Alltech European Summer Harvest Survey shows moderate to high mycotoxin risk across the region

Weather patterns have been variable across Europe throughout the 2020 growing season and have had a direct impact on the presence of specific moulds and mycotoxins across different regions.

Mycotoxins are produced by certain species of moulds and are a concern for livestock producers due to their ability to influence feed quality and subsequent animal health and performance. Samples collected from across Europe as part of the Alltech European Summer Harvest Survey have been submitted to the Alltech 37+® mycotoxin analytical services laboratory, and analysis is indicating the presence of moderate to high levels of mycotoxin risk.

 

Results from the 2020 Alltech Summer Harvest Survey
indicate moderate to high levels of mycotoxins across Europe
Image credit: Alltech

The results are based on 274 samples of barley, wheat, corn, corn silage, grass silage, alfalfa, haylage, grass, peas, oats, sunflower meal, triticale and soybean. These samples are collected from farms or animal feed production sites from 15 countries across Europe including Russia, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Hungary, Germany, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Estonia, Republic of Lithuania, Morocco, Greece, Belarus, Croatia and Kazakhstan, and offer a representative picture of the contamination risk in all regions, with an overall moderate to high risk. Samples have shown an average of 4.4 mycotoxins, with 99.6% containing at least one mycotoxin and 96.4% containing two or more mycotoxins. Fumonisins were found in 80.7% of the samples, while 74.5% contained type B-trichothecenes.

A noticeable trend in recent years is the growing presence of emerging mycotoxins. More than 75% of samples contained this group, which includes specific mycotoxins such as beauvericin, moniliformin, phomopsin A, alternariol and enniatin A and B. Zearalenone (ZEN), a mycotoxin that can have a significant impact on the fertility of most species groups, was detected in almost 7% of samples. Aflatoxin B1 (AfB1), a member of the Aspergillus species and a particularly harmful toxin, was detected in less than 7% of the samples that have been analysed — a percentage that is potentially lower than expected considering the dryer-than-normal conditions across much of Central and Eastern Europe this year.

''Overall, the current results indicate a moderate to high mycotoxin risk across Europe this year, and producers must remain aware of how the risk and impact will vary between different species and animal groups, with breeding animals and youngstock being more susceptible,' said Dr Radka Borutova, European technical support manager with the Alltech Mycotoxin Management team. 'We know that feeding even low-level contaminated feeds has been shown to impact animal health and performance, so even in lower-risk scenarios, producers should not neglect the need to guard against the threat of mycotoxins.''

Summary of results by region:
• Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Greece and Croatia): The results from this region show that 91.3% and 80.4% of all samples were contaminated with fumonisins and emerging mycotoxins, respectively. The average concentration of fumonisins was 1,195.88 ppb, a concentration able to harm the health and performance of pigs. More than 86% of samples contained fusaric acid, which is frequently found in different feedstuffs, mainly in corn. Fusaric acid gets into many mycotoxin interactions and has a synergistic effect with other mycotoxins like fumonisins and moniliformin. AfB1 was detected in less than 6% of the samples, and the maximum concentration of 8 ppb was found in one of the Spanish samples. The maximum concentration of deoxynivalenol (DON) was found in Spain in corn silage, and the concentration was 4,903.3 ppb.

• Central Europe (Germany, Hungary and Czech Republic): Samples show contamination of fumonisins of 86.7% and 73.5% with type B-trichothecenes. The average concentration of type B-trichothecenes was 463.5 ppb, a concentration able to harm the health and performance of pigs. More than 68% contained emerging mycotoxins, a group of with increasing relevance in the past few years. AfB1 was detected in less than 4% of the samples, and the maximum concentration of 3.6 ppb was found in one of the Hungarian samples. The maximum concentration of DON was found in the Czech Republic in corn silage with a concentration of 3,921 ppb.

• The Baltics and Eastern Europe (Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan): Of the samples analysed, 70.9% were contaminated with type B-trichothecenes, fumonisins and emerging mycotoxins. The average concentration of type B-trichothecenes was 454.9 ppb. None of the samples from Eastern Europe were contaminated with zearalenone, a mycotoxin that can have a significant impact on the fertility of most species groups. AfB1 was detected in more than 10% of the samples, and the maximum concentration of 27 ppb was found in one of the Lithuanian grass silage samples. The maximum concentration of DON was found in the Republic of Lithuania in corn silage, and the concentration was 4,970.5 ppb.

• Northern Europe (Denmark): The results from this region show that 94% and 92% of all samples were contaminated with emerging mycotoxins and type B-trichothecenes, respectively. The average concentration of emerging mycotoxins was 414.4 ppb. Interestingly, 6% of samples contained ergot alkaloids, while the average concentration was 695.4 ppb and the maximum concentration was 2,037 ppb, found in barley. AfB1 was detected in less than 2.5% of the samples, and the maximum concentration of 3 ppb was found in wheat harvested in Denmark. The maximum concentration of DON was found in Denmark in barley, and the concentration was 1,351.8 ppb.

The average levels of mycotoxins identified fall below the EU-recommended levels for each of the mycotoxins when assessed individually. Only 0.36% of samples exceeded EU allowed concentration of AfB1 (20 ppb) in feed ingredients (COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 574/2011. However, the risk level for productive species based on Alltech's risk equivalent quantity (REQ) varies from moderate to high when the multiple-mycotoxin challenge is considered.

• Pig producers should be aware that the risk level based on the average REQ for breeding sows and young piglets is deemed to be high.
• When the mycotoxin contamination levels are applied to poultry, the mycotoxin risk for breeding birds is moderate, while in broiler birds, it is low to moderate.
• In ruminants, the results from the samples analysed so far indicate a low to moderate risk in dairy cows.

There was a notable difference in the mycotoxin contamination levels of large grains (corn) and small grains (wheat, barley, oats). The average number of mycotoxins detected in corn samples was 6.4, while in small grains, it was 3.6. This variance is reflected in the REQ and risk of feeding these ingredients to specific species and animal groups. For instance, in sows and gilts, this year's corn samples represent a higher risk of mycotoxins, but when small grains are fed to the same animals, the mycotoxin risk is deemed to be lower.

Alltech will host a webinar with Dr Radka Borutova on December 9, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. CET.

Register for the webinar, HERE.

For more information and results from the 2020 Alltech Summer Harvest Survey visit the Alltech website, HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Ruto Flour Mills Ltd; A New South African Mill on the Robinson System

by Mildred Cookson, The Mills Archive

An article in Milling in June 1950 drew attention to a new mill in Pretoria. The city had long been acknowledged as one of South Africa’s finest, along with its magnificent Jacaranda tree, and structures such as the famous Union Buildings.

In 1950 its attractiveness remained unspoiled, despite the fact that to a great extent in the preceding years, industrialisation had taken over. The authorities had confined industrial growth to a well-planned area outside the city boundaries, with many industries previously within the city relocating. One of these was the Ruto Flour Mills, Ltd.
 

Considered extremely up to date at that time, the mill was built in the centre of the city in 1885 by two pioneers of Pretoria, F Bourke and T Beckett. The principal machine was a horizontal stone mill fitted with French burr stones. At first, business was mainly confined to grinding for local farmers, who brought their wheat and maize to be processed into finished products for their own use. The fame of this new mill soon spread and “The Black Mills” became known as one of the best gristing mills in the country. They were so-called because the building had been tarred in order to preserve the bricks (no machine-made bricks were available in those days).

The chief cereal food in the late 19th century was mealies, a large percentage of which was processed by hand stamping. With regard to wheaten products, the most popular grade was known as sifted Boer meal and consisted of a meal ground on stones from which the coarse bran had been extracted. Even in the 1950s a somewhat refined version of this long extraction flour found great favour among farmers who took their own wheat to the nearest grist mill.

Pretoria was an ideal location, being a large consuming centre, conveniently situated close to Johannesburg, the Witwatersrand areas and large farming districts. As the country developed, an expanding market for wheat products was created, and from time to time, in order to meet the public demand for better quality products the plant was improved.

Read more HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Brock Grain Systems company profile

Brock Grain Systems has a long-standing tradition of demonstrating innovative leadership in developing, marketing and supporting grain facility solutions worldwide. 

- 1957 Brock was founded (Milford)
- 1976 Brock became part of CTB, Inc.
- 1997 CTB purchased the grain bin division of Butler Manufacturing (Kansas City, Missouri)
- 2000 CTB acquired ABC Industries’ grain handling equipment
- 2002 CTB acquired Beard Industries, Inc. (Frankfort, Indiana)
- 2012 CTB purchased the assets of Martin Industries, Corp. and its related subsidiaries including LeMar Industries Corp. (Des Moines, Iowa) and Riley Equipment Inc. (Vincennes, Indiana)

Stability in Motion®
Brock Grain Systems is a division of CTB, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Company. CTB has remained true to its tradition of Leadership Through Innovation®. CTB has adopted strategies for growth to enable it to continue to serve its customers with excellence and leadership far into the future.

Solid Together®
Working together with its independent dealers, Brock Grain Systems helps its customers achieve greater levels of business success by assisting, advising and consulting with them in selecting the best combinations of grain storage facilities, towers, catwalks, conveyors, aeration, drying and conditioning equipment.

For more information visit the Brock Grain Systems website, HERE.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain 
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Unilis Agtech join Inarix to develop a new quality grain measurement solution

With an innovation approach, based on images analysis and artificial intelligence (AI), Inarix re-think the quality measurement of grains.

Unilis Agtech, a joint venture between Unigrains and Arvalis created in early 2020 to support young innovative companies in the field of agrotechnology, has signed a financial and technical agreement with Inarix. The ambition is to provide the grain sectors with a new high-performance tool to better evaluate, and therefore enhance, the qualities of cereals.

 

Image credit: Bruce Guenter on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)

Image analysis and AI for a rapid and multi-criteria evaluation of plant production
Inarix, founded in 2018 by Pierre Chapelle, develops PocketLab, a mobile application that transforms a smartphone into a pocket laboratory allowing a quick analysis of the quality of plant productions via a simple photograph. The company's core business is the development of artificial intelligence for biological analysis, freeing itself from time-consuming and often costly methods.

Since 2020, Inarix has been marketing a first module used to evaluate the degree of varietal purity of a batch of malting barley. In 2020, PocketLab has thus made it possible to analyse about 10 percent of French malting barley production for several agricultural cooperatives.

Many other modules are currently being developed: multi-species varietal characterisation, assessment of protein content, identification of mycotoxins, measurement of impurities, seed analysis, etc. They are developed in close partnership with the clients of the user sectors: malting, milling, starch production, seed industry... For several months now, the project has been extended to other agricultural sectors.

A financial and technical contribution to accompany the development of Inarix
The financial and technical agreement includes the strengthening of the company's equity capital and the provision of services, notably to perfect the Inarix algorithms based on Arvalis' cereal grain sample library, built up over a significant number of campaigns and representative of the diversity of French regions. Unilis Agtech will also mobilise its network of partners - and more widely the networks of Unigrains and Arvalis - to accompany Inarix in the deployment of its solution and projects.

Inarix is the first company to benefit from the support of Unilis Agtech, following its launch in early 2020. Endowed with 4 M€, Unilis Agtech's ambition is to accompany about ten startups in order to promote the optimisation and adoption of innovative solutions for the production of crops.

Alexandre Biau, Managing Director of Unilis Agtech says, "Access to this type of solution, which is quick and inexpensive, can help to rethink quality assessment strategies, with more systematic tests for more efficient production chains. Inarix has already demonstrated its ability to successfully launch a first product on the market and has many opportunities for development. We are pleased to start this collaboration with Pierre Chapelle and his team.'

Pierre Chapelle, Founder and President of Inarix comments, "With Unilis Agtech, we have found an expert partner committed to the innovation and optimisation of new solutions such as ours. Beyond the financial and technical support - essential for our young company - and the access to the Unigrains and Arvalis networks, we are very proud to receive this mark of confidence and support from the French cereal industry which supports the relevance of our mission and our development projects.'

Visit the Inarix website, HERE.

Visit the Unilis website, HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

nabim-to-UK Flour Millers

by Alex Waugh, Director of UK Flour Millers

Changing our name to UK Flour Millers is part of a continuum. The name change in itself is part of a programme to bring flour milling into the public eye. Over the past couple of years we have asked customers, colleagues, people in government, etc what they knew about the flour milling industry and the answer was ‘not very much.’ 

People had little idea of what was involved in making flour. So we knew we had to do something and over the past 18 months or so we have been presenting the industry in a more positive light, finding ways to get out and about and engage with stakeholders right across the spectrum. An association name of ‘nabim’ didn’t really tell anyone what we did. What it now says on the tin is what you get.
 

This is all part of raising the industry’s profile, raising the association’s profile and engaging better with people we need to be speaking to.

The pandemic move things along rapidly. The absence of flour in the shops did raise the industry’s profile in the minds of consumers. It’s not the route we would have chosen but we were able to respond effectively.

The industry is well prepared for this second wave. There’s more packaging and more flour in shops. The last time around, the demand of flour going into small packets was up by 80 percent and that extra 80 percent of capacity was found within two week. There was a terrific response from businesses and more importantly from the people working in those businesses.

This time around we are much better prepared. Work absences might be a little higher, certainly in the UK where we have a track-and-trace system that takes people off line to self-isolate as a precaution and not because of illness. We are confident we are able to meet demand as it is.

Regarding Brexit the industry is as prepared we can be. We have several contingency plans in place depending on what the final outcome is. When it comes to our trade with other European countries that’s uncertain.

Read more HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Satake company profile

In 1896, the founder of the Satake Corporation, Riichi Satake, invented and began the production of Japan's first power driven rice milling machine. 

In the subsequent one hundred years, a succession of successful developments and a wealth of accumulated research and knowledge have made Satake the world leader in grain processing systems. Satake produces a comprehensive range of individual machines, integrated systems and totally engineered solutions for the processing of rice, wheat and other grains. 

The Company is proud of its tradition of innovation which ensures that Satake machines and systems are always at the forefront of technology. 

Satake has achieved its position as the oldest, largest and most advanced company in its fields through its commitment to offering customers superb equipment, specially developed to meet their needs. This driving principle has led directly to the prosperity of the Company. 

According to their website: "We are most grateful to all our customers for their patronage which has allowed us to become known and respected in Japan and over 140 countries throughout the world."

"Satake is a 'customer company' as well as a 'technically oriented company' putting the principle of customer satisfaction into practice. The support and assistance of our customers are greatly appreciated."

Visit the website HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Pablo A. Fernandez Moriana joins Bühler Singapore

Pablo A. Fernandez Moriana joined Bühler Singapore in September 2020 as the Head of Grain Storage for SEA and Oceania Region, a newly-created position that will lead the Grain Storage business.
 

Pablo A. Fernandez Moriana
Image credit: Bühler Group

Mr Fernandez will be responsible for driving business activities in the Grain Storage division including: developing business plans and strategically executing cross business units in the SEA and Oceania; and interfacing and coordinating with different entities such as Bühler Belingries (Germany), Bühler Changzhou (China) and Bühler Uzwil (Switzerland).

Mr  Fernandez brings with him more than 10 years of experience in the Silo and Grain Storage industry. After taking a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Administration, he also obtained a Global Executive MBA from EAE Business School in 2019.

For seven years, he developed grain storage businesses in the SEA with his former company and in the last three years as a Global Sales Director. His vast experience in the field of Silo and Grain industry combined with his strong technical and business knowledge will help Buhler to further develop its Grain Storage division, which has been identified as one of the key business pillars of the Global Strategy.

Visit the Bühler Group website, HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Lallemand Animal Nutrition adds to their global monogastric team

Lallemand Animal Nutrition has welcomed four new colleagues to support its poultry and swine teams globally.
 

Corinne Morvan, Aviguard product manager and poultry technical deployer
 
Ms Morvan will further support the business growth of this unique exclusion solution for poultry as well as support other microbial poultry solutions at Lallemand Animal Nutrition. Morvan brings more than 20 years of experience in poultry nutrition and breeding (management, biosecurity, and welfare). After different experiences with poultry premix and feed producers in France, Ms Morvan joined Aviagen Turkey as a poultry nutritionist for EMEA.

Cindy Jacobs, swine technical deployer

Ms Jacobs will be responsible for swine technical support in the Benelux Union, Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe and Russia. Ms Jacobs’ has more than 20 years of experience as a swine nutritionist in relevant companies. With her passion and customer focus, Ms Jacobs will help Lallemand Animal Nutrition reinforces their presence in the swine business in those territories.

Camille Leballeur, swine technical deployer

After a successful training period with Lallemand in 2019, Ms Leballeur graduated from Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture d’Angers (ESA) in France and completed an internship at Danone Research. Among other tasks, Ms Leballeur will manage field trials in different European locations and will help in the development of swine liquid feed applications for probiotic inoculants.

Isalie Bénéditti, marketing coordinator for swine and poultry solutions

Ms Bénéditti will help coordinate global swine and poultry marketing projects and support local marketing and sales teams. Ms Bénéditti brings expertise on topics such as building brand image and launching digital communication strategies. She has worked in both Europe and Australia and brings her global marketing experience to Lallemand Animal Nutrition.

 Visit the Lallemand Animal Nutrition website, HERE.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Evonik is expanding its customer service offering for its animal nutrition customers with a new digital portal called myAMINO.

Through the new e-business portal, Evonik has brought together its digital customer activities and services and added two web stores.
 

Image credit: Evonik

myAMINO will become the first digital point of contact for customers, making interacting with Evonik as convenient and as efficient as possible.

The launch of the myAMINO e-business portal marks an important milestone in Evonik's digitalisation strategy to strengthen its animal nutrition business which is part of Evonik's life science division nutrition and care.

Offering a digital customer experience, Evonik is taking the next logical step in the implementation of its system house strategy for sustainable animal nutrition - an innovation growth field in nutrition and care.

'Fostering e-business is one of our main strategic goals,' says Dr Dirk Hoehler, head of sales and e-business in the animal nutrition business line. 'We want to make it as convenient as possible for our customers to contact us, find relevant information and process their orders'.

myAMINO offers customer access to products, services, information, training, contacts, partners and order management for animal nutrition.

Customers can register on the portal to become activated users. Then they can log in at any time and browse, order, call up analysis data, or track delivery data.

The online shopping on myAMINO allows customers to search Evonik's core portfolio, for products like MetAMINO® by various categories, for example by type of packaging or animal species. They can obtain an overview of the range of products and services geared to their individual needs and place orders around the clock.

A second webshop makes it possible to order complementary products and services, such as laboratory equipment for amino acid analysis, online. The registration process in this webshop is straightforward and payment is possible via PayPal or credit card.

Visit the Evonik website, HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Roger Butler, president of nabim (UK flour millers)

Milling industry stalwart Roger Butler, who began his career cleaning hessian flour sacks aged 14, has become the new president of the National Association of British and Irish Millers (nabim) the trade association for UK flour millers. Mr Butler, 59, takes over from George Marriage this month, having previously served as the association’s vice president. Currently chairman of Whitworth Brothers and Carr’s Flour mills, his appointment comes as the UK flour industry continues to face unprecedented challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Roger, you’ve been in the milling industry all your working life. What differences do you see from what it was like in the milling industry when you joined to where you feel we are today?
From when I started in the milling industry we are now in a different world and things have evolved and we have to found many different ways to produce flour.
You can see that technology is changing the way we work. Virtual meetings are not just on a computer screen, you are surrounding yourself, selecting your background and joining meeting-room tables for an overall experience. How long will it be before we have our corporate offices in our homes. The milling industry is evolving also. We have to be open minded.
 

How did you come to be in the milling industry in the first place?
My father worked for Cadge and Coleman, which was part of Whitworth Holdings. He was a flour miller himself but sold flour After the Second World War he worked in the screen room and on the roller floor as an assistant mill manager. When we had the first wave of Asian sub-continent people arriving, they wanted Chapati flour and my father went out and found what these customer wanted, which was alien to the UK market, and then he set up the mill to produce and it and then he sold it. That was in the early to mid-1960s.
 

Did that have a big impact what you wanted to do?
It was natural for me. I got taken to the mill to do something useful. I started in the mill at 14 packing hessian flour sacks and cleaning and all the jobs no one else wanted to do, including elevator boots below the water level.
I did that until I left school at 16-17 and went to Allied Mills at Uxbridge as a flour packer but ended up covering shifts and becoming a second miller and running the intake, the lab and anything else. Then on my 18th birthday Allied asked if I wanted to Canada. I immigrated and became a permanent resident of Canada and went to work for Sooline Mills in Winnipeg, which was one of the Western Mills as a miller shift worker! I had already got my City and Guilds first and second years before I’d even left school. At 16 I was doing City and Guilds and not working towards A levels.
Then I ended up in Papua New Guinea. A long story but I’d come back from Canada to the UK for the winter and  went to work at Pledges Flour Mill Ashford in Kent, which was a milling business that had asked the institute for any spare millers and I was free so I went to run the mill.
It was only a two-tonne an hour mill and I was walking down Ashford Hight Street one afternoon, I saw in an job agency window an advert for a flour miller wanted in Papua New Guinea. Next minute I’m on the phone to Gillespie-Goodman-Wattie who had asked nabim millers for a mill in Lae as parts of the Australian-backed Commonwealth aid package to P&G to make sure there was food for the population. The mill had just been commissioned. It was a Robinson mill and I went there as a mill supervisor to run and train millers and ended up running a feedmill and a dock and all sorts of things that went with it as well.
We produced flour for Navy biscuits, which were shipped up into the Highlands and the by product went into our feed mill to produce chicken feed. That was between 1982-85.
 

And other places you worked in?
In 1987 china to commission Henry Simons first mill in rural china 80 miles up river from Wuhan at Wangshie and one of the first mills in China.
From there to Kirkcaldy in Scotland to work at Robert Hutchison remodelling that mill and running the operations before it was bought up by Meneba. I also did a lot of work in Russia with Perestroika with the Knowhow Fund and the CIS to keep the mills in St Petersburg and north of there in terms of wheat supply.
Then ended up coming down to Whitworth Brothers in 2000. We started building mills and investing and this is where we are today..
 

Did you settle down in 2000? You’re back in the UK
No it was after China. That absolutely knocked the travel bug out of me. I wanted to go there and see China and spent six months in the mid 80s in New Zealand with a visit to Northern Roller Mills while on holiday.
 

What are the points that stand out in your mind as being key to the development of milling?
Thinking out of the box and challenging the status quo. Taking the best ideas and best practice and reinventing them and not forgetting them. An practical example, is putting cables on the outside of a mill. You can keep the snakes and mice out if you build a concrete frame for the cables to go through but fill with gravel. Nothing can get through that. No using flashing or mastic. It’s the best pest control and hygiene junction.
It’s all about the way you can apply these techniques in different places to get the best out of the packages you’re offering. It’s about innovation, challenging technology.
A classic is machines sweating in mills. You get mould build up.behind the feed gates and then you need a miller to be checking the feed gates. If you stop the mould build up you don’t have to check the feed gates. It’s cause and effect - get rid of problems at source rather than try to manage them.
A classic example is you’ve got a window in a mill building, the mill gets hot and all you do is open the window. What you’re really doing is blowing cold air onto a bit of kit that is going to sweat and then end up with mould and rust issues. You have to bring the air in from somewhere else.
Another example from Canada is if you wanted pest control in an old wooden mill you just opened the windows and switch the machines off over a weekend. You had to heat the motors and sifters up with paraffin burners to warm the grease but its best way to kill moth eggs – by dropping the temperature below 10 degrees which will kill them.
 

Is it taking an idea from one place and adopting at another, where it might provide a different dimension?
That’s precisely it and that’s what the business has done. And that is what we have done with the latest mill we are building with Buhler and the Mill E3 technology which is going up at Whitney Bridge South. It’s an exciting mill build and William my son is the project engineer who is putting it together with Mike Peters our MD who has overall responsibility.
 

Is this new build the best yet, and what is the standout feature as far as you are concerned based on your global experience of milling?
What is in this mill has not been done before. The amount of AI in it is phenomenal and a complete step change in milling technology. The machines had to be adapted so that they could talk to each other.
This is the new methodology. It provides a road. It’s a bit like a satnav in a car. You get in and it gives you a route. Where it gets cleaver is that if the road is blocked it will provide an alternative and possibly more than one but in addition telling you how much fuel you’ll need plus how much time it will take and what you will pass on the way.
It’s the next layer of intelligence, not just the way its run but on what’s going in background and linking everything together. It then it starts telling you which options to take giving you the reasons why.
The more data you collect the more intelligent you can be. This is what’s going on in other industries whereas in the milling industry a roller mill is a roller mill. We have to put the information we have in driverless cars onto milling machinery.
This is the way the world is changing,. How it will evolve from what we are using today. It’s a different world. We won’t be able to keep up individually, but the younger generation is more demanding.
 

You’ve seen the wider world got a whole raft of experiences. how do you see transitional countries catching up?
Yes, in developing countries the milling industry provides basic food which is a top agenda item for most political bodies because they have to feed their population and therefore you’ll find the milling industry is quite well invested.
Africa is pretty well invested in milling probably more so than parts of the UK because its so critical to population growth. If you look at Indonesia milling operations are very efficient because they have a big population to supply.
They are replacing mills in China continually and they are not that old. They are on it because they have to feed a lot of people. More developed country have more choice if that makes sense.
 

What are the challenges these countries face?
The biggest challenge in many of these countries is water and power. Without a national grid they have to put in regional gas-fired power generators. At the dock they have well-invested engines built by Rolls Royce. They need that to discharge ships and to power the mills so they can send flour out to the population.
 

Do you think the milling industry is up to the challenge of providing food for a growing world population - 9.5 billion by 2050?
Oh yes. Absolutely. It’s whether or not the raw materials supply can keep up and whether or not it will be the same raw materials. Will it be more wheat and less rice as has happening in China, which experienced limited rice production because of a lack of water. Rice is harder to grow and you can feed more people with wheat in the form of  steam buns and noodles.
And it’s not all about raw material supply. Location and size are important as well and being in the right location for the consumer. This is the same everywhere - it’s a balance between your raw materials, where your customers are and an energy supply.
 

What is the way forward for the industry? Is it becoming a more global, more joined up and interconnected global industry?
I think so. Knowhow has changed dramatically over the years and it’s now in fewer and fewer hands. But Covid-19 has thrown a spanner in the works of globalisation. If you look back two years to where we thought we were heading it would be resulting in fewer and fewer producers globally.
I now don’t think we are going to get to the same level of travel and setting things up that we had and it’s going to be harder to move between regions in terms of business models and businesses. That window we had in  the 1980s onward might be harder to access post Covid-19. That’s just a thought.

Milling and Grain magazine, December 2020 is available now

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Bühler company profile

There are plenty of good reasons for Bühler’s success: Personal commitment, clever entrepreneurial decision-making, a high level of sensitivity to the changing needs of the market, and a core business that has become a byword for quality and consistency, founded on the distinct power to innovate.

Tackling the challenges of the period and of the market have always played a role in shaping the direction of the company. 

This is simply something that Bühler has always done, and when it comes to generating benefits and added value for our customers, we have always been a step ahead. 

Bühler is a specialist and technology partner for plant and equipment and related services for processing basic foods and manufacturing highgrade materials. 

The Group is a global market leader in the supply of flour production plants, pasta and chocolate production lines, animal feed manufacturing installations, and aluminum die casting systems. 

The core technologies of the Group are in the field of mechanical and thermal process engineering. With its expertise and over 150 years of experience, Bühler time and again rolls out unique and innovative solutions for its customers, helping them achieve success in the marketplace. 

Over the decades, Bühler has come to be acknowledged as a reliable partner, thanks to its distinct commitment to quality and its global presence. Bühler Group operates in over 140 countries, has a global payroll of 7860, and generated sales revenues of CHF 1907 million in fiscal 2010. 

Visit the website HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain 
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Entering a new milling era with Bühler’s Arrius

On November 16th 2020, Bühler announced a game-changing shift in grinding technology in a move that is set to drive product quality, consistency, and profits in the milling industry.

Bühler is heralding a new age in milling technology with the launch of Arrius, a fully integrated grinding technology for milling wheat, durum, rye, barley, corn, and spelt.
 

Arrius has an integrated drive and gearbox,
resulting in energy cost savings of up to 10 percent
Image credit: Bühler Group

The launch follows a fundamental rethink of the traditional grinding methods that lie at the heart of the milling process. By redesigning each technology component, Bühler has produced an integrated and self-adjusting grinding system that is a radical step change in how millers are able to control the quality and consistency of their product. Other benefits include cutting energy costs, increasing staff safety, speedy installation, remote digital control, improved food safety, and reducing the initial outlay needed for plant investment.

Addressing the milling industry's challenges
These advancements come as the milling industry faces a number of commercial challenges with clients demanding ever-increasing consistency and higher product quality. In a highly price-sensitive and competitive market even the smallest deviation in production parameters goes straight to a miller's bottom line. This is happening as food safety regulations tighten and millers report difficulty finding properly qualified and skilled staff.

Addressing these challenges will require ever-greater automation. Arrius is set to play a key role as the milling industry evolves towards autonomous mills capable of self-adjusting to optimise production parameters.

Arrius automatically adjusts to raw materials
At the heart of the Arrius step change lie the sensors in the feeding module and the roller pack enabling greater control of the product flow and grinding process. It means Arrius is able to automatically adjust to the characteristics of the raw material. Double-sided sensors in the robust new roller pack allow millers, for the first time, to continuously measure the grinding force of the rollers. This unique feature allows the miller to control the grinding process closely and thus optimise product characteristics for their specific market.

Up to 10 percent starch damage increase, up to 10 percent less energy costs
Besides the particle size distribution, starch damage is a parameter that can be influenced as precisely as never before. With Arrius it is possible to better control the grinding process of the product and increase starch damage by up to 10 percent if required.

Energy is a significant cost driver for millers, so Arrius has also been designed with an integrated drive and gearbox, resulting in energy cost savings of up to 10 percent.

Remote control and new benchmark in operational safety
Arrius's new ease-of-use features includes a remote app that can be loaded on smartphones or tablets from which an operator can control all grinding parameters from anywhere within the mill's network.

New food safety features include a feeding module designed for total product discharge. A streamlined design and increased aspiration in the grinding chamber also cut product deposits. The hygienic levelling feet that support the machinery are designed to improve food safety by enabling total under-machine cleaning. An electronically lockable cover and hand guard protection provides a new benchmark in operational safety to protect staff.

Discover how Bühler collaborated with Friessinger Mühle to develop Arrius:

 

Lower building costs, installation time cut to one-third
Thanks to the integrated drive and switch cabinet Arrius can be flexibly positioned in the mill and quickly installed. Arrius can reduce the cost of building investment as it makes a complete floor obsolete. Thanks to the integration of components and reducing the number of power and data cables from around 10 to only three, Arrius can be installed in a third of the time.

Stefan Birrer, Head of Business Area Milling Solutions at Bühler, said, 'We have been building mills for decades and we realised that if we wanted to keep running them in the same way, then we had maxed out on most of the existing concepts. Fully leveraging the potential of digital technologies, while also transferring methods from other industries demanded a complete restart. It meant we had to embark on green field engineering. High-precision autonomous milling is not a luxury, it will become key to remaining successful in a tough market environment for millers.'

Views from the first customers
Commenting on the new technology, Dan Dye, CEO of Denver-based Ardent Mills, who has been working as a development partner with Bühler on the project, said, 'Arrius is a perfect fit and our people are excited about it. Arrius will enable us to deliver the best flour quality to our customers through precision milling. With Arrius, Bühler is setting a new industry standard for high-end flour milling applications.'

A second development partner, Mike Peters, Managing Director of the UK-based flour milling company Whitworth Brothers, said, 'We have a strong passion and drive for food safety, reliability, quality, and consistency. And following the development work we have done with Bühler and the tests we have run in our plants, we are very satisfied that it can deliver on these attributes.'

Franz Rhomberg, Managing Director of Vorarlberger Mühlen in Austria, has also given the new technology a massive thumbs up. 'We can only be successful when we are more innovative than our competition. That's why we have decided to completely renovate our 200-ton swing-mill with Arrius,' said Mr Rhomberg.

Ardent Mills and Whitworth Brothers have chosen to install Arrius in their new plants after a trial period, while Vorarlberger Mühlen has been operating the system in commercial operation for over two years already.

Arrius will be launched on Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020, with webcasts starting at 8 a.m. CET (Central European Time) and 3 p.m. CET. Customers and visitors may register via the Bühler website, HERE.

Learn more about Bühler's technologies for the milling industry, HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

Omas Industries to build first flexy mill plant in in Central Europe

Omas Industries' new commissioned plant will be a food complex built in the district of Neamt, Romania and will be operational in 2021.

The large milling plant of 150 T/24h will enable the milling flow sheet to be modified according to the cereal quality allowing the production of different types of final product automatically. All this thanks to the flexy mill, direct drive (DD) and Omas drive system (ODS) technologies.
 

Image credit: Omas Industries

Omas Industries were able to develop a tailor-made plant with distinctive elements allowing to widen the finished products range with ease of management and cost reduction.

The new milling plant will be able to produce six kinds of groats and three types of flour, all having different grain sizes and features.

Omas Industries is capable of changing the fundamental grinding parameters on the roller mills during the milling process, thanks to the DD and ODS systems.

They can modify not only the distance between the rolls, but also other grinding parameters such as the rolls working position and the cutting speed, as well as the differential between the grinding rolls.

These are very important factors for milling that become fundamental when the quality of the raw material changes and to obtain very different products and percentages to follow the changing needs of marketing on consumers.

'We are honoured by this agreement and it's a pleasure that our customer has understood the potential of our technology, unique in the world. We consider this flexy mill the first of a series of mills in Central Europe that, looking to the future, will choose Direct Drive machines to eliminate transmission belts and the problems they cause!' Says Pietro Barbalarga, Omas' Commercial Director.

Sergio Dipasquale, Chief Miller who has taken part to the Commercial Mission, comments 'A taylor-made milling plant specific to the customer's requests, which will obtain the flexibility and high yields required by large-scale distribution thanks to the DD technology. We are ready for this new challenge!'

Visit the Omas Industries website, HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

SPACE 2020

by Antoine Tanguy, French-Edition Coordinator, Milling and Grain, France

The SPACE 2020 exhibition, much like many other events taking place this year, took on the colossal task to reinvent itself due to our unprecedented pandemic situation. Indeed, SPACE 2020 was hosted 100 percent digitally for the first time ever. The event, which, in normal circumstances, attracts 1400 exhibitors at the Parc-Expo in Rennes, (two-thirds of which are international exhibitors) also featured upwards of 100,000 visitors over the four days. SPACE 2020 confidently reached new platforms in order to best serve the livestock industry.

Through their website and mobile app, exhibitors and visitors were able to schedule B2B meetings, which served as a great opportunity for networking. Users were able to filter by sectors and products/services to find the company they were looking for. In addition, although exhibitors were unable to display their products in a traditional stand for attendees to see, SPACE 2020 offered an online solution. Exhibitors could upload information and images of their solutions through the SPACE website and mobile app, for attendees to explore at their own leisure.
 

InnovSpace
Even through the pandemic, companies have developed innovative solutions for the livestock market, and there is no reason to not appreciate and reward them. SPACE 2020 renewed their focus on technological innovation, through their annual InnovSpace awards. A total of 26 products and services were awarded the coveted InnovSpace awards during this year’s SPACE exhibition. The full list of laureates is avaiable on the SPACE website, but many are worth an honourable mention:

One especially unique InnovSpace winner was Balancius™ by DSM Nutritional Products, the only muramidase-degrading PGNs that is authorised for broilers. Balancius™ is the first muramidase (microbial enzyme) made to degrade and minimise the negative effects of bacteria for poultry. More than 50 trials proved the efficacity and the improvement of the use of Balancius™. The product has been authorised since May 2019 in Europe.

The Granulometry by ELVUP was another very interesting award winner. This solution analyses the theoretical degradability of starch in rumen. More and more, corn is used in ruminant feed because it produces slow-release energy. Corn granulometry allows users to better understand the average size and homogeneity of particles. Once aware of particle size and homogeneity, feed producers can change and improve their feed recipes to cater to their own specific requirements.

Read more HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

FAMSUN company profile

In this new era of global Industry 4.0 abundant agricultural production is still the cornerstone of human development. Every year, over two trillion tonnes of cereals are produced on this planet, but nearly 800 million people still lack food. 

As a leading enterprise in global agriculture and husbandry FAMSUN has, over the past five decades, dedicated itself to providing efficient and sustained solutions to the agriculture and husbandry sectors for safer, healthier and more environmental-friendly food across the world. 

FAMSUN has always made joint efforts with global agricultural and husbandry producers. We stick with the thought of ‘Creating System Value’ in three key engineering areas of feeding, breeding and oilseed production to provide system solutions for our partners. From farm-to-table, FAMSUN has held fast to its reputed ‘Made with Wisdom’ and its sincere serving spirit, that has won the trust and support of partners in over 120 countries and regions worldwide. 

To build a ‘trinity platform’ for research and development in Asia, Europe and America, FAMSUN has also built production bases in countries such as Egypt and has an established global marketing service network. The brand ‘Made in China’, can now be held up as a banner of efficiency, environmental protection and intelligent that provides credible services for global partners in both agriculture and husbandry.

Today, technical innovation has become the key driving force of FAMSUN. We have established four main research institutions; in German, in the US, in Denmark and in China, with joint ventures and cooperation agreements in five top technical companies in the USA and Spain. We focus on promoting the transformation of production, management and marketing modes and accelerate the application of Big Data, Cloud Computing and Internet of Things. 

Recognition of FAMSUN value takes roots in our common responsibilities, common initiations and common benefits; the spirits of FAMSUN also originates from our joint ambitions, joint efforts and joint ventures.

As the world-leading agricultural machinery manufacturer and engineering service provider, FAMSUN now has the discourse power to set international standards and make joint efforts with developing countries. In Africa, we built up production bases to increase local employment, improve farmer income and help more hungry children. In southeast Asia, we provided skills training and build breeding bases to improve the conditions of grain stores and design production and loan mechanisms for local farmers, bringing them hope for the further. 

Along ‘The Belt and Road’, we provided all-round supports in equipment, services and financing for local partners, vigorously increasing the developmental level of local agriculture and husbandry.

Standing at a high level, we will endeavour to provide more reliable safeguards for all industry chains to ensure grain and food security for all peoples of the world!

Visit the FAMSUN website, HERE.

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain 
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.