Make It or Buy It: Reduce Waste, Maximize Feed Value
Choosing the right processing methods for animal feed is critical to maintaining economic viability and sustainability in animal production. The industry faces a series of complex challenges, including reducing waste, lowering production costs, and enhancing feed quality—all while adhering to environmental regulations.
Traditional methods for processing oilseeds rely heavily on chemical additives, such as hexane, used in solvent extraction. These chemicals must be carefully handled and disposed of, adding layers of cost and risk to the operation. Moreover, conventional processing techniques can strip away essential nutrients from feed ingredients, resulting in lower-quality meals that require the addition of extra fats or oils to meet nutritional standards. This increases costs and undermines the productivity goals of many producers. Insta-Pro’s mechanical processing excels at retaining nutrients within its products, with a 92% Amino Acid digestibility and 85% deactivation of anti-nutritional factors. Typically, this results in a 4-8% diet cost savings for producers.
In contrast to solvent-extracted processing, Insta-Pro’s ExPress® process uses high-shear dry extrusion and mechanical pressing, utilizing a high-temperature, short-time (HTST) process that eliminates the need for chemicals. Processing this way also keeps 6-8% residual oil within the meal, an ideal level for maximizing growth while removing the need for added fat in diet mixtures. Over decades of extensive study and feeding trials using Insta-Pro extruded feed ingredients in diets, it has been shown that:
- Swine have a 3.6% greater digestibility of amino acids, as well as metabolizable energy concentrations 605 kcal/kg greater when fed ExPress® soy meal rather than hexane-extracted soybean meal.
- Dairy cows increased milk production by 4.5% per head per day when fed a combination of ExPress® soy meal & Hi-Gel™ corn.
- Broilers can achieve market weights 2-4 days earlier when fed ExPress soy meal in diet formulations, equating to a 2.5% decrease in feed costs.
Insta-Pro International’s commitment to sustainability is evident in the design of our mechanical processing equipment, which is built with 100% precision-crafted parts that offer a significant advantage in durability and efficiency. Our parts are produced with 45% hardness, resulting in up to ten times the lifespan of standard components. This enhanced durability reduces wear and tear on the equipment and minimizes the need for frequent replacements, leading to less waste and fewer resources used over time. Additionally, with a longer-lasting, more reliable machine, customers experience decreased downtime, ensuring consistent production and further contributing to a sustainable, cost-effective operation.
In closing, Insta-Pro International’s mechanical solutions offer a superior alternative to traditional methods for producing high-quality animal feed. Our technology supports sustainability and reduces operational costs by eliminating the need for chemical processing while preserving essential proteins and amino acids. The long-term benefits of greater efficiency and improved animal performance, like increased milk production or increased digestibility for swine and poultry, make Insta-Pro’s equipment an invaluable investment for producers seeking to thrive in today’s competitive market. With proven nutritional results and continued innovation for over 50 years, Insta-Pro continues to lead the way in transforming animal feed processing for a more sustainable future.
