What happens to starch after processing? 07 Dec 2006
Author: Jared Froetschner
Recently, I was honoured to attend the Grain Processing
Symposium at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK, USA). This
symposium was well attended, and many of the influential beef nutrition
consultants in the United States were in attendance. The topics ranged from
grain processing basics, to ruminant starch nutrition, to the economics of
processing for fed cattle.
Beef nutritionists in front
In
general, most of the presentations were slightly above average. Much of the
information regarding steam flaking, high moisture corn, and reconstitution were
reviews; the techniques in processing grain for fed cattle are pretty simple.
However, this symposium reinforced a previous opinion that beef nutritionists
know more about starch and what happens to starch through feed processing than
the majority of the traditional feed processing industry.
Starch is the primary energy source in all species’
diets; in maize (corn), starch makes up about 70-72% of the total composition.
Monogastric and dairy nutritionists formulate diets based on the starch
composition of cereal grains. However, these nutritionists know little about
what happens to starch after it has been processed. For example, it is commonly
held knowledge that we gelatinize starch in the traditional pelleting process. I
would suggest that we need to rethink this concept.
ROI of grain
processing
I would posit that beef nutritionists are ahead of the
industry in general as it relates to understanding starch and the changes starch
undergoes during feed processing. This understanding has economic ramifications,
in that beef nutritionists in the United States know the value of grain
processing and can assign a realistic return-on-investment (ROI) for the
process. Can we say the same regarding pelleting, expanding, or
extrusion?
Re-discovering science in feed manufacturing
The
point here is that we need to better understand what happens to dietary
components like starch, or even native proteins as we process the feed.
Therefore, my first several entries will cover some of the ingredient
fundamentals that play a role in the feed manufacturing process. Along these
lines, I hope that I can entice you to participate with me, as we re-discover
the science involved in feed manufacturing.
