A method and foodstuff for feeding and stimulating animals
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing and application of foodstuff such as straw pills for animals such as pigs.
The invention moreover relates to foodstuff such as straw pills for feeding and stimulating animals such as pigs.
It is known to manufacture so-called straw pills for feeding and stimulating the behaviour of animals such as pigs.
The straw pills are becoming increasingly popular, in line with the awareness about animal welfare, which has increased as well as tougher standards of animal welfare especially in the pig production sector.
It has been found, however, that the known foodstuffs, such as straw pills which combine feeding with behavioural stimulation involves some drawbacks.
Because straw pills are e.g. produced by compressing straw, the final product will contain the same amount of bacteria as the raw material.
The hitherto known straw pills therefore contains an unknown amount of bacteriological material, which results in that they cannot be used in pig production facilities with intensified demands for bacteria occurrence, such as the so-called SPF stocks and especially propagation stocks.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to improve the known method of producing foodstuff such as straw pills and the known foodstuff including straw pills.
The object of the invention is achieved by a method of the type stated in the introductory portion of claim 1 , which is characterized in that the bacteria content in the foodstuff is reduced by e.g. heating, and that the foodstuff is used for stimulating behaviour.
Hereby, it is thus possible to reduce the bacteria content in the foodstuff, in that all of the bacteria will be destroyed by an appropriate heating in advance of the application, which has got an important behaviour stimulating impact besides the function of feeding the animals.
As stated in claim 2, it is also a characteristic feature of the invention that the foodstuff is heated to a minimum of 75 degrees Celsius.
By a heating of minimum 75 degrees Celsius all common types of bacteria will be destroyed or weakened in such an extent that they no longer present a health risk.
As stated in claim 3 it is also a characteristic feature of the invention that the heating occurs by supplying atmospheric air or gas, which has been heated with steam from boiling of liquid such as water.
By heating the foodstuffs with air or gas, which have been heated with steam from boiling liquid such as water, the bacteria reducing process is made simple, efficient and economically attractive.
Further preferred embodiments of the method are defined in claims 4 through 6.
As mentioned, the invention also relates to foodstuffs.
These foodstuffs are characterized in that they are processed by e.g.
heating for reduction of bacteria content.
This makes it possible to reduce the bacteriological content to a level, which ensures that the foodstuff can be used for all stocks, including e.g. so-called SPF stocks.
As stated in claim 8, it is moreover a special feature of the invention that the foodstuffs are enriched with nutrients such as vegetables or vitamins.
Hereby it is achieved that the nutritional content of the bacteria reduced foodstuff can be optimized to the specific application and thus be made further attractive for e.g. a pig production.
The invention will now be explained more fully with reference to the drawings, in which :
Fig. 1 shows straw pills manufactured in accordance with the invention.
Fig. 2 shows three examples of schematic workflows, where the bacteria content in the foodstuff is reduced by heating.
Fig. 1 shows in 1 three foodstuffs in form of straw pills produced with reference to the invention, and with 2 a pencil is shown in order to illustrate the proportion in size.
It is naturally possible to manufacture other types of foodstuffs, which can both have a nutritional value and at the same time stimulate the behaviour of a keeping of animals.
As an example of this, pills or balls can be mentioned, which could be made of excess products from human food production, including waste products
from the fish processing industry or from fruit- or vegetable industries. As examples of the last mentioned potato peels from production of chips or pods from pea productions can be mentioned.
If such by-products can be given an appropriate form, including round or sphere-shaped, by e.g. compression, and thereby achieve the same behaviour-stimulating effect as straw pills, such foodstuffs are also included in the present invention.
In fig. 2 three schematic examples of typical workflows are shown, which have the objective of reducing the bacteriological content in foodstuff through heating.
In fig 2 A a workflow is shown, where the heating 3 occurs before the foodstuff is shaped by a shaping process 4, e.g. in form of compression, as it is the case for straw pills.
Fig 2 B shows a workflow where the foodstuff passes through a shaping process 4, prior to the bacteriological content being reduced by a heating process 3.
A third workflow is shown in fig. 2 C, where the heating process 3 is carried out in parallel to the shaping process 4.
The bacteriological content in behaviour-stimulating foodstuffs can be reduced in other ways than heating, e.g. by adding toxic substances such as chlorine to the foodstuff. Adding toxic substances in order to reduce the content of bacteria has meanwhile got the drawback that remains of the toxic substance can pollute the foodstuff and thereby form a health risk.
Reducing bacteria by heating without the use of toxic substances therefore
ensures a more pure final product without the risk of foodstuff containing toxic residues.
The heating process can be carried out in several ways. In a preferred embodiment the foodstuff is heated by adding hot atmospheric air. The atmospheric air is heated by a liquid vapour or steam such as hot water steam.
The vapour content in the heated air or gas can be reduced in a so-called liquid condenser before the conveyance into the foodstuff, whereby the degree of humidity can be reduced to an appropriate level.
Heating of the foodstuff with hot air is a gentle and efficient method, which has shown to be suitable in practical studies.
Meanwhile, it is also possible to heat-up the foodstuffs in other ways; e.g. by heat-up in liquid. This can have the advantage that the liquid, in which the foodstuff is being heated, can be supplied with nutrients or vitamins, which can be supplied to the foodstuff during the heat-up.
Heating in liquid can moreover have the advantage that emulgator substances or other substances can be added to the liquid, which ensures that the foodstuff can maintain its shape after shaping. This can be especially appropriate if the foodstuff is not based on straw, but consists of e.g. fish- or vegetable waste.
The foodstuffs, which are produced in pursuant to the invention can moreover be enriched with additives, which both increases the nutritional value and/or the behaviour-stimulating effect.
If enriched food components are added, which a specific animal species
find especially tasty, the behaviour-stimulating effect can be increased in that the animals will work intensely in order to separate the tasty stuff, from the other components.
Studies have thus shown that straw pills, which are enriched with peas have got an increased behaviour-stimulating effect on pigs, in that the pigs are intensively trying to release the peas from the straw, because the peas are an especially preferred food component for most pigs.
By enriching e.g. straw pills with peas it is thus achieved that the foodstuff both obtains an increased nutritional value coincident with an increased behaviour-stimulating effect.
Foodstuffs produced in relation to the present invention will thus have a controllable low bacteriological content and the advantage that the nutrient content and the behaviour-stimulating effect can be optimized in relation to the individual species of animals.