FEEDSTOCK-DERIVED COMPOSITIONS AND PROCESSES OF MAKING SAME
Feed compositions and methods of making feed compositions are disclosed herein. The feed compositions may include, on a dry weight basis, crude protein in an amount of about 40 wt % or greater, crude fat in an amount of up to about 20 wt %, neutral detergent fiber in an amount of up to about 20 wt %, and lysine in an amount of about 2.55 wt % or greater. The methods involve separating a beer composition produced by a starch-based feedstock-to-ethanol conversion process into bulk solids and a fine solids, and removing liquid from the fine solids, in which the separating and removing are performed in a manner that reduces the total heat exposure of the fine solids as compared to processes relying on distillation to separate beer components and/or cooking to saccharify starch.
1 . A process, comprising:
a. separating a beer composition comprising a solids fraction and a liquids fraction into a first mixture comprising bulk solids and a minority portion of the liquids fraction and a second mixture comprising fine solids and a majority portion of the liquids fraction, wherein the beer composition results from fermenting a starch-based feedstock; and,
b. removing at least a portion of the liquid from the second mixture to produce a feed paste composition comprising the fine solids, wherein separating and removing are performed in a manner that reduces the total heat exposure of the fine solids as compared to solely using distillation to separate beer components.
2 . A process according to claim 1 , wherein separating and removing are substantially performed at temperatures below the vaporization temperature of ethanol.
3 . A process according to claim 1 , wherein the separating and removing are performed in a manner that reduces the total heat exposure of the fine solids as compared to a process for producing Dried Distiller's Grains that uses a cooking process for saccharification and distillation to separate beer components into ethanol and whole stillage.
4 . A process according to claim 1 , wherein separating means centrifuging, removing means centrifuging, or both
5 . A process according to claim 1 , wherein separating and removing are performed without any, and prior to any, distillation.
6 . A process according to claim 1 , wherein the first mixture comprises bulk solids and a residual portion of the liquids fraction and the second mixture comprises fine solids and a major portion of the liquids fraction.
7 . A process according to either of claim 1 , wherein removing comprises removing a major portion of the liquids fraction resulting in the feed paste composition comprising fine solids and a residual portion of the liquids fraction.
8 . A process according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a. saccharifying starch derived from a starch-based feedstock to sugar without cooking the starch; and,
b. fermenting the sugar to produce the beer composition, wherein saccharifying and fermenting can occur step-wise or simultaneously.
9 . A process according to claim 1 , further comprising drying the feed paste composition.
10 . A process according to claim 9 , wherein the dried feed paste composition comprises no more than about 1% by weight liquid.
11 . A process according to claim 10 , further comprising adding liquid to the dried feed paste composition.
12 . A process according to claim 11 , wherein the feed paste composition comprises an amount of liquid ranging from about 8% to about 10% by weight.
13 . A process according to claim 1 , wherein the feed paste composition comprises an amount of solids ranging from about 30% to about 40% by weight.
14 . An animal feed paste composition comprising: on a dry weight basis,
a. about 40% weight or greater crude protein;
b. up to about 20% weight crude fat;
c. about 20% weight or less neutral detergent fiber; and,
d. about 2.55% weight or greater lysine; wherein the feed paste composition is derived from a starch-based feedstock-to-ethanol fermentation conversion process in which components of the composition are exposed to temperatures no greater than about 190 F.
15 . An animal feed paste composition according to claim 14 , wherein the starch-based feedstock-to-ethanol conversion process comprises saccharifying starch to sugar without cooking and separating fermentation beer components without distillation.
16 . An animal feed paste composition according to claim 15 , wherein the starch-based feedstock is corn.
17 . An animal feed paste composition according to claim 14 , wherein the solids fraction was exposed to temperatures no greater than about 180 F.
18 . An animal feed paste composition according to claim 17 , wherein the solids fraction was exposed to temperatures no greater than about 100 F.
19 . An animal feed paste composition according to claim 15 , wherein the solids fraction has an average particle size of no greater than about 30 μm.
20 . An animal feed paste composition according to claim 19 , wherein the solids fraction has an average particle size of no greater than about 15 μm.