Steam Flaked Grain: Enhancing Nutrient Digestibility and Performance

Starch is the primary source of energy in high-producing dairy cattle. Increasing the efficiency of starch utilization in feed leads to improved milk production. Various grain processing methods, such as grinding, rolling, and steam flaking, impact starch and crude protein digestibility. Among these methods, steam flaking stands out due to its longer conditioning times and thinner rolled flakes compared to steam-rolling.

Steam flaking involves exposing grain to steam, which increases both grain moisture and temperature before rolling. The steam chamber, where this process occurs, allows adequate retention time for the temperature and moisture to penetrate each grain kernel. As steam flaking systems’ capacity increases, so does the size of the steam chambers. Some systems now achieve retention times of 60 minutes or more.

To reduce the required steam chamber size without compromising conditioning, water with a surfactant or wetting agent is applied to the grain before entering the steam chamber. This “tempering” allows moisture to penetrate each kernel, improving its ability to absorb moisture and enhancing thermal conductivity. However, tempered grain requires more energy to raise its temperature due to water’s higher specific heat compared to dry matter in grain.

Pishgam Damparvar Sepahan Company has four separate steam flaking lines. These lines process high-quality grains, and their effectiveness is evaluated through enzymatic hydrolysis tests on corn and oat grains. The results are compared to conventionally rolled grains using fistulated cows at the company’s research farm. Parameters such as bulk density, processing coefficient, flake thickness, and product moisture are critical quality control factors in the laboratory.

Given the different starch digestibility capacities in calf and dairy cow stomachs, the degree of processing and flake thickness will vary among steam-flaked grains.