Pellet quality is an important determinant of downstream animal performance, as well as efficiency of production both at the mill and farm. Pellet Durability Index (PDI) is a metric used in commercial feed milling to signal the pellet quality of pelleted feeds, and what degradation of pellets might occur during subsequent handling and transportation. Ensuring adequate pellet quality in the commercial manufacturing process is an ongoing challenge due to the numerous variables that impact pellet quality. The current study built statistical models to predict PDI based on manufacturing, ingredient, nutrient, and environmental variables collected from a commercial feed mill. Results indicate that a model built on 9 variables selected by Forward Selection with manual removal of sparse variables had better prediction performance than other models developed, as evidenced by a lower error and a better accuracy. The variables Expanding Temperature (°C), Fat Content (%), ADF Content (%), and Indoor Humidity (Pelletizer) (%) were deemed as important variables for predicting pellet quality in this model, giving relevant insight into determinants of pellet quality in a commercial setting.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.