Equipment for processing oilseeds is a ready way to a profitable business

Processing of oilseeds by mechanical means using oil-pressing and extrusion equipment to produce oil and high-protein cake for feed is a fairly high-margin and in-demand business with understandable technologies, processing schemes and their structure. Moreover, with the development of oilseed processing technologies and the growing demand for ecological food and feed products, the importance of mechanical processing of oilseeds will increase.

When processing oilseeds for feed purposes, the first task is to obtain high-quality protein cake as a valuable feed component, and then vegetable oil. That is, in this case, the cake will be primary, and the oil will be secondary. Moreover, with its own processing of oilseeds for feed purposes, the farm has the opportunity to control not only the oil yield, but also the quality of the cake – its residual oil content, the amount of protein not cleaved in the rumen of ruminant animals. When processing soybeans, it is also possible to change the content of urease and trypsin inhibitors in the cake for specific farm animals.

Thus, the processing of oilseeds and the use of oil cake for feed is a real way to increase the profitability of an agricultural enterprise and increase efficiency by reducing the cost of feed produced. At the same time, it is important to take into account that the cake of its own processing of oilseeds will be significantly cheaper than the purchased one, since its cost is determined mainly by the cost of production and processing of oilseeds.

In general, the organizational process of processing oilseeds for their own feed purposes consists in choosing the technology and equipment for the production of cake in the amount necessary for the farm to feed farm animals or for the production of animal feed.

Based on the farm's need for a certain amount of cake, the hourly or daily productivity of the equipment is selected. In turn, the annual volume of own or purchased seeds is determined by their quantity, which is necessary to ensure uninterrupted, round-the-clock operation of the equipment according to the 24/7 scheme and 330 days a year.

The next stage will be the choice of seed processing technology. Since the processing of oilseeds for feed using cold–pressing technology to produce high-quality oil and cake is less in demand, we propose a hot-pressing technology in the "classic version" to produce oil and hot-pressed cake and a modern double-pressing technology with extrusion to produce extruded cake and two types of oil - cold and hot-pressed.

At first glance, the choice of processing technology is quite simple – the most profitable and in demand will be the technology, the implementation of which will make it possible to obtain several types of cake as feed components (full-fat, extruded cake) and ensure a high oil yield. In this case, the advantages of processing seeds for feed using double-pressing technology with extrusion are undeniable.

The following are the oilseed processing lines offered by Globalprodservice for feed purposes of different productivity and possible options for the use and sale of processed products.

1. A mini-workshop for farm processing of seeds, with a capacity of 500 kg of raw materials per day. The recommended equipment is a single line of screw presses and a small filter. The output will be cold or hot pressed vegetable oil and cake with a residual oil content of 10-12%. A maximum of two oilseeds can be used as a source of raw materials. The resulting cake is mainly used for its own feed purposes, but can be sold by selling it to local farms, agricultural markets, etc.

2. Oilseed processing line with a capacity of 12 tons of raw materials per day or more. It is intended for medium-sized farms and enterprises. Such a press shop can be made in the form of a complete line and include seed preparation, oil extraction by pressing and oil filtration. The line is equipped with an extruder to inactivate anti-nutrient substances, increase oil yield and partially denature protein. It also includes transportation equipment for feeding and moving the product between processing stages. The output will be cold-pressed and (or) hot-pressed vegetable oil and higher-quality cake with a residual oil content of about 9% in rapeseed processing, 7% in soybean processing, and up to 12% in sunflower processing. In addition to using the cake for its own feed purposes, the market for its sale can be further expanded by direct sales to cattle farms, pig farms and poultry farms. Extruded cake is especially in demand on the cattle feed market. Vegetable oils after filtration, as a source of additional income, can be sold in bulk or in prepackaged containers, which is especially important for cold-pressed oil. It is also possible to sell cake and oil during production.

3. A full-cycle oil seed processing plant with a capacity of 24 to 50 tons per day. This is already a complete line for the complex processing of oilseeds in larger agricultural enterprises. These lines can process seeds using cold and hot pressing technologies, as well as double pressing with extrusion. The line uses the following transport equipment – norias, screw and chain conveyors. The finished products are high–quality oil cake with a residual oil content of 7-9% and vegetable oil after automatic filtration. Oil sales channels are wholesale companies, large retail chains (selling bottled oil), and active exports. Feed mills can be used as an additional market for oil and cake.

The main task of processing oilseeds in the feed direction is to obtain the cake after pressing and mandatory heat treatment (extrusion, expansion, heating in braziers) in order to reduce the content of anti-nutrients in it, sterilize it, increase protein digestibility and energy value, as well as improve the taste of the feed.

Since cake, unlike meal, has a higher oil content, which increases the metabolic energy of the feed, this makes it possible to avoid buying vegetable oils for additional input into the feed.

When processing rapeseed seeds using double-pressing technology with extrusion, an extruded cake with a finely porous structure is obtained, containing a higher percentage of protein that is not cleaved in the rumen of a ruminant (transit or bypass). It is important to note that as the productivity of ruminants increases, the need for non-cleavable protein increases.

Below, using the example of the use of extruded rapeseed cake in the cattle feeding diet, its main advantages are given.:

- increase the productivity and health of animals, as well as increase the efficiency of their cultivation;

- increase in dairy productivity of cows by an average of 6...8%;

- receiving from each dairy cow an additional at least one liter of milk per kilogram of cake;

- an increase in the amount of bypass protein absorbed in the intestine, which reduces the consumption of mixed feed by 6... 10% in terms of 1 liter of milk.

Rapeseed oil is widely used in the food industry due to its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids (especially oleic acid) and low levels of saturated fats. The oil is used in the production of margarine, mayonnaise and other products. Rapeseed oil is also used in the chemical, metallurgical and petroleum industries, it is a raw material for the production of biodiesel. Currently, rapeseed oil is mainly an export product (commodity).

When processing soybeans for feed purposes, it is very important to neutralize soybeans from natural inhibitors (urease, trypsin) to obtain safe food. Depending on the technology of processing soybeans, you can get the following feed:

- full-fat extruded soybeans (PES). This product, obtained after heat treatment of soybeans in an extruder, combines a fairly high energy value and protein content. Full–fat is ideal in the diet of pigs and poultry. The production of PES is relatively simple and less expensive, since only an extruder is used. This is the most effective way and a fairly profitable starting option when organizing the processing of soybeans for feed purposes.

- soy cake and oil. The cake contains 5-8% fat and a higher protein content than in PES. The organization of such a soybean processing line by single-stage pressing with extrusion makes it possible to ensure its rapid payback, since the technology yields two products that are in high demand for feed production - cake and oil. To obtain high-protein soy cake, it is necessary that the protein content in soybeans be at least 35%. Soy cake as a component of the feed is more versatile, it contains 6-8% fat and has a higher protein content compared to PES. When using soybean meal, unlike soybean meal, there is no need to add additional vegetable oil to the feed during their production.

When processing soybeans for feed purposes, operational quality control of finished products, such as urease activity, which characterizes the quality of heat treatment and protein solubility, indicating the degree of its denaturation, is of great importance. We recommend that the protein solubility level in the cake for monogasters be in the range of 30-45%, and for cattle at the level of 15% or slightly lower.

In order to increase the protein content and reduce the fiber level in soy cake, additional peeling of soybeans is necessary. This operation makes it possible to further process the cake and obtain soy texturate for food and feed purposes.

Sunflower seed processing covers a fairly long historical period and is a proven, reliable and stable business.

When processing sunflower seeds for feed purposes, unlike processing soybeans and rapeseed, there is no such urgent need for heat treatment to remove anti-nutrients. The seed processing process can be carried out using cold, hot pressing and double pressing with extrusion technologies. However, the high husk content in the cake significantly reduces its nutritional value. Therefore, to obtain high-protein sunflower oil cake with a low fiber content, seed crushing and husk removal are required. When processing sunflower seeds, the seed preparation area should be supplemented with a rolling machine. In this case, it is recommended, optionally, to use a husk granulator to reduce the volume, ease of transportation and storage of the granulated husk.

The options for choosing and purchasing equipment from Globalprodservice for processing oilseeds for feed purposes may be as follows:

• the complete set of the line consists of individual pieces of equipment. In this case, the cost of the equipment may be cheaper, but it will be necessary to purchase additional transport equipment (augers, norias). To do this, the customer will need knowledge of the basic technical characteristics and features of the pressing and extrusion equipment used, as well as high-quality installation and commissioning.
• purchase of a turnkey automated production line directly from the company. In this case, the cost of the line will be slightly more expensive, but the installation and commissioning will be handled by qualified engineers of the company.

The above information and other factors indicate the expediency of using inexpensive and reliable equipment from Globalprodservice to process oilseeds for fodder purposes. This equipment is primarily needed by those farms that have their own oilseeds and which are engaged in the cultivation of animals and poultry. By using its own fresh, high-quality and inexpensive cake, the farm thereby reduces the cost of the feed produced, which allows it to feel quite confident regardless of changes in feed prices and make significant profits from both the production of meat, milk and eggs, and from the sale of vegetable oil as a high-value product.

Thus, the processing of oilseeds and the use of oil cake for feed in the cultivation of farm animals and poultry is a real business project that will lead to an increase in the profitability of your farm.