WEDA EuroTier Innovation 2022: Dosing station Dry.Sec wins DLG Innovation Award in silver

Precise post-dosing of dry substrate in the production of insects

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Great joy at WEDA Dammann & Westerkamp GmbH in Lutten, Lower Saxony: The specialist for pig husbandry, stable equipment, feeding and air conditioning technology has been awarded with the DLG Innovation Award in silver for its Dry.Sec dosing station among the approved exhibitors at EuroTier 2022. According to the German Agricultural Society, the economic significance for the practice, the work performance, the work quality as well as the functional safety are decisive for the award. Furthermore, positive effects on animal welfare as well as the environmental and energy situation are taken into account.

Precise dosing

In production plants for insect larvae, incorrect dosing can occur, for example, when feeding the black soldier fly (BSF), as a result of which the young larvae drown in the substrate if it is too liquid. With the newly developed Dry.Sec dosing station, a fully automatic, rapid and precise re-dosing of the dry, organic material is possible. An island of this material is formed on which the young larvae are placed in the following step.

Processing feed into pulp

In the process sequence of a black soldier fly feeding, the feed is processed into a mush and filled into boxes. Young larvae are placed on top, which then eat the food. Here it is important that by-products such as different types of vegetables and fruits are chopped down to below 3 millimetres in size, processed and mixed.

High dry matter content and still flowable

The substrate should have a high dry matter content and still remain flowable so that it can be dosed out precisely and quickly and the soldier flies can eat it well. However, if the liquid content is too high, the young larvae may drown in the substrate.

Dry material is added to the liquid mass

The newly developed Dry.Sec dosing station precisely refeeds dry organic material. The novelty is that in this second step, the dry material is added to the liquid mass.

Losses of young larvae reduced

The advantages of this solution are obvious: If a higher dry substance is required in the feed, this can be achieved exactly to the gram thanks to the Dry.Sec. By adding a small amount of dry feed, any required dry matter content can be fed. Another advantage is that with a higher dry matter content of the feed, less moisture has to be evaporated in the final fattening process. This saves energy. The Dry.Sec thus leads to a safe fattening of the young larvae and a safe management, as it reduces the losses of young larvae enormously.