There are two misconceptions about floating pellets. The first one is that they are made with a pellet mill, when the proper floating pellets-making machines are extruders. The second misconception is that floating feed is only used for fish. However, many other species consume feed on the water, such as crocodiles and birds.

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Floating pellets pelleting

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When selecting production equipment for a production plant, it is important to talk to someone with experience in your field. Our industry experts have experience with various industrial applications. We’d love to help you!

Diversify your floating feed formulation with a twin-screw extruder

When it comes to floating pellets making machines, you can choose between a single-screw or a twin-screw extruder. Both give you control of buoyancy to produce a floating, slow sinking, and sinking feeds.

If you choose single-screw, you will have a limited range of functions, which are easy to control. But processing time is longer, and you will need simpler feed formulas. On the other hand, producing floating feed with a twin-screw extruder gives you versatility and efficiency.

Twin-screw extruders allow you to work with a wide range of raw materials, providing flexibility in feed formulas. They have the advantage of micromixing the ingredients and transferring heat more uniformly. This offers better flow properties, low residence time, and better quality. Besides, you can vary the density and size of the “pellet” to produce micro aquafeed.

Add a pre-conditioner to raise productivity in floating feed processing

Although an extruder is the main machine required to produce floating pellets, adding a pre-conditioner increases productivity in floating feed manufacturing.

Water and steam are added to the dry pre-mixed ingredients in the pre-conditioner. The resulting moisture mix is homogeneous and pre-cooked, facilitating texturizing and extrusion. A pre-conditioner enhances the process and reduces wear of the extruder, with heat efficiency and better mixing. This treatment reduces starch quantity into the formula while improving the final product’s digestibility, uniformity, and water stability.

Include alternative feed sources in your floating pellets

In aquafeed, fishmeal is the primary protein source due to its rich protein and fatty acids content. But as fishmeal production and supply needs sustainable improvements, you can use alternative protein sources to make floating pellets. These alternative sources can be plant-based TVP or insect-based, mixed in the formula, and efficiently processed using a pre-conditioner and a twin-screw extruder.