Soybean meal is the primary protein source in most animal feed formulations today. In fact, it makes up about a third of most U.S. poultry rations—supplying a unique combination of amino acids and other nutrients that broiler chickens depend on. Unfortunately, soy meal also contains several harmful anti-nutritional factors, like trypsin inhibitors, that compromise its…
Enhancing Feed Extrusion with Anderson’s Expander-Extruder-Cooker™
Extrusion technology has been used to process grains and seeds for nearly a century. As processing methods evolved, extrusion systems like Anderson’s popular Dox™ Extruder have advanced to become essential apparatus in many operations. But long before the Dox was invented, Anderson’s feed extrusion expertise originated with a modest machine called the Expander-Extruder-Cooker™, or EEC.…
Planning a Sunflower Seed Processing Plant
Sunflowers provide the third-largest source of protein for livestock diets and U.S. oilseed production. To capitalize on this supply of U.S. sunflower to produce valuable feed ingredients for farms throughout the region, Wyoming-based 307 Processing set out to build a new sunflower seed processing plant. Owners Joel and Curtis Hjorth saw an opportunity to tap…
4 Oilseed Processing Trends to Watch in 2024
Global demand for vegetable oil and meal to supply feed, food, and fuel is pushing oilseed processors toward expansion and improved efficiency in 2024. High prices and increasing demands are driving investments in bigger, better oilseed processing plants around the world as facilities try to keep pace with ongoing growth. Wrapping up 2023 with an…
Capitalizing on Tung Oil Extraction
Unlike most oilseed crops that produce multiple byproducts from all parts of the plant, tung oil is the only product from the tung nut tree. It can’t be grown for food or feed, since all parts of this ancient Chinese tree contain toxins that make it poisonous to consume. Its sole purpose through the centuries…
Maximizing Profits with More Energy Efficient Oil Mills
Pressing oil from high volumes of seeds and nuts can be highly energy-draining. Considering the multiple pieces of machinery involved in traditional oilseed processing and the steadily rising cost of operating that equipment, energy consumption is one of an oil mill’s largest operational expenses. By controlling and reducing energy use through each step of the…
Hemp Oil vs CBD Oil: The Difference Between Seed Oil and Cannabis Oil
When it comes to Cannabis sativa, the difference between a federally-scheduled drug and a valuable commodity can be as minor as a few tenths of a percentage. Although hemp seed oil and cannabidiol (CBD) oil are both derived from the same Cannabis plant and are often both referred to as “hemp oil,” they’re not the…
The Controversy Surrounding Mustard Seed Oil
The small but mighty mustard seed is perhaps best known for its namesake yellow condiment, but it’s not as widely recognized as a valuable source of oil. While mustard seed oil has a long history of use in food, medicinal, topical, and industrial applications, some of its bioactive compounds limit its popularity (and even its…
The Keys to Extracting Safflower Seed Oil
An often overlooked oilseed, safflower may not be as popular or prolific as its cousin crop, the sunflower. However, it still packs many of the same benefits into the specialty oil extracted from its seeds. In fact, safflower seed oil contains many of the same nutritional and functional properties as sunflower oil but at a…