Dried blood, often referred to as blood meal, is created through a specific process that removes moisture from fresh animal blood. This process typically involves vacuum evaporation followed by spray-drying.
Here's a breakdown of the steps:
- Collection: Clean, fresh animal blood is collected, excluding any extraneous materials.
- Initial Evaporation: The blood undergoes low-temperature vacuum evaporation. This step reduces the moisture content to approximately 70%.
- Spray Drying: The partially dried blood is then spray-dried. This final drying process further reduces moisture, resulting in a dry, powdered product known as blood meal. This is the most common form used, particularly in fish feeds.
The end product, blood meal, is used in various applications, most commonly as a protein-rich ingredient in animal feed and as a nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
