Growing aquaculture market and demand for high fat fish feed especially for species like salmon and trout
Extension of extrusion know-how and new business
New application for Evonik silica in the feed industry
Challenges:
High fat content à Decrease in pellet stability
Mild process conditions needed to avoid oxidation of essential fatty acids à Influences overall pellet properties and quality1 + additional coating step, i.e., vacuum coating, is needed
Post-processing steps: Increase in overall production costs
ddition of Evonik silica reduces the lubricating effect induced by addition of oil à Changed viscosity and resulting thermo- mechanical energy input à Enhanced product quality!
Hypothesis:
Silica absorbs fat + stabilizes the starch structure due to network formation à Addition of silica influences extrusion processing conditions and therefore the resulting properties of pellets
Aim:
Determination of influence of silica grade/concentration on the processing conditions, pellet abrasion, and fat leakage for pellets with high fat contents