In Romania, the energy base of compound feed is mainly represented by cereals (corn and wheat), while the protein core is provided by soybean and sunflower meals (and the corresponding press cakes), complemented by bran from milling – a structure confirmed both in technical literature and in current practices across local feed mills. At the same time, at the EU level, total compound feed production reached approximately 144 million tons in 2023 (a 2.4% decrease compared to 2022), showing that pressure on efficiency and costs continues to increase and that the use of co-products is becoming an important strategic lever.
Romania holds a clear advantage in this sector: we remain among the top EU producers of sunflower (both in cultivated area and total output, ranking first in 2023) and therefore contribute significantly to the Union’s total production. This context suggests a strong local availability of sunflower meal and press cake for feed purposes. At the same time, the European Union remains dependent on imports of high-protein raw materials, reinforcing the need for partial substitution with local co-products and for technological modernization of these materials (stabilization, standardization, dehulling/fractionation).
Romania has sufficient local resources to turn secondary streams into valuable raw materials
- Local availability: Romania benefits from a wide range of agri-food co-products: sunflower and rapeseed meals and cakes, as well as by-products from starch production and breweries (DDGS – Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles, CGF – Corn Gluten Feed and dewatered brewer’s spent grain).
- External volatility: The EU’s dependence on imports for protein feed sources exposes producers to major price and availability fluctuations. In this context, any percentage of substitution with locally sourced raw materials contributes to stabilizing operational costs (OPEX) and increasing sector resilience.
- Quality and compliance requirements: To be consistently integrated into feed formulations, co-products must be standardized in terms of moisture content, total solids (TS), particle size, and contaminant levels. hey must also comply with traceability and hygiene requirements as specified in Regulation (EC) No. 183/2005 and Regulation (EC) No. 767/2009.
Consultech supporting feed manufacturers and agri-food co-product suppliers in Romania
1) Stabilization & pre-processing at source. The use of Flottweg Decanter and Tricanter® equipment enables the dewatering and fractionation of process streams (protein/fiber), with a direct impact on:
- Moisture control, bringing benefits in transport cost reduction and lower spoilage rates;
- Removal of free solids and unwanted fine particles, resulting in cleaner process streams and more stable raw materials.
High-efficiency solid–liquid separation represents the classic application of Flottweg technology in agri-food environments rich in fine solids.
2) Thermal concentration, pasteurization and energy recovery. HRS heat exchangers (DTI / DCS / DPS series) can be integrated for:
- Concentrating digestate or co-product streams;
- Pasteurization, where required by the process scheme;
- Thermal energy recovery from existing loops (e.g. CHP units or flue gases).
The result is a higher total solids (TS) content, reduced microbiological load, and optimized specific energy consumption.
3) Mechanical Pre-Treatment & Dewatering. Equipment such as HUBER STRAINPRESS®, rotating drum screens, disc filters, or screw presses provide efficient solutions for streams with high solids loading (from mills, starch plants, or breweries). These systems ensure non-clogging operation, process continuity (no upstream downtime) and stable performance.
In practice, these steps transform co-products into predictable raw materials – with targeted moisture, homogeneous batches, monitored parameters (TS, temperature, vibration) and end-to-end traceability – the essential condition for integration into industrial-scale feed formulations.
