Monday, February 01, 2016

Process Control in Aquafeed Production

Olafur H Jonsson, Managing Director, Tovalia sarl, France

In the growing industry of aquaculture, the demand for fish feed is on the rise.  Efficient use of the raw material as well as optimum use of energy resources becomes more and more important and this means that the need for accurate and instant information from the production process becomes vital.  However, not only is the information useful, but also it is important to know what to do with it.
Process information includes moisture content of the raw material as well as the finished feed.  Also the density of the feed pellets is a vital parameter.   Pellet density is particularly important in fish feed production as it determines how fast the pellet should sink.  Another process parameter which is important is the oil content after coating.
The presentation focuses on the measurement of various parameters and how they can be used to improve the production process in order to increase profitability and reduce wasted energy.

Olafur H Jonsson has a degree in mechanical engineering, with a Masters degree in aquaculture engineering from Scotland.  After graduation Mr. Jonsson spent his professional carrier with companies in Scotland, Iceland and France developing innovative products for the feed and food industry.  He obtained a worldwide patent for a sensor, which instantly measures moisture content of materials such as meal or feed pellets.  Sensors based on this patent have been in use for the last 10 years in the animal feed industry.  Mr. Jonsson received the prestigious Aquafeed Innovation award from Aquafeed.com at the Victam Exhibition in Germany in June 2015.

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