Finish Line® has examined the value of
supplying products in a pelletized form several times over the last
decade. There is a definite demand for this type of product
but, after weighing the pros and cons of the entire situation,
Finish Line® has elected to stick with concentrated powders instead
of pelletized products for the present time. A review of all
of the factors involved in making this decision follows:
Cost increases: Pelletizing a product increases costs
across the board. The product must be diluted in a feed material,
additives such as binders included, power requirements for heating,
extruding and drying, larger packaging units, and freight of
shipping a bulkier material all add up to higher cost to you, the
buyer. Finish Line believes that a concentrated powder is far more
economical for the consumer. Why pay for fillers/binders/extra
shipping that you do not need?
Ingredient stability: The typical pelletizing process
involves adding water and/or steam to the blended fillers/active
ingredients/binders. Energy is added as heat by both heaters and by
the pressures experienced in the extrusion block. The heat is also
needed to dry the pellets (evaporate the water rapidly) after pellet
formation. The exact temperature that the ingredients experience is
unknown, and it is difficult to find published specifications for
extrusion block temperatures. What temperature do the active
ingredients reach? What happens to them?
Some active ingredients are heat sensitive, and may be changed or
lost in the pelletizing process. For example, Vitamins C, B1, B2,
B6, and Calcium Pantothenate all have specific decomposition
temperatures in the 190-290 degrees Centigrade range 1.
The beta form of Glucosamine has a decomposition temperature of 110
degrees C2, just above that of (non-superheated) steam.
One literature source detailed an experiment in which the vitamins
A, D, E and K were analyzed before and after pelletizing3.
Calculating the percent loss revealed the following:
Vitamin A: 20% loss
Vitamin D: 20% loss
Vitamin E: 12% loss
Vitamin K: 45% loss
One technique used by processors is to add a calculated excess to
reach the desired level after processing. This brings the nutrient
up to its stated level, but why pay extra for burnt active
ingredients? If and when a "cold process" method of pelletizing
becomes available and feasible, Finish Line will re-evaluate the
situation again.
Pasteurization: The process of pelletizing a feed does
kill bacteria, which is good, just as it kills vitamins which is
bad! A literature source stated results from a microbiology test of
before and after pelletizing on (high) microbe concentrations.
Coliform, mold and Clostridium were greatly reduced, and TPC (Total
Plate Count or everything that’ll grow on the plate) was reduced 96%4.
Very few if any natural feed items for horses are "sterile" though.
Additionally, using concentrated, pure active ingredients in a dry
blend achieves very low microbe levels as evidenced by the
microbiology results listed on the specification sheet of the active
ingredients Finish Line uses. So, why Pasteurize something that
doesn’t need Pasteurizing? If and when a good cold-process is found,
the whole Pasteurization issue becomes irrelevant anyway.
Ease of Application: Some consumers are concerned that
their horse is not ingesting the powdered supplement; it’s falling
to the bottom of the feed tub and being left behind. A pelletized
feed avoids this. While most horses eat virtually everything in
their tub, thanks in part to Finish Line’s attention to product
palatability, it’s true that a few horses out there have perfected
the fine art of picking through their tubs. An inspection of your
horse’s eating habits, and the tub afterwards identifies the
culprits. There are many old-fashioned, easy solutions to this
issue, such as a wet mash.
Never Say Never: Finish Line will continue monitoring the
available technologies in the field of pelletizing, and if a method
is found that preserves the active ingredients yet is economical for
you, our consumer, we will re-evaluate our policy. Again! After
reviewing all of the factors involved in choosing between
concentrated powder or pelletized, we hope you agree that
concentrated powder is the best all-around value at this time.
References:
1) The Merck Index, 9th ed, Merck & Co Inc
2) The Merck Index, 9th ed, Merck & Co Inc
3) Coelho 1994. Vitamin Stability in Expanders. Feed Management.
45(8). 10-15.
4) Rokey. G. 2001. Pelleting, Conditioning, and Steam Addition. 2001
Feed Management Seminar. US Egg and Poultry
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