The steam-flaking process offers several advantages, as the raise of feed digestibility and palatability, its complete sterilization and the elimination of the anti-nourishing factors. The use of flaked feeds allows also an improvement of the satiety sensation and optimizes the use of feeds of a low biological value.
Molecular modification of starch: the steam cooking process and the rolling of cereals act on the chemical and physical structure of starch, first favouring its transformation into dextrins and less complex sugars and then with the loss of its crystal structure, as a consequence of the gelatinization process. These modifications mean an improvement of the feed digestibility, as well as a higher absorption rate, which can be quantified in approximately the double quantity, if compared with the dry milled grain.
The reduction of caryopsis into sheets or flakes causes a high increase of the feed volume, favouring a longer ingestion. A larger surface is in contact with gastric juice, improving the digestion.
Cooking at the optimum temperature is the only way which allows inserting cereals and legumes (soy, sorghum, etc.) into the rations, otherwise they would be unusable due to their contents of antinourishing factors.
The digestibility of starch is improved, thanks to its transformation into dextrins. In the case of maize the transformation goes from 34% in grinded cereal to 87% in flaked cereal, while for barley it goes from 61% to 81%.
The steam-flaking process supplies an optimum sanitary qualification of cereals and legumes, as it eliminates all kinds of parasites and mycotoxins developed during a long storage.
A sensible increase in the feed palatability brings remarkable advantages to obtain high level productions.
Advance of satiety sensation with increase in the insalivation, being the volume of flakes larger than those of normal grains, improves the digestive process and concurs to create that “power tampon” which is the principal corrective of the ruminative pH.
Higher possibility to introduce in the rations those less expensive products that, through the flaking process, can highly increase their energetic production levels.
| Maize | Barley | Wheat | Broad bean | Pea | Soya | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flake | Flour | Flake | Flour | Flake | Flour | Flake | Flour | Flake | Flour | Flake | Flour | |
| Starch | 63.6 | 63.6 | 51.7 | 51.7 | 58.7 | 58.7 | 44.7 | 44.7 | 42.4 | 42.4 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Starch RD | 21.6 | 46 | 20.7 | 37 | 23.7 | 42 | 17.7 | 27 | 17.4 | 26.4 | 2.21 | 4.7 |
| Starch DIN | 42 | 17.6 | 31 | 14.7 | 35 | 16.7 | 27 | 17.7 | 25 | 16 | 4.29 | 1.8 |
The transformation into flakes of cereals and legumes grains, such as corn, barley, wheat, soy bean, sorghum or oat, traditionally used in animal nutrition, improves the nutritional standard of the various animal species: dairy cows, beef cattle, horses, pigs, sheep and other production species. Thermo-flaked cereals represent a determining factor in obtaining healthier, more fertile and long-living animals, as well as high quality milk and meat.
Better use of hay and other forage, because it improves the ruminant transformation of vegetable protein with a low biological value into bacterial protein of a high biological value.
More digestible energy, to keep the milk production peaks high, at the same time favouring the manifestation of regular periods of mating.
Better dairy production of milk destined for the manufacture of hard cheese.
Weaning: the high digestibility of the flaked cereals favours a more natural raising of the calf, which is therefore less subject to diarrhoea and various respiratory illness that arise when the animal badly digests its food, thus causing a progressive weakening. A calf that does not have health problems will grow more and in less time.
Fattening: with the use of flaked cereals, you can reduce, by at least 20%, the total cereal consumption in the rearing cycle; today’s technology has proven that the use of urea gives a better quality of protein to that of the soya flour; meat is definitely more tastier, tenderer and thus easier to digest, therefore more popular with consumers.
The introduction of flaked cereals into the food of sows has given the following benefits: more regular fertility, more relaxed gestation, birth and suckling without stress, higher number of births and weaned piglets.
The pigs reared and fattened up with flaked cereals show the following characteristics: higher conversion rate, higher lean meat production rate (55% compared to 45% obtained by cereals in flour), reduction in waste, less environmental pollution.
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