ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2026 41 for example, fungal contamination or foreign materials that differ in color. One challenge is that many contaminants are not evenly distributed in a batch; they tend to concentrate in relatively small portions of a delivered load. This makes it essential to inspect - and, where needed, clean - the entire product stream at full throughput. Example technology in practice: Optical sorting systems such as the Bühler Sortex Spark Pro are used to remove off-color kernels and foreign material at industrial scale, supporting consistent incoming raw material quality. HYGIENIC DESIGN IS NECESSARY - PROCESS INTEGRATION MAKES IT EFFECTIVE Along the process, even seemingly simple machines (such as batch mixers) must be designed with hygiene in mind. This includes: - suitable materials, - minimal product residue after discharge, - fast access for easy cleaning and maintenance. For example, the Bühler Speedmix achieves a variation coefficient (CV) of 2 - 5% within 90 seconds at a mixing ratio of 1:100,000. It is available in stainless steel and has a specified product residue of less than 0.05% after emptying - supporting both, optimum nutrient consistency and minimal carryover. Raw material cleaning and optical sorting at intake Accurate removal of mycotoxins Raw material cleaning and sorting at intake Size separation Coarse and/or small and broken kernels Aspiration Dust and husks Density separation Shriveled kernels Optical sorting Visual fungal signatures Combination of sieving machines Gravity separator Optical sorting machine Mycotoxin Outcome: feed/food quality Income: biomass quality Figure: Bühler Group Bühler Opitcal Sorter SPARK Pro Photo: Bühler Group
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