Kafkas Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 2019 , Vol 25 , Issue 1
Improvement in Pellet Production Parameters and Pellet Quality Characteristics with Sepiolite Supplementation in Dairy Cattle Concentrate
Sakine YALÇIN1, Ender BURÇAK2, İlyas ONBAŞILAR3, Muhammad Shazaib RAMAY1, Emre Sunay GEBEŞ1, Mahlagha PİRPANAHİ1
1Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, TR-06110 Ankara - TURKEY
2Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, TR-06800 Ankara - TURKEY
3Transgenic Animal Technology Application and Research Center, Hacettepe University, TR-06230 Ankara - TURKEY
DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2018.20453 The aim of this study was conducted to determine the effects of sepiolite usage on pellet production parameters and pellet quality characteristics for dairy cattle concentrate feed under regular industrial conditions. In the experiment, 14 mt pellet feeds for control and two treatment groups with 7 batch each were produced in a commercial feed factory. Each batch was 2 mt. Control group feed produced contained 87.37% dry matter, 18.06% crude protein, 6.95% crude fibre and 5.34% ether extract. For the treatment groups, 1% and 1.5% sepiolite (Exal T) were used as top dressed in the mixer. Pelleting disc having 6.5 mm hole diameter was used in the factory. Energy consumption during pellet manufacturing was decreased with sepiolite supplementation (P<0.001) and pellet durability index (PDI) was enhanced with 1.5% sepiolite (P<0.05). These findings demonstrated that 1.5% sepiolite in dairy cattle concentrates as top dressed may be used as a binder to improve pellet quality and to reduce energy consumption during pellet production in the feed mill. Keywords : Energy consumption, Dairy cattle concentrate, Pellet durability, Sepiolite