Feed Processing and its Effects on Equine Nutrition – A Review

It's expected that the Brazilian production of industrialized feed for horses reach 2 million tons by the year 2020. Feed processing consists of physical, chemical or biological modifications that are made in the feed. These modifications can increase the availability of nutrients for horses and/or preserve the quality of these nutrients in the raw material. The objective of this review was to describe the main types of feed processing used in the manufacture of feeds for horses, showing the benefits and losses that they may cause in nutrition and production of these animals. There are several types of feed processing and they can be classified according to the use of thermal processing treatments: cold or hot processing. Processing of grains can cause several changes in feed, such as change and adjustment of particle size, improving nutrient digestibility, promoting the inactivation of enzyme inhibitors, and preserving feed. The effects that cause different kinds of processing depend on many factors, including the type of cereal, starch, temperature, time, humidity and pressure during processing. The process, when performed correctly, can increase the digestibility of starch and digestible energy content of the grains used to feed horses. However, you should be careful with the amount of concentrate used in horse feed.