Extruded Products
Friendship Estates produces a range of extruded cereal products with varying suitability for different animal groups (see individual product details).
Extruded wheat is available as:
- Plain Extruded Wheat
- Extruded Wheat with colourant to add interest to the appearance of feed mixes
- Extruded Wheat with other feed ingredients which are coloured naturally
Benefits of extruded cereals:
- The extrusion process cooks the cereal, improving its digestibility and making the nutrients more available. Starches, particularly, are broken down into smaller units which are more easily digested and absorbed.
- Extruded cereals are less dense than whole cereals. They take longer to chew, increasing feeding time and promoting the production of saliva.
Extrusion process
The extrusion process involves mixing the finely ground ingredients then passing them through the barrel of an extruder which is effectively a large screw thread. Pressure is exerted on the material, generating heat which causes rapid cooking of the ingredients. The mixture is then forced out through a shaped die-plate after which the sudden drop in pressure causes the product to expand, forming a nugget or disc of feed, depending on the shape of the holes in the die.
This process of cooking under pressure breaks down the complex starches present in the grain in a process called gelatinisation.
Animal protein-free facility
Our Extrusion production mill uses no animal derived products (no mammalian or avian protein, or fishmeal are used).
