Effects of Processing on the Nutritional Value of Feeds (HEAT TREATMENT)

Heat treatment is employed to dry certain plant products and to improve the quality of pelleted feeds. Heat is sometimes employed in the extraction processes to remove oil from some oilseeds. Heat treatment improves the nutritional value of soybean meal by destroying the trypsin inhibitor which is naturally present, and by increasing the utilization of proteins and amino acids, fats, and carbohydrates present in the meal. Digestibility is enhanced by partial "cooking" and thus the ME value is increased.
Heat treatment increases the nutritional value of cereal grains by gelatinizing starches and improving digestibility. This change occurs during steam pelleting, when dry steam is added to the mixture of feed ingredients just prior to pelleting to condition the feed so that better quality pellets are produced. Proper conditioning of feeds before pelleting results in improved pellet durability and a reduced amount of fines in the finished product.