Fish Feed Processing Plant & Machinery Solutions

Fishmeal, soya, rice bran and maize are tipped, screened and freed of tramp metal. Material is fed forward at a steady rate so the mill runs evenly.

Ingredients are ground to a fine, uniform powder, because coarse particles stop the pellet expanding evenly in the extruder. The powder is sieved and the mill runs under dust extraction.

The powder is weighed to formula with vitamin and mineral premixes and blended dry. Moisture in the mix is checked before extrusion, as it governs how the pellet expands.

The mix is cooked with steam under pressure and forced through a die; the sudden drop in pressure expands the pellet and traps air inside it, which is what makes the pellet float. A cutter at the die face sizes the pellet for the species being fed.

Expanded pellets carry a lot of moisture and are dried until they will store without moulding. They are then cooled so that the oil applied next is absorbed rather than shed.

Fish oil and heat-sensitive additives are sprayed onto the cooled pellets after extrusion. Coated pellets are screened into size grades for fry, fingerling and grow-out feeding.

Bags are filled, coded with batch details and inspected before despatch. Filled bags are stacked for storage and transport.