No abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of diets containing crude glycerol on pellet mill production efficiency and nursery pig growth performance. In a pilot study, increasing crude glycerol (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15%) in a corn-soybean meal diet was evaluated for pellet mill production efficiency. All diets were steam conditioned to 65.5 degrees C and pelleted through a pellet mill equipped with a die that had an effective thickness of 31.8 mm and holes 3.96 mm in diameter. Each diet was replicated by manufacturing a new batch of feed 3 times. Increasing crude glycerol increased both the standard (linear and quadratic, P < 0.01) and modified (linear, P < 0.01; quadratic, P

Pelleting of biomass can increase their bulk density and thus improve storability and reduce transportation costs. The objective of this research was to determine the effects of the pelleting conditions on chemical composition and fermentable sugar yield of the biomass. Corn stover, wheat straw, big bluestem, and sorghum stalks were used for this study. Dilute sulfuric acid was used for biomass pretreatment. Accellerase 1500™ was used for cellulose hydrolysis. Effects of mill screen size, die thickness, and L/D ratio of die on chemical compositions and sugar yield were determined. Glucan content of the biomass was positively affected by die thickness and negatively affected by mill screen size. Opposite trend was observed for xylan content. Wheat straw pellets had the highest sugar yield (92.5-94.1%) and big bluestem pellets had the lowest sugar yield (83.6-91.1%). Optimum pelleting condition is 6.5 mm screen size and 44.5 mm die thickness.

No abstract

Two experiments were conducted with male broilers to 1) establish a methodology for predicting effective caloric value (ECV), defined as dietary caloric density (CD) necessary for broilers to achieve specific BW and feed conversion ratio (FCR) combinations under standardized conditions and 2) quantify the ECV attributable to pellet quality (PQ), defined as the pellet to pellet fines ratio in the feeder. In experiment 1, chicks were reared to 56 d on diets varying in CD. Dietary caloric densities examined ranged from 2,650 to 3,250 kcal of MEn/kg. Pen BW, feed intake, and FCR were measured at 21, 42, and 56 d. On 42 and 56 d, carcass traits were measured. Increasing CD significantly enhanced BW, energy consumption, and FCR. Feed intake remained similar across the upper 3 CD treatments to 42 d. By d 56, feed consumption tended to decline as CD increased. Increasing CD beyond 3,066 kcal of MEn/kg diet did not increase lean tissue accretion, while fat deposition rose disproportionately. Experiment 1 results enabled development of equations whereby CD, hence ECV, might be predicted using BW and FCR. In experiment 2, 38-d-old broilers were used to evaluate PQ effects on growth, feed intake, FCR, and behavior in a 7-d FCR assay. The BW gain and FCR were significantly enhanced by pelleting and were positively correlated with PQ. Feed intake was not affected by PQ. The experiment 1 model was validated for experiment 2, as it closely estimated the CD for diets of similar PQ used in experiment 1. Results suggest pelleting contributes 187 kcal/kg of diet at 100% PQ and that the ECV declines curvilinearly as PQ falls. Birds were observed eating less and resting more as PQ increased, suggesting that ECV of pelleting is mediated by energy expenditure for activity. These studies provide a method for estimating ECV of nonnutritive factors that impact BW, FCR, or both. Further, the application reveals potential for creation of formulation "dead zones" whereby dietary changes to enhance CD may be offset due to reduced ECV.