How are dried cassava chips and pellets produced?
Dried cassava chips and pellets are common cassava products used in animal feeds. Freshly harvested roots are cleaned by washing or sifting, then chipped into small pieces and sundried on concrete floors for 3-6 days, depending on weather conditions and sunlight. The chips are regularly turned over by mechanical raking throughout the drying period. Dried chips normally contain 13%-14% moisture and are kept in the warehouse for a few days before shipment to the users. Cassava chips maybe ground, steamed, and pelletized into cassava pellets which are more compact, less dusty, and very convenient for transportation and bulk shipment. However, some additives such as palm kernel cake or palm oil (copra meal and coconut oil in the Philippines) should be added in order to facilitate the pelletizing process. What are the advantages of pelleting cassava meal? Pelleting the cassava meal can enhance the digestibility of some micronutrients, destroy hydrocyanic acid, destroy the growth inhibition
