This animal-feed mixer test standard provides a means to ultimately ensure the quality of animal feed mixtures.

The use of salt (sodium chloride), the tracer primarily referenced in the previous standard, had limitations in validating mixer performance, particularly the mixing of micro-ingredient (drug) feed additions and in validating "augmentation" or cross-contamination control procedures.

Iron instead of salt
The revised standard (ASAE S303.4 SEP2007) "Test procedure for solids-mixing equipment for animal feeds", specifically references the use of coloured iron particles or coloured iron powder to use as tracers in these situations.

The revision allows US and Canadian feed manufacturers to satisfy both domestic regulatory and non-regulatory testing requirements while also satisfying requirements of trading partners in Europe.

A copy of the document can be ordered by contacting ASABE headquarters directly at martin@asabe.org.

ASABE  is recognized worldwide as a standards developing organization for food, agricultural, and biological systems, with more than 225 standards currently in publication.