Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 2 March 2021

ARTICLE FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2021 73 Drying is a common practice to store grains safely, and it is a delicate process to reach the perfect mois- ture. By missing the target, the crop is still prone to mycotoxins and spoilage, on the other hand, over-dry- ing is not just an expensive waste of energy but can cause damage and breakage to the grain’s skin, mak- ing it prone to mycotoxins and insect attacks. Excessive drying can also cause the grains to shrink in size, causing yield loss. The material entering the dryer has variable water content, and this makes it challenging to regulate the amount of time the material needs to be exposed to the heat or to regulate the temperature. In this process, the inline moisture control is used to automate the dryer to save money and improve the quality. CONDITIONING After drying, depending on the material and sys- tem requirements, it may be necessary to reintro- duce water into the product by conditioning. This process can be done before the grinding mill and before pelleting operations. Depending on the final application, the condi- tioning can also heat the material to kill germs, to cook ingredients, and to gelatinate starch. In the same way that moisture control enhances the drying phase, it also improves the conditioning process by monitoring the target moisture to react timely to changes in the input material. GRINDING Grinding is one of the most energy-consuming transformations in many food processes. Through me- chanical action, it reduces the size of food materials such as grains, seeds, fruits, and many more to achieve different chemical and microbiological stability. Results vary based on machines and methods used, as well as toughness and moisture of the material processed. The toughness is the ability of a material to resist breakage; therefore, tougher material will need more mechanical energy to be reduced in size. The plasticity or ductility of a material determines the amount of energy absorbed before breaking down as well as the final size. More plastic or ductile material will need more energy to break, but it will