Profits are tight and competition is intense for animal feed manufacturers, so it’s now more important than ever that feed mixers and compounders focus on optimising their products and differentiating their offering from that of their competitors. Simply starting to use a new, expensive ingredient is not a decision that can be made quickly, and may not be possible at all in today’s economic climate. Improving economies of scale is valuable but challenging as competitors fiercely protect their own market share. The key lies in improving existing products and / or ascertaining the best ways to modify them.

Animal feed must be carefully formulated to optimise both nutritional content and palatability – taste, smell and texture. The use of high quality ingredients is pointless if animals reject the feed. As a result, leading manufacturers already invest significant resources in determining the right combination of ingredients and processing techniques to develop their products. Sensory testing is a common element of this process – just as it is in foods for human consumption.

Complementing this with objective instrumental analysis provides a comprehensive insight into feed palatability and therefore the likely commercial success of the product.

A wide range of PETFOOD PRODUCT test methods is built into Exponent Texture Analyser software and will automatically load at the click of a button. We help make your testing quicker to access and the analysis of your product properties already prepared for you.

Typical measurements include: • Firmness/Hardness • Compressibility / Crush Force • Tensile Strength • Crispness • Break Strength / Snapping Force • Flexibility • Consistency •

Whether it's wet or dry catfood, dogfood or aquaculture feed, our instruments are extensively used in R&D and Quality Control environments.