Improvement in production rate, milling efficiency, and pellet quality of broiler diets containing corn, soybean, and corn-derived distillers dried grains with solubles using separated fractions and whole particle inclusion of a dacitic tuff breccia (AZOMITE®)

Abstract

SUMMARY: The use of inorganic phosphate sources (IPS) has declined, prompting feed manufacturers to utilize other ingredients to maintain production rates. AZOMITE (AZM) can be supplemented in diets to improve production rate, reduce motor load, and decrease electrical use of the pellet mill. AZOMITE is composed of fine and coarse fractions, but the mechanism of how each enacts its effect at the pellet die has not yet been determined. The study objective was to assess the response of AZM and its 2 fractions in corn, soybean, and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS)-based diets on pellet mill production rate and pellet quality. A control diet was either supplemented with AZM or each of its corresponding fractions and manufactured in a Latin Square with a crossover design across 4 days. Data were analyzed in a mixed-model analysis using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS with alpha set at P ≤ 0.05. Average ambient temperature and humidity were 27°C and 67%, respectively. The inclusion of AZM increased production rate by 7% when added to the control diet (0.999 vs. 0.935 MT/h; AZM vs. Control, respectively; P = 0.005). The inclusion of a single fraction by itself did not obtain AZM production rate. The addition of the fine fraction increased pellet quality (90.32% vs. 87.85%; Fine vs. Control; 90.32% vs. 88.31%; Fine vs. Coarse; 90.32% vs. 88.82%; Fine vs. AZM, respectively; P < 0.001). These results show that AZM's fractions work synergistically to improve the production rate.

Keywords

• feed manufacture
• tuff breccia
• AZOMITE
• production rate
• throughput