Situated directly adjacent to the production sites, the nine Cristal Union dehydration units are designed to process the by-products from the sugar production process (sugar beet pulp) and distilleries (wheat biomass), as well as harvested alfalfa. These units produced a granulate which adds energy and protein to animal feed: pulp, high-protein biomass, conventional and organic alfalfa.
These products are marketed by Prodeva and Désialis
Some examples:
Dehydrated alfalfa in 6 mm pellets, formulated to contain around 18% protein,
has multiple nutritional benefits.
Dehydrated beet pulp in 6 mm pellets is known to have a high concentration of energy and dietary fiber which is easily digested.
Dehydrated alfalfa in balled strands, designed to provide long fibers without diminishing the energy and protein concentration of feed given to ruminants.
The dehydration industry developed during the 1970s, when producers in the pulp sector wanted to expand their markets into the most distant animal farming regions: dehydration soon became the ideal solution for transporting pulp without altering its composition. So, in those regions where animal farming alone was not able to consume all of the locally produced fresh or compressed pulp coming from the sugar factories, the need to set up dehydration units was essential.
