 and 18-3
show the three major operational or cost centers of a
plant designed to produce shrimp or fin fish feeds.

One of the major differences between traditional

and aquafeed feed mills is in particle size reduction.
As illustrated in Figure 18-1, aquafeed feed mills
depend more on the post-grind system rather than
the pre-grind system used to produce most other
animal feeds. In pre-grind systems the major
ingredients are ground prior to being weighed. In
aquatic feed mills, the ingredients are weighed prior
to being ground (see Figure 18-2). The pre-
weighed meal is also subjected to a pre-mixing step
as it passes through a hopper with internal flights
creating a cascade mixing action.

Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations

Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

Figure 18-2. Grinding and mixing cost centers. hammermill for aquaculture feed applications will
Drawing courtesy of Rosal Argo Instalaciones. have a motor rotational speed of 3,600 RPM, twice
as high as the speed used in most livestock and
poultry feeds.

Figure 18-3. Pelleting and extrusion cost centers.

Drawing courtesy of Rosal Argo Instalaciones.

For larval shrimp feeds it is necessary to reduce the

particle size of an ingredient or blend of ingredients
to as small as 100-150 microns, with a maximum of
5% retained on an 80-mesh Tyler screen. For
adequate feed conversion in growing shrimp it is
generally recommended that the average mean
geometric particle size be 250 microns, with a
maximum of 5% retained in a 60-mesh Tyler
Post-grinding process screen.
A post-grinding system is necessary in aquatic feeds
because of the inclusion of difficult-to-grind Uniform particle size will also improve the moisture
ingredients such as fishmeal. It allows the and heat transfer during preconditioning of the feed
production of a more uniform particle size. Another prior to pelleting. With a uniform particle size the
advantage of the post-grinding system is that it does moisture distribution from steam condensation will
not require storage for the individual ground occur more evenly. If the particles are not uniform,
ingredients, and does not require a grinding process then the smaller ones, with a larger surface area,
for each ingredient. will absorb more moisture and could tend to
produce “spotted” pellets that can have poor water
Hammermills have long been used for particle size stability.
reduction in the animal feed industry. A typical
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

Another major difference between traditional and formula.

aquatic feed production can be found in the
pelleting operation. Pellet mills in traditional feed Formulation can perhaps be better understood when
mills use shorter residence time (10-60 seconds) we consider feeding a 1 g shrimp. For this stage of
preconditioners as compared to shrimp feeds that physiological development the shrimp will consume
require preconditioning times of three or more approximately 12% of its body weight per day, or
minutes. The compression ratio used in the pellet approximately 0.12 g of feed. Every pellet or
dies is also different. Shrimp feeds require crumble of feed should contain all the nutrients for
compression ratios of 20-24 (diameter of the bore which the diet has been formulated. In the event
divided by the effective travel length), while poultry the ingredients are not mixed properly, reduced
and swine feeds require compression ratios of 10- growth rates, high morbidity and mortality, and
12. A higher compression of shrimp feeds is poor feed conversion could result.
required in order to produce highly water-stable
feeds. With increased compression, the production Once the major ingredients are ground to the target
capacity is reduced. Therefore, a pellet mill set up particle size, they are passed to the mixer where
to produce 30 MT/hr of poultry feed may only other minor ingredients such as heat-labile vitamins
produce 4-5 MT/hr of high-quality shrimp feed. and some of the liquids are added. From the mixer,
the mixed formula meal is sent to the pelleting line
(Figure 18-3).
Formulation
The high protein levels of most aquafeeds are
achieved by using ingredients high in protein such Mixing: Sequence of ingredient addition
as fishmeal, shrimp head meal, squid meal, clam
meal and soybean meal. Soybean meal use has The order in which ingredients are added to the
increased considerably in an attempt to reduce feed mixer can affect the mixing efficiency. The
costs and lessen the demand on fishmeal. Many of sequence of addition will depend on the
these high protein ingredients also have a high oil formulation, type of ingredients, and the activation
content. When these ingredients are ground, their of natural or synthetic binders. Particular attention
high oil content can clog fine mesh screens. To should be paid to the addition of binders to the mix.
avoid this, it is recommended that ingredients high In most cases, binding agents need to be activated
in oil be ground together with low oil content by water and by temperature. However, if a
ingredient(s) such as cereal grains. hydrophobic liquid, such as oil (i.e., fish oil), is
added in the mixer and coats the synthetic or natural
For shrimp feed manufacturing, the most common binder, it will not be able to readily absorb water
low oil ingredients used in combination with protein and start development of its binding properties,
meals high in oil are whole wheat grain, wheat which can reduce the water stability of the pelleted
flour, wheat gluten, and defatted soybean meal. feed.
Because fibrous ingredients do not grind well,
wheat middlings and similar ingredients are not Aquaculture feed ingredients are added to the
used in shrimp formulations. Although the fiber mixer in the following order:
particles can be reduced in size to a point, because
they are flexible they can be pulled through the • All major ingredients in order from greatest to
screen holes by the air-assist system without being least (fishmeal, soybean meal, cereal flours, etc.).
reduced to the target particle size. These large fiber Allow some mixing time (1-2 minutes depending
pieces will act as avenues for water penetration, and on type of mixer) prior to adding the minor
upon soaking, will expand, leading to the creation ingredients (trace elements, vitamin pre-mixes,
of voids resulting in loss of pellet integrity. For etc.), which will also be added from greatest to
aquafeed manufacturing it is recommended that least.
high-fiber ingredients not exceed 3% of the total
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

• Once all the dry ingredients are added, they should After being mixed, the shrimp feed is transferred to
be mixed for a predetermined time before the the pelleting supply bin. A variable speed feeder
addition of liquid ingredients. transfers it to the preconditioner where steam is
added to increase temperature and moisture levels.
• To prevent clump formation, the liquid ingredients Preconditioning is the third most critical step in the
must be sprayed onto the mixed feed as uniformly process for the production of highly water-stable
as possible, with water being the first liquid added shrimp feeds, as the steam activates natural or
because water must be internalized into the synthetic binders to achieve high water stability.
particles, improving the binding capacity once
subjected to higher temperatures in the pelleting The shrimp feed industry in North, Central and
or extrusion processes. South America has relied more on the short-term,
single-pass conditioner in contrast to Asia, where
• After the water is added, other aqueous long residence time conditioners are commonly
ingredients should follow. used. This is because the aquafeed industry was
developed out of feed mills designed to
• Lipids should be added last to prevent coating the manufacture broiler and swine feeds. However,
particles and inhibiting the hydration of the starch with the growth of the aquaculture industry, more
and other binding agents that may be present in and more feed mills are making the necessary
the formula. changes to produce high-quality shrimp feed.

• After all liquid ingredients are added, mix for a

predetermined time to ensure adequate dispersion. Single-pass conditioners study
A single-pass conditioner is shown in Figure 18-5.
A test run was conducted (Bortone, 1995) in this
Production basics for aquafeed conditioner with a 35% CP shrimp diet. It was run
The most common mixer used in commercial to compare the effects of using low-pressure steam
aquaculture feed manufacturing today is the (1 kg/cm2) and high-pressure steam (2 kg/cm2).
horizontal (Figure 18-4) mixers. The pellet mill used in this trial was a CPM Century
125 HP pellet mill with a die orifice diameter of 2.4
Figure 18-4. Horizontal mixer. mm and compression ratio of 20.8 (2.4 mm x 50
mm standard no relief). In this trial, the effect of
post-pellet conditioning was also evaluated.

Figure 18-5. Single-pass conditioner. Photo

courtesy of Sprout-Matador.

Because of short mixing cycles that permit up to 20

batches per hour, most new shrimp feed mills are
using horizontal drop-bottom mixers.
The post-pellet conditioning was accomplished by
Shrimp feed has bulk densities between 550-650 g/l placing hot pellets coming out of the die into a
and is a sinking feed. The most common and most styrofoam container for five minutes. Water
cost-effective method to produce high-density, stability (WS) of pellets not subjected to post
water-stable shrimp feed is the pelleting process. conditioning (OC) versus post conditioned (PC) was
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

measured as percent dry matter left after four hours Figure 18-6. Double-pass conditioner. Photo
of water immersion. For this method, 80% WS is courtesy of Sprout-Matador.
considered good and beyond 90% is considered
excellent.

Results indicated that, at a pressure of 2 kg/cm2,

conditioned mash temperature and pellet
temperature exiting the die were higher (95 vs.
92°C and 98 vs. 95°C) than at 1 kg/cm2 pressure. In
contrast, water stability (WS) was higher for low-
pressure (LP) pellets (75.2 vs. 68.0%). The higher
pellet temperature of high-pressure (HP) pellets is
due to lower moisture content, which in turn had
higher friction as they exited the die. This higher
temperature of HP pellets is also responsible for the Figure 18-7. Double-differential conditioner. Photo
higher post conditioning temperatures achieved courtesy of Wenger, Inc.
(95.0 vs. 94.0°C).

Water stability for PC pellets was substantially

higher than for pellets cooled right after exiting the
die at the same pressure. However, there was no
difference in water stability for PC pellets at either
of the pressures tested (92.8 vs. 92.2). The results
clearly show an advantage in using post
conditioning and this should be considered,
especially in situations where double-pass
conditioners are not available. A comparison between (Bortone, 1996) a Sprout-
Matador double-pass conditioner (DPC) and a CPM
A better alternative to the single-pass short retention single-pass (SPC) conditioner was made to
time conditioner is the double-pass (Figure 18-6), determine the effects of long (two minutes) vs. short
and even triple-pass conditioner. Stacking retention time (30 seconds) on shrimp feed water
conditioners on top of each other reduces the total stability. In this case, die specifications (2.4 mm x
length of the unit. Many poultry and swine 50 mm working area, high-chrome die and closed-
operations are turning their attention to double-pass end corrugated roller shells), formula (35% CP
conditioners as a way to increase pellet durability, high-wheat flour) and processing conditions were
reduce fines, increase pellet digestibility and as a equal. The pellet mills were the same brand of
means for sanitizing the feed. equipment and were run at the same die speed side
by side. The steam was injected at 1.5 kg/cm2 of
A disadvantage of multiple-pass conditioners is the pressure. In this trial, post-pellet conditioning
possibility of reduced mixing when the speed is (PPC) of five minutes was tested for both DPC and
reduced or the paddle configuration is changed in an SPC.
attempt to increase dwell time. This dilemma can
be overcome by using double agitators that rotate at Results indicated that a DPC achieved higher mash
different speeds, maintaining adequate mixing and conditioning temperatures than the SPC (97.5 vs.
dwell times. This is known as the double- 82.4°C). Also, mash moisture was higher for DPC
differential conditioner (Figure 18-7). than SPC (15.7 vs. 12.9%). These results
corroborated the advantage of dwell time on mash
temperature and moisture. This experiment
demonstrates that as the residence time increases,
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

there is more time for steam to condense and mm can only produce 3-5 MT/hr of shrimp feeds
transfer its energy to the product. The improvement (2.3 mm diameter).
on mash conditioning also resulted in better water
stability for DPC than for SPC (73.0 vs. 62.6); Also, the compression ratio used for poultry and
however, higher water stability results were swine diets is much less than that used to produce
obtained by post conditioning the hot pellets (92.6 good quality shrimp feeds (12-14 vs. 18-20,
vs. 79.5%). respectively). Therefore, when comparing dies
from different manufacturers, use this as one of the
selection criteria, the total open area and not just the
Die thickness and compression price, and always request dies with the most open
area to increase capacity.
Most shrimp dies are manufactured with stainless
steel, with a high chrome content to prevent
The function of the rollers is to force the material
corrosion, as most shrimp formulas can contain
into the die. Roller adjustment is critical in the
acidic materials, and to reduce the coefficient of
pelleting process of shrimp feed. It is recommended
friction. Where high lipid diets are used, and
to adjust the rollers as close as possible to the die
increasing the coefficient of friction is required, the
face. The gap of the roller and the die face should
dies should be manufactured of carburized stainless
be approximately 0.5 mm. The rollers should be
steel.
adjusted at least every two shifts using the touch
skip method. In shrimp feed it is common to have
For shrimp feed manufacturing it is common to use
the rollers over-adjusted with the expectation that
a die with an effective thickness of 40 mm when
this would increase throughput, when in reality, the
using 2.0 mm orifices and a compression ratio of
opposite will occur. Very tight rollers will cause
20. For formulas high in starch and die
spalling of the die (Figure 18-8).
compression ratios of 18 or more, it is
recommended to lubricate the formula by adding 1-
Figure 18-8. Spalling of the die face caused by
2% oil (fish oil) in the mixer. This addition needs
overly tight rollers.
to be accounted for and subtracted from the total
applied during coating.

Typically shrimp feed dies have no counterbores

(standard die). The main reason is to maintain
pellet quality (length, hardness, compression ratio,
water stability) as consistently as possible. Shrimp
pellets produced with a die having the outside rows
relieved will have different dwell times in the
effective pelleting zones, causing pellets to be less
compacted, softer and possibly less water-stable
than pellets produced with the standard die.
Roller shells are made with different
Shrimp feed dies should have optimum hole configurations—dimpled, corrugated open ends and
patterns to maximize open area and throughput. As corrugated closed ends. It is important to use the
the size of the die orifice diameter decreases, the rollers that have the highest traction possible to
pelleting capacity also decreases. This is because push the moist mash through the die. In most cases,
the perforated area (total open area) is considerably the preferred roller shell is the corrugated closed
smaller in dies with small diameter orifices than in ends (see Figure 18-9) since this offers higher
large diameter ones (i.e., 2.0 mm vs. 6 mm). This traction. The closed channels prevent the mash
explains why pellet mills with throughputs of 20 from flowing sideways, thus pushing more towards
MT/hr for poultry and swine diets with dies of 6 the die face where it is pushed out through holes.
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

Figure 18-9. Corrugated shells closed ends. Photo Figure 18-11. Standard groove shell.
courtesy of Jacobson Inc.

The shells should be rotated at least twice during

the life of the die. It is also important to have each Pellets are cut as they exit the die. The knives used
die placed with its matching set of roller shells. to cut the pellets need to be as sharp as possible.
This is because the shells will conform to the wear Dull blades will only knock off the pellets, creating
of the die, and if used with a different die, will not stress cracks that will cause the pellets to break into
have the same wear pattern, thus affecting smaller pieces with fines production. The stress
throughput and possibly damaging the die. cracks also provide an avenue for water penetration,
which can result in poor water stability. As a
The shells can be fine groove (Figure 18-10) or general rule, all blades need to be replaced at least
standard (Figure 18-11) groove configuration. For every other shift.
moist meals, as in the case of shrimp feed, the fine
groove is the more desired one because it has good
traction due to greater surface area of contact and it Post-pellet cooking
also provides a quieter run. Why is water stability so improved with post
conditioning? As discussed previously, pellets
Figure 18-10. Fine groove shell. subjected to some form of post conditioning had
improved water stability. In those trials, post
conditioning was accomplished by just keeping the
pellets at their own temperature for a determined
period of time. The increments in time in which the
pellets are kept warm have two positive effects.
First, the pellets are not subjected to the sudden
change in temperature due to the cold draft of the
cooler that causes the pellets to contract rapidly.
The sudden contraction causes microscopic cracks
that are avenues for water penetration and result in
poor water stability. Post conditioning, as a very
slow cooling process, allows for the contraction to
occur very slowly and permits particles to come
together in a tight structure rather than the sudden
cooling process, which leaves these particles
separated (no maturation) with micro-cracks or
voids. Second, post conditioning provides the
means for further cooking the starches, which in
turn improves water stability. After all, the degree
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

of starch gelatinization is a time- and temperature- steam addition or keep them as hot as possible
dependent process. (jacketed). Some units incorporate steam injection,
temperature control zones and PLC controls to
Post-pellet cookers offer an alternative to monitor temperature and humidity.
substantially improve shrimp feed water stability.
There is no published literature that shows a To understand the size of a horizontal unit we also
scientific explanation as to why post conditioned need to take into account the maximum capacity of
pellets have better water stability than pellets not the pellet mill. This is the highest capacity at which
subjected to this treatment. However, research the “best quality” feed is made. Therefore, if the
(Bortone, 1995) with shrimp feeds using regular pellet mill is known to produce pellets of high
pelleting, extrusion and expander and pelleting quality at 3 MT/hr, with 10 minute residence time in
technologies follow the same trend. No matter what the post conditioner, then these parameters should
process is used, water stability is 10-20% better be used as a guideline to size the unit.
when the pellets are subjected to a post cooking
time.
Figure 18-12 shows post conditioning time
As pellets exit the die some expansion is exhibited, optimization trials using styrofoam boxes to
but if allowed to cook slowly, the pellets’ diameter simulate a post cooker unit. The boxes are labeled
starts to shrink. This shrinkage brings the particles 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes (Figure 18-13) and the
together, including starch granules, protein and even pellets were collected at a known capacity. This is
other binding agents present in the formula. In repeated at various pellet mill capacities to
contrast, when pellets are subjected to an abrupt determine the optimal capacity without reducing
change in temperature, as in the case of the pellets pellet water stability.
immediately reaching the cooler, they do not have
time to shrink in size, and micro-cracks develop.
Figure 18-12. Styrofoam box simulating a post
Post conditioners, or post-pellet cookers, are not conditioning chamber.
new in the Eastern hemisphere. These units of
operation have slowly made their way to the
Western hemisphere in the last five years, where
they have been recognized to improve pellet water
stability.

A few years ago, this unit was regarded as a “trade

secret,” but not so long ago feed manufacturers
learned about it and started implementing its use.
The main post-pellet conditioners used in the
shrimp feed industry in Asia were horizontal units.
These horizontal units were designed to retain the
pelleted feed for up to 20 minutes. The units can be
anything from slowly-moving drag conveyors to
large holding bins.
Once the minimum residence time is estimated, one
can proceed to size the unit or use this information
Horizontal post conditioners to request the minimum residence time required
from the equipment vendor.
These units may be considered a simple “box.” But
there is more to post conditioners. The units are
designed to either further heat the pellets via live
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

Figure 18-13. Styrofoam boxes labeled 5, 10, 15 The dimensions of the horizontal post conditioner
and 20 minutes to measure the effect of post depend on the floor space available. The
cooking time at 4 MT/hr. dimensions can change considerably if the residence
time is doubled. This will practically require
double the space of the footprint or a change of bed
depth. One critical aspect to consider is the bed
width of the unit. The wider the bed, the shorter it
will be. If it is too wide, it will require an
oscillating arm feeder to evenly distribute the
pelleted feed across the bed width. This adds an
extra cost to the unit. Other important aspects to
consider are: Steam injection; jacketed sections to
maintain the temperature product; temperature
control thermocouples (closed-loop control); and
total moisture coming out of the post conditioner.
The latter is often overlooked and may result in
serious problems if live steam is injected. This can
Calculate the space needed result in high moisture in the finished product
How big does this unit need to be to hold the because a cooler alone will not be able to remove
product for 10 minutes? To determine the the excess.
dimensions of the bed needed to hold the product
for the required time, use the following equation: Horizontal post conditioners can work well where
floor space is available, but when sizing a unit or
Footprint area (FPA) = (rate × time/60) / (depth x ) designing a new line, consider other important
For example: aspects such as maintenance. Horizontal units
require more maintenance due to the large amount
Production rate = 3,000 kg of moving parts used. Also, they require more
Feed density = 650 kg/m3 cleaning to avoid cross-contamination or mold.
Desired bed depth of pellets = 0.3 meters One of the major advantages of these units is the
Post conditioning time = minimum 10 minutes fact that the pelleted feeds are gently handled, so
fewer fines are produced.
FPA = (3000 kg × (10 minutes/60 minutes)) /
(0.3 m × 650 kg/m3) = 2.56 m2
Vertical post-pellet conditioners
The total footprint for the bed can be a The vertical post-pellet cooker (Figure 18-14)
combination of lengths and widths as shown on includes the option of further increasing the degree
Table 18-1. of cooking by adding steam to the unit, and a steam
jacket to control the temperature of the unit. The
Table 18-1. Settings for a 10 minute residence addition of steam, coupled with a long residence
time in a horizontal post conditioner. time of up to 20 minutes, increases the total
Length, m Width, m Area, m2 moisture content from 17% (out of the die) to 22%.
2.56 1.00 2.56 Since starch gelatinization is a temperature-,
2.84 0.9 2.56 moisture- and time-dependant process, it is without
3.20 0.8 2.56 a doubt that such a system can further improve the
3.66 0.7 2.56 water stability of the pellets. At these high moisture
4.27 0.6 2.56 contents, however, the system also requires a dryer
5.12 0.5 2.56 to reduce the excess moisture that cannot be
achieved by evaporative cooling alone.
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

These can be simple round holding bins or more may exist to produce high-moisture pellets that will
sophisticated square units. The main problem with mold. If this is the case, you may need a dryer and
improperly-designed vertical post conditioners is a cooler to reduce the total moisture of the pellets to
that the product can bridge inside the bin. This 9-10% and the temperature to no more than 5°
results in blockage of the whole process and above ambient.
downtime to break up the lumped product.

Figure 18-14. Vertical post conditioner. Photo Pellet crumbling and screening
courtesy of Geelen.
In the crumbling process, whole pellets are cracked
to produce starter diets, which are used to feed
shrimp in their early developmental stages. The
whole pellets used in the production of starter diets
must meet the same standards for water stability and
pellet durability. It should not be assumed that
because the pellets will be cracked, the pelleting
process could be altered with the sole objective of
increasing capacity. Therefore, pellets produced for
the crumbling process should be subjected to the
same processing conditions necessary to achieve the
highest possible quality standards.

The equipment used to crush pellets into small

particles is known as the crumbler (Figure 18-15)
and consists of a set of two rolls that run at different
speeds, each with a different set of grooves (Figure
18-16). The crumbler is usually located after the
dryer/cooler. Shrimp starter crumbles can typically
be as small as 0.5 mm and as large as 3.0 mm. With
Most modern vertical post conditioners avoid hang- whole pellets that are 2.2 mm in diameter and 6-8
ups by providing sliding gates that are adjusted mm long, the crumble distribution typically is 60,
according to the pellet diameter. These sliding 30 and 10% for sizes in the ranges of 1.5-2.5, 1.0-
gates are designed to gently lift the bed, causing the 1.5 mm and 0.5-1.0 mm, respectively. The grooves
product that may have formed a block to gently and roller spacing determine the crumble sizes.
break and flow out.
Figure 18-15. Crumble roller assembly.
Compared to the horizontal unit in the previous
footprint area (FPA) example, a vertical unit will
only require floor space of 0.52 m2 (product depth
was calculated at 1.5 m)—which is a 237% smaller
footprint area. The disadvantage of this unit is that
it requires more head space. If height is not an issue
and footprint is, then the vertical unit has more
advantages than the horizontal unit.

In areas of high relative humidity and temperature it

is easier to achieve the desired moisture and
temperature in the preconditioner without adding
steam to the pellets in the post conditioner. But if
steam is added to the post conditioner, conditions
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

Figure 18-16. Crumble rollers rotate at different (Figure 18-17). These screeners are composed of
speeds and have different corrugations. multiple stacked decks of sifting screens. These
units rotate and vibrate in three planes, making
them more efficient than common screener
separators. The rotational action is controlled by a
set of weights and a motor placed at the bottom of
the unit. Shifting the weights can increase or
decrease the dwell time by changing the direction of
flow on the screen.

Figure 18-17. Horizontal rotational screener used

to segregate crumbles.

An important objective of crumbling is to reduce

the amount of fines that are produced as the pellets
are crushed. More fines are generated when the
pellet diameter is too large in relation to the
particles that need to be produced. Larger diameter
pellets cannot properly enter through the nip angle
of the rollers, causing more fines as the rollers erode
them. The average amount of fines produced is
15%. These fines need to be removed, and, unlike
what is done with other farm animal feeds, they
Coating
should be sent to an ingredient bin and not to the
pellet mill. Fines that are returned to the pellet mill Coaters are necessary to add those liquids that were
can drastically reduce pellet quality. Some pellets not included in the mix to avoid affecting the
pass through the crumble rolls without breaking. processing and overall quality of the feed. One of
These pellets must be separated downstream and the most common ingredients added post-pelleting
redirected to the crumbler. or post extrusion is fish oil.

The screening process removes clumps produced in The most common method for adding fish oil is
the pelleting process. These clumps or larger pieces through a drum coater (Figure 18-18). Drum
are removed by the sifter as overs, and should be coaters are equipped with spray nozzles that apply
separated and re-ground. When pelleting is the liquid as the feed is gently tumbled. In the last
adequate, no more than 5% fines should be ten years, new coating systems have entered in the
produced. Exceeding this number may indicate aquatic feed market. One such piece of equipment
problems in the pelleting process or mechanical is the vacuum coater (Figure 18-19). This is
handling that is too harsh. basically a batch unit that is filled with the pelleted
feed and then subjected to vacuum or 200 mbar of
The crumbling process produces different particle absolute pressure. This allows for liquids to be
sizes that need to be segregated into the different drawn into the pellet by capillary forces. Once the
fractions with a screener. The most common liquid is applied and subjected to vacuum, the
equipment used in the separation of crumbles of pressure must be equalized back to atmospheric
various sizes is the horizontal rotational screener pressure.
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

Figure 18-18. Drum coater. ingredient. The fine particles of liquid then coat
the pellets, which are deposited in a mixing
conveyor.

Figure 18-20. Mist coater unit. Photo courtesy of

APEC Inc.

One of the advantages of this type of coater is the

precision for liquid applications, as well as the
degree of liquid distribution through the feed.
However, this type of coater works best for particles
that have some porosity such as floating extruded
feeds, which permits the liquid to move inward The key element in any vacuum coating system is
under a vacuum. For pelleted feeds where the the precision at which the oil or fat is added to the
surface is rather smooth, the use of vacuum coaters product. This step is key to maintain a good
is still questionable. balance of total energy to protein. If too much fat is
added, the nutritional value of the feed can be
Figure 18-19. Vacuum coater. Photo courtesy of adversely affected, impairing growth and
Forberg International Ltd AS. performance of the target aquatic species.

Figure 18-21. Discs of mist coater. Photo

courtesy of APEC Inc.

Another coater unit used in shrimp feeds is the mist

coater (Figure 18-20). This type of coater offers
the advantage that it is a continuous unit and uses
less space than the drum coater. In the case of mist
Dr. Eugenio Bortone is a Sr. Principal Scientist for
coaters, the liquid is not sprayed but rather applied
PepsiCo-Frito Lay. He previously served as the
as a curtain or mist produced by centrifugal force
R&D Manager for Ralston Purina and earned his
imparted by rotating plates (Figure 18-21). As the
B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Kansas State University.
feed enters, it is exposed to the mist of the liquid
Feed Pelleting Reference Guide Section 4: Ingredient Considerations
Chapter 18: Considerations for Aquaculture

This content was edited and reviewed by Dr.

Charles Stark, Jim and Carol Brown Associate
Professor of Feed Technology at Kansas State
University, Dr. Adam Fahrenholz, Assistant
Professor of Feed Milling at North Carolina State
University, and Dr. Cassandra Jones, Assistant
Professor of Feed Technology at Kansas State
University.