European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group

Original scientific paper

UDC 636.085.55

QUALITY EVALUATION OF RAW MATERIALS FOR MIXED

FEED PRODUCTION AND MIXED FEED AS FINAL PRODUCT
WITH THE REQUIRED STANDARDS IN R. MACEDONIA
Valentina Pavlova1*, Ljupka Necinova1, Gjore Nakov1, Elena Gjorgjievska2, Marija
Menkinoska1, Tatjana Blazevska1, Viktorija Stamatovska1
1
Faculty of Technology and Technical Science, Veles, “Ss. Kliment Ohridski” University,
Bitola, Petre Prlickov 42, 1400 Veles, Republic of Macedonia
2
AGRIA - Agroindustry Group, Veles, Factory of feeding stuffs Ovčepolka, Industriski pat bb,
2220 Sveti Nikole, Republic of Macedonia

*
e-mail: valentina.pavlova2@gmail.com

Abstract
Mixed feed is the product obtained by mixing nutri-
tional supplements and additives permitted, serving
as a full or extra food for feeding animals. Raw material
with good quality allows production of effective and
qualitative animal feed, allows cultivating healthy an-
imals, which will be basic raw material in the food in-
dustry. High quality raw material in the process of food
production leads to production of final food products
with good quality, which is helpful in the efforts for
sustaining people wellbeing and health.
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the quality of raw
materials for mixed feed production, as well as the
quality of mixed feed, as final product according to the
required standards.
Raw materials for feed production: corn, barley and
sunflower meal and different types of mixed feed, were
material used in our study. They were obtained from
AGRIA. To evaluate the quality of these feed a lot of pa-
rameters have been tested: moisture, crude ash, crude
protein, and crude fiber, minerals, such as Ca, NaCl and
acidity degree.
The values of tested parameters are: moisture 10.4%;
crude ash 5.6%; crude protein 18.8%, crude fiber 4.6%,
NaCl 0.9% and acidity degree 5.8. These results are sat-
isfactory and are in the range of the standard values,
which means that the produced mixed feed from this
factory is with high quality and meets the required
standards.
Key words: Mixed feed, starter, grower, finisher.
1. Introduction
Feed industry has a duty to produce a larger variety of
this type of food and by applying flexible technolog-
ical processes to enable the use of a large number of
materials with a wide range of dosing. The content of
the ingredients in each sample must be as respectively
as possible to match, with a target value that is optimal
in terms of nutritional value that is regulated by a spe-
cific recipe. Feed millers must recognize their respon-
sibility to provide quality products to their customers,
and their intent should be to provide consistent qual-
ity products by implementing sound quality control
procedures. Assuring quality is a direct responsibility
of all feed mill employers and each of them is held ac-
countable to follow ISO rules, and accepted procedures
of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and HACCP
(Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) for the pro-
duction of compound feeds. Irrespective of the quality
control system implemented in all factories, there are
many processes (weighting, dosing, mixing, transport-
ing, carry-over, segregation, storing, hydro-thermal
and mechanical treatment) which can cause variations
in additive content of compound feed [1].
Modern industrial compound feed production re-
quires more than 50 various ingredients for feed mash-
es production in order to improve the nutritive value
and feed utilization, as well as for therapeutic and
prophylactic effects. These products containing high
concentration of mineral matters, vitamins, amino ac-
ids and other allowed agents are produced in the form
of premixes [2].
Animal feed is every material or product as well as an-
imal food additives, which are processed, partly pro-
cessed or unprocessed, and used for animal nutrition,
represented in form of:
1. Nutrients - products of vegetable, animal and min-
eral origin, produced naturally or industrial, which

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Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design

are used for feeding animals, as well as for produc- that is a part from Agroindustry Group, Veles, (AGRIA).
tion of premixes and animal mixtures; Basic criteria for selecting these types of mixed feed
for porkers were age and different body weight of the
2. Pre-mixes - products with a high content of vita-
animals.
mins, minerals, amino acids and additives that are
homogeneously mixed with carrier (certain food To evaluate the quality of these feed a lot of param-
or mixture of foods that maintain stability and im- eters have been tested: moisture, crude ash, crude
prove the physical properties of premixes), used for protein, and crude fiber, minerals, such as Ca, NaCl and
feeding livestock combined feed or for making ani- acidity degree. The analysis of crude proteins was done
mal mixtures; by the method of Kjedahl, and other parameters were
determined using analytical gravimetric methods.
3. Mixed feed - products obtained by mixing feed
(nutritients), nutritional supplements and permit- During the analysis five measurements from each sam-
ted additives that serve as full or additional animal ple were made the results obtained were statistically
feed. They can be: processed in Excel and compared to the required val-
ues given in Table 1.
Complete - complete feed mixtures, which serve
to satisfy the needs of the animals with all the Table 1. Required values for quality parameters for raw
nutrients; materials and mixed feed
Additional - for age mixtures which with its nu- Starter Grower Finisher
Examined Sunflower
trient composition should supplement the basic parameters
Corn Barley
meal
mixed mixed mixed
feed feed feed
food (cereal grains, etc.).
Moisture,% max. 12 max. 11 max. 8 max. 12 max. 13 max. 13
Quality animal feed is animal feed containing all phys- Crude ash,% max. 1.5 max. 2.5 max. 7.1 max. 8 max. 7 max. 7
ical, chemical, physical-chemical and nutritional char- Crude
min. 8.9
min.
min. 21 min. 20 min. 15 min. 15
proteins,% 11.5
acteristics of animal feed.
Crude
max. 2.9 max. 5 max. 21 max. 4 max. 7 max. 9
fiber,%
Basis of the animal feed quality is the fertility and qual-
Ca,% - - - 1 0.8 0.7
ity of the soil on which the raw material for feed pro-
NaCl,% - 0.64 - 1.45 0.75 - 1.16 0.61 - 1.08
duction is grown, and that’s why this parameter should
Acidity
be well known in advance. Raw material with good degree
max. 10 3.8 - 7.0 3.6 - 8.0 4.0 - 7.0
quality allows production of effective animal feed that Notification: Parameters such as Ca% and NaCl% are not analyzed
allows growth of healthy animals, which will be basic in raw materials.
raw material in the food industry. Correctly fed animals
will ensure: efficient reproduction and growth, effi- 3. Results and Discussion
cient feed utilisation, good - quality meat, maximum
profit for the farmer/company. Quality raw material in Feed quality has been determined in accordance with
the feed production allows production of processed the prescribed rules and specific requirements based
food products with good quality and long shelf-life [4]. on the instructions of the manufacturers of this type of
feed, which are based on the specific nutritional needs
The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of certain of animals, given to race, age, gender and category of
raw materials for mixed feed production and mixed animals [4].
feed for certain group of animals as final product from
The results obtained for the analyzed parameters for
animal feed industry. It is very important to know the
raw materials and mixed feed are presented in Fig. 1
quality of animal feed as the main objective of food
- 4. Since it hasn’t been written a rule book for quality
industry to produce healthy animals from breeding
of animal feed in Republic of Macedonia [5], the ob-
ones, and subsequently meat from those animals, with
tained results were compared to the standards from
the maximum efficiency and profitability. Since feed
JUS W.B3.516 [6].
account 70-80% of the cost of animal meat production
the correct formulation and rationing of feed is critical
to this process [3]. 3.1 Analysis of raw materials: corn, barley and
sunflower meal
Moisture content in feed affects the physical proper-
2. Materials and Methods ties such as weight, density, viscosity, electrical con-
Raw materials for feed production: corn, barley and ductivity and nutritional value. Most natural products
sunflower meal and different types of mixed feed for contain moisture, and plants that contain more water
starter, grower and finisher pigs, were material used in are less nutritious.
our study. They were obtained from factory for feeding Water content shows whether the product has stand-
stuffs Ovčepolka, Sveti Nikole, Republic of Macedonia ard features such as: microbiological stability, viscosity,

37

nutritional value, maintainance and it’s in the line with
legal compliance (regulations governing food) [7].
The analysis of raw material showed that corn con-
tained 10.44% moisture, barley 10.58% and sunflower
meal 7.48% (Fig 1), values that are in the range of the
standard values.
Figure 1. The values obtained for moisture in raw mate-
rial expressed in %, compared with the standard values
In the inorganic part of feed, despite falling water and
nutrients (Ca, Na, K, Mg, P , etc.) the amount of ash de-
pends on the type and age of the plant, soil type and
fertilization etc. The amount of ash in the compound
feed differs from the amount of ash in plants. The
amount depends on the type of feed that enters into
the composition of the compound.
The amount of ash (Fig. 2), serves as a rough orienta-
tion for the content of inorganic components in food.
With a detailed analysis of the ash, we can get a com-
plete picture of the value of mineral substances [7].
Figure 2. The results obtained for crude ash in raw mate-
rials, expressed in %
Crude protein measurements use the Kjeldahl method
of nitrogen analysis. Crude protein measurements also
38
European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group
play a role in livestock feed. For animals such as rumi-
nants, whose digestive bacteria are capable of process-
ing feed products that your digestive system cannot,
crude protein factors into their feed components.
The nitrogen that ruminant livestock consume comes
from proteins, nucleic acids, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia
and urea. The bacteria in the ruminant’s gut then di-
gest and metabolize these nitrogen sources, allowing
the animal to use the nitrogen to pack on muscle or
synthesize milk proteins. Therefore, the crude protein
value of livestock feed determines how much feed the
farmer makes available to the animal for a desired rate
of growth [8].
Figure 3. The results obtained for determination of
crude proteins presented in % compared to the stand-
ard values
From the results shown in Fig. 3 it is evident that crude
protein values for corn is 8.06%, barley 11.27%, and
sunflower meal 32.87%. These values compared with
the values ​​given in Tab.1 are in the range of the stand-
ard values.
Consulted literature from Senčić D. et al. (2011), re-
ported that the increased crude protein level in forage
mixtures had a very significant (p < 0.01) influence on
the reduction of the fat tissue share (34.55% : 39.09%)
and on increase in the muscle tissue share (47.10% :
46.11%) in pig carcasses, although not to a statistically
significant extent (p> 0.05) [9].
Modern pig production faces two main challenges:
maintaining health and securing consistently high
performance. These two challenges sometimes contra-
dict each other, but the balance of a healthy pig that is
performing at its optimum level is often to be consoli-
dated in the gut. Improving gut health can be assisted
with the use of dietary fibre.
Crude fiber is the fiber that remains after feed is digest-
ed with alkali and acid, which destroys all soluble and
some insoluble fiber. It is mainly lignin and cellulose.
Cellulose cannot be easily digested by pigs because
they lack the required enzymes to break it down [10].
Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design

The evaluation of other parameters shown that crude

fiber for corn is 2.61%, for barley 3.84%, for sunflower
meal 21.75% (Fig. 4). These values also are in the range
of the standard values.

Figure 5. The values obtained for the analysis of Starter

mixed feed compared with the standard values

Percent of Ca that was added in starter mixed feed is

Figure 4. The determinate values for crude fiber in raw 1.11 (Fig. 5), grower mixed feed 1.05 (Fig. 6) and finisher
materials mixed feed 0.87 (Fig. 7) are in the range of the standard
values.
Research group of authors, Meier H. at all [11], shown
Salt, a combination of sodium and chloride, must
that in experiments with fattening pigs, peas and lu-
be added to all swine diets. Grains and plant protein
pines were used both pealed and unpealed, in order
supplements are low in sodium and chloride, but the
to investigate the influence of native crude fibres on
needs of the growing-finishing pig can be met by add-
the true digestibility of nitrogen and the amino acids in
ing 0.25 percent salt to the diet. When a diet deficient
pigs. The results of the experiments allow the conclu-
in salt is fed to growing pigs, depressed performance
sion that native crude fibres, as long as they remain in
will be evident within a few weeks. Recent research
the normal range between 3 and 7% in the ration does
suggests that for breeding stock, 0.5 percent added
not cause a depression in the true digestibility of ni-
salt is adequate.
trogen and the amino acids in the feeding of fattening
pigs. Only the increased content of native crude fibres From the results shown in Fig. 5-7 it is evident that val-
in the ration has a negative effect on true digestibility. ues ​​of NaCl% (starter mixed feed 0.93%, grower mixed
feed 0.84% and finisher mixed feed 0.76%) compared
with the values ​​of the Tab.1 are in the range of the
3.2 Analysis of mixed feed standard values.
The addition of salt is very important to be in the range
Calcium and phosphorus are important in skeletal
of prescribed limits ​​because high levels of salt can
structure development, but their presence in soft tis-
be tolerated, if adequate drinking water is available.
sues is also vitally important. Both aid in blood clotting,
However, if water is restricted, as little as 0.2 percent
muscle contraction, and energy metabolism. About 99
dietary salt has resulted in toxicity symptoms [12].
percent of the calcium and 80 percent of the phospho-
rus in the body are found in the skeleton and teeth.
Therefore, deficiency of calcium and phosphorus will
result in impaired bone mineralization, reduced bone
strength, and poor growth.
Young pigs with a deficiency of calcium and phos-
phorus will have clinical sings of rickets. Mature pigs
eating a deficient diet will remove calcium and phos-
phorus from the bone (osteoporosis), decreasing bone
strength. This can result in a condition called “Downer
Sows” and can be prevented by proper diet formula-
tion [12].
Cereal grains and most other ingredients are very low
in Ca it is therefore necessary addition of calcium in
mixed feed. Figure 6. The values obtained for the analysis of Grower
mixed feed compared with the standard values

39

The acidity is affected by the content of acid phosphate
and organic and free fatty acids in feed. It increases the
adverse storage conditions of feed, much more work
to create microorganisms acid reaction, and thus an
increase in the level of acid. Acidification to a certain
extent is a natural process, and any excess can lead to
production of unusable animal feed.
Figure 7. The values obtained for the analysis of Finisher
mixed feed compared with the standard values
The values obtained for acidity degree for starter mixed
feed is 8.36 (Fig. 5), for grower mixed feed 5.24 (Fig. 6)
and for finisher mixed feed 3.96 (Fig. 7). Also these val-
ues are in the range of the standard values such as pre-
vious parameters.
4. Conclussions
Considering the results from this research study whose
basic aim was to evaluate the quality of certain raw
materials form animal feed production and certain
types of animal mixed feed, with the required stand-
ards, we can make the following conclusions regarding
the quality of animal feed:
• The obtained results from our analysis are in the
range of the standard values, which means that the
produced mixed feed from this factory is with high
quality and meets the required standards;
• Quality control begins with purchase of feed ingre-
dients, continues through the feed manufacturing
process and does not end until pigs have con-
sumed the feed;
• Producers who choose to manufacture feed also
accept the responsibility for maintaining feed qual-
ity;
• The problem of quality assurance in the production
of animal feed must be taken seriously having in
mind that this production is one of essential links
in the food chain, which depends from various ex-
ternal influences, and which is especially important
for human population health;
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European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group
• So, as a recommendation to achieve production of
animal feed with higher quality, is to adopt already
prescribed standards in the country and to intro-
duce the rules for quality management of raw ma-
terials in feed industry, and for animal mixed feed,
as a final product.
5. References
[1] Sredanoviċ S., Djuragiċ O. and Leviċ J. (2003) Processing
related factors affecting feed ingredient content. In XV
Naučno-Stručni Skup Procesna Tehnika i Energetika u
Poljoprivredi – PTEP, Novi Sad, Serbia, pp. 61-64.
[2] Filipoviċ S., Kormanjos S., Ristiċ M. and Sakac M. (2000)
Modern technical-technological solution of the plant for
premix production. In XII Naučno-Stručni Skup Procesna
Tehnika i Energetika u Poljoprivredi - PTEP, Novi Sad,
Serbia, pp. 44-47.
[3] Edwards S. (2002). A handbook of raw materials and rec-
ommendations for feeding practice, School of agriculture
food and rural development, University of New Castle
Upon Tyne, p. 6.
[4] Rule book about quality of animal feed, Official Journal RS,
No.4/2012.
[5] Rules for sampling and methods for physical, chemical
and microbiological analyses of animal feed stuff. Official
Journal of SFRJ, No. 38/77 and 11/80).
[6] Rule book about quality of animal feed (1966). Agriculture
review - Animal feed stuff, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 241-297.
[7] Milosavljevič Ž. (1966). Stočnik hrana, pp. 36-37
[8] <URL: http://www.livestrong.com/article/519702-what-
is-crude-protein. Accessed 20 March 2013.
[9] Senčić D., Samac D., Antunović Z., Novoselec J. and Klarić
I. (2011). Influence of crude protein level in forage mixture-
son pig meat and carcass quality, Macedonian Journal of
Animal Science, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 89–93.
[10] <URL: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.
com/crude+fiber. Accessed 23 March 2013.
[11] Meier H., Kesting U. and Poppe S. (1981) Effect of native
crude fiber on the digestibility of nitrogen and amino acids
in pigs, Pub Med 31(3), pp.187-193.
[12] <URL: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/swine_exten-
sion/nutrition/nutritionguide/minerals/minerals.htm.
Accessed 23 March 2013.