PELLETED DIETS - The Lake’s manufactured diets are produced in pellet and mini pellet form. The pelleting process begins by grinding the ingredients. Next, the ingredients are combined and mixed with a vitamin and mineral premix to form a dry mash. This mash is then put through the pelleting process that involves high-pressure extrusion at a temperature of approximately 180 degrees. The pellets are then moved across a screen to cool them and remove the fines. The ingredients are not cooked, and are only exposed to these temperatures for a very short time.
Lake’s prefers this manufacturing method because there is very little destruction of nutrients at this manufacturing temperature. Also, we believe that birds are meant to digest raw, unprocessed grains to keep the gizzard functioning properly.
EXPANDED DIETS - Although some diets call their products a pelleted diet, they are actually manufactured by an "expanded" process. Manufacturers today use this expanded method in order to provide the customer (not necessarily their birds) with food in the shapes of hearts, bones, moons, and stars. After the ingredients are ground and mixed, the mash is then cooked to a gruel at a temperature exceeding 300 degrees, which is then extruded through small shapes. Once this extruded gruel hits the air, it expands to many times its size. Because this expansion is necessary, the manufacturer is limited to the amounts of fiber and fat in their initial formulation or it will not expand. The limitation of fat is often compensated for by spraying fat on the outside of the morsel after expansion. Once N.R.C. Standards are set, we may find that exotic birds require a much higher level of fiber than this process allows.
The main problem with this process is the high manufacturing temperatures involved. At this temperature, many sensitive nutrients are destroyed. This means the manufacturer must overcompensate to avoid a nutritional loss or imbalance. Overcompensation leads to guess work on just how much of what has been destroyed.
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