ARTICLE 72 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE December 2025 “Moisture management has become a strategic pillar of feed mill performance. Better moisture control not only protects feed quality and safety, but also boosts operational efficiency, reduces costs and enhances profitability. Feed mills should be auditing their current water activity control and considering moisture management as a strategic focus to improve output and profitability.” Feed mills face constant challenges balancing variables such as raw material availability, pellet quality and production efficiency. Moisture management is an often-overlooked area of feed production. It may seem simple, but it’s a highly sophisticated discipline at the heart of feed manufacturing efficiency. Every percentage of moisture lost during pelleting translates into reduced volume, compromised durability, and higher energy costs. Moisture management is an important factor to be considered by feed mills, especially because of the impact it has on feed cost and mill performance. Moisture management may seem simple but is in fact a highly sophisticated discipline with efficiency at its core. New technologies have furthered our understanding of the importance of water activity in feed, giving rise to patented solutions like ProSid™ Pellet Pro. WHY MOISTURE MATTERS Water is a critical part of the nutritional specification of feed. Pelleting and heating cause water losses of around 3% through evaporation. When moisture levels drift below intended targets, mills lose production volume. Additionally, the pellets are often compromised in terms of quality, often with reduced uniformity, poor consistency and compromised durability. Conversely, poorly managed added water increases water activity, heightening the risk of microbial growth. Moisture influences many areas of feed production including: 1. Feed safety – the contamination risk grows significantly when water activity is high. Most bacterial pathogens cannot proliferate below a water activity of 0.9, and most molds are inhibited below 0.65. 2. Milling efficiency – moisture evaporation accounts for a 1-3% loss of final feed tonnage, equivalent to 40 million tons of saleable feed worldwide. These losses are compounded during dry seasons or in high friction milling environments. More energy is consumed and throughput is lower. 3. Pellet quality – insufficient moisture in the mash reduces steam uptake which weakens pellet adhesion, leading to poor starch gelatinization and reduced hardness. 4. Animal performance – it is a misconception that drier feed improves feed conversion. Optimal MOISTURE MANAGEMENT BOOSTS FEED MILL EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY Antony Wildon Mill Optimization Product Manager Perstorp Group
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