Effect of Flow Agent Addition on the Physical Properties of DDG with Varying Moisture Content Soluble Percentages

摘要

Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) is widely recognized as a highly nutritious animal feed ingredient. With the exponential growth of the fuel ethanol industry in the past several years, significant quantities of distillers' grains are now being produced. To effectively utilize these feeds in the domestic market, however, these coproduct streams are increasingly being transported greater distances, and must be stored in various structures until final use. Unfortunately, DDGS flow is often problematic, as it frequently becomes restricted by caking and bridging during storage and transport. This issue may arise from a number of factors, including storage moisture, temperature, relative humidity, particle size, time, or temperature variations. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of various moisture content levels (10, 15, 20, 25, 30% db) and calcium carbonate levels (0, 1 and 2% wb) on the resulting flow properties (Carr Indices) of DDGS with varying soluble percentages (10,15, 20 and 25% db). The results showed that there are some flow issues in DDGS with increased soluble and moisture content levels. Flow agent (CaC0_3) addition did not have a significant effect in improving the flow properties of DDGS with various soluble and moisture content levels. This may be due to no surface affinity between DDGS and flow agent particles or less inclusion rate of flow agent.