Influence of Ring Die Parameters and Dietary Supplementation with the Mold Inhibitor DMX-7 on Pellet Feed Quality and Growth Performance in Weaned Piglets

Novel Techniques in Nutrition and Food Science 847 incompletely developed gastrointestinal tracts in the early post-weaning phase, rely heavily on liquid milk or milk powder.However, in practice, plant-based solid feed is commonly provided post-weaning, which can stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, damage intestinal tissue and subsequently lead to reduced feed intake and diarrhea [2].Additionally, weaned piglets are highly sensitive to anti-nutritional factors and mycotoxins present in plant-based solid feed.Feed processing involves multiple factors influencing pellet feed quality, including the feed formula, raw material particle size, conditioning, pelleting process and cooling conditions.Among these, the conditioning and pelleting processes alone account for over 35% of the impact.Previous studies have demonstrated that the pelleting process can gelatinize starch in grains, eliminate anti-nutritional factors (such as trypsin inhibitors) and inactivate harmful pathogens (such as Escherichia coli) in feed materials, thereby enhancing nutrient digestion and absorption, safeguarding intestinal health and reducing the diarrhea rate in piglets [3,4].Conversely, high temperature and pressure during conditioning and pelleting may increase