Evans, Caitlin E.2023-08-252023-08-252023https://hdl.handle.net/2097/43479Four experiments were used to determine the effects of 1) pellet binders and conditioning temperature on pellet quality; 2) conditioning temperature and pellet mill die speed on pellet quality and enzyme stabilities; 3) separation of fine corn particles and cold pelleting on nursery pig performance; and 4) pellet quality on finishing pig performance. Exp. 1 evaluated dry or liquid binders conditioned at 73, 79, and 85°C prior to pelleting. Results indicated that cane molasses and commercial molasses-lactose blends were effective pellet binders regardless of conditioning temperature when included in a high-fiber ration. Exp. 2 investigated the impact of conditioning feed at 74 and 85°C prior to pelleting with 127, 190, and 254 rpm die speed. Decreasing die speed in combination with low conditioning temperature was shown to improve pellet durability index with no impact on enzyme stability. Increasing die speed in combination with high conditioning temperature resulted in reduced phytase stability, but not xylanase stability. Increased conditioning temperature improved pellet durability. In Exp. 3, nursery pigs fed steam or cold pelleted diets had decreased gain and feed intake, resulting in a reduced income over feed cost compared to those fed mash. Pigs fed steam pelleted diets had decreased gain and income over feed cost compared to those fed cold pelleted diets. Cold pelleting was a viable option to steam pelleting in the current experiment. Additionally, removing particles less than 150 μm from ground corn improved the flowability of a mash diet without sacrificing growth performance. Exp. 4 evaluated the impact of increasing pellet fine inclusion in finishing pig diets. The results of this study indicated pelleting feed for finishing pigs does not improve animal performance compared to mash diets. Furthermore, diets containing more than 40% pellet fines were shown to depress G:F compared to mash. Thus, pellet quality should remain an important consideration when pelleting diets for swine.en-US© the author. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Feed processingFeed qualityPellet qualityDissertation