JP7694889B2 - Feed additives and feed, and method for fattening beef cattle using the same - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act Sasaki Teru, representative director of Koran Sangyo Co., Ltd., together with Ueno Kazuo, representative director of Ueno Farm Ltd., and Ueno Kazuo's acquaintance Yanai Toshimitsu, unveiled the feed additives and feed, as well as the method of fattening beef cattle using them, at the 2022 Ordinary General Meeting of the East Japan Direct Farm Beef Research Association in a conference room at the Art Hotel (700 Kosuge, Narita City, Chiba Prefecture).

The present invention relates to a feed additive for improving the meat quality of meat-producing animals, a feed containing the feed additive, and a method for raising beef cattle using the feed.

Traditionally, in rice cultivation, about 20% of the rice harvested is rice husks by weight, but no effective uses for the husks have been developed, and they are usually used as livestock feed or turned into charcoal by setting up a chimney in a corner of the paddy field and burning the husks in a pile, which is then returned to the soil. However, when using the husks as feed, the minerals and other components originally contained in the husks are difficult to absorb, and the nutritional value is not high. Furthermore, when burning the husks in the open to produce charcoal, rain causes incomplete combustion and makes it impossible to produce good quality charcoal, and open burning is dangerous when the wind blows, so amendments to the Waste Disposal Act have led to restrictions on this practice.

The applicant, Koran Sangyo Co., Ltd., has already developed a smoker (registered trademark) for safely and reliably producing smoked charcoal from rice husks without any trouble (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This smoker fills a roughly cylindrical smoking kiln with rice husks, and carbonizes them by smoking them from the top layer to the bottom while supplying air from the bottom and exhausting air from the top. When the carbonization reaches the bottom layer of the rice husks, the fire is extinguished, making it possible to produce high-quality smoked charcoal with a simple structure without special temperature control. The smoked charcoal obtained here has been mainly used as a plant growth regulator and soil conditioner.

In addition, charcoal made from plant materials, including not only rice husk charcoal, is known to have the effect of regulating the intestines and activating the stomach, and is used not only as livestock feed and additives, but also as veterinary medicines (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). Such veterinary medicines are made, for example, from broadleaf tree bark, which is carbonized by heat treatment under strict temperature control, then cut into small pieces and mixed with separately collected wood vinegar (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2).

Patent No. 6153129

“Product Information, Veterinary Medicine, Neckerich Powder”, [online], Miyazaki Midori Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., [searched July 15, 2022], Internet [URL; http://www.midori-mm.co.jp/showcase/index.html] "How Nekkarich is made", [online], Miyazaki Midori Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., [searched July 15, 2022], Internet [URL; http://www.midori-mm.co.jp/nekkarich/fabrication.html]

For livestock farmers who use the aforementioned charcoal as livestock feed, an additive, or veterinary medicine, promoting the growth of beef cattle during fattening before shipping is an important issue. For this reason, charcoal has been used to promote the growth of not only beef cattle, but also edible animals (livestock) such as pigs and chickens. At a ranch managed by the inventor of this application, there was an opportunity to see a case where, when charcoal was mixed into the feed of beef cattle, the meat quality grade improved in addition to the well-known effect of promoting growth.

The applicants of the present invention have therefore conducted extensive research into new uses for charcoal, and have found that when beef cattle are fed charcoal produced by the aforementioned smoker using mainly rice husks as plant raw materials, the quality of the meat can be significantly improved. For example, even if beef cattle are raised using the aforementioned open-burned charcoal or conventionally known veterinary medicines, the quality of the open-burned charcoal is not stable, and veterinary medicines are expensive, resulting in high costs.

Furthermore, as a result of repeated trial and error in the actual raising of beef cattle using charcoal produced by the aforementioned Smoker (registered trademark), new issues arose in order to use this charcoal more effectively in a new application of improving the grade of meat quality. There was a demand for improvements to the charcoal itself to solve these issues, and for a raising method that could use this charcoal to maximize the grade of meat quality.

The present invention was made in response to the problems of the conventional techniques described above, and aims to provide a feed additive and feed that, when using charcoal as a feed additive for food animals, is highly effective in improving meat quality grades, can reduce the cost of charcoal, can improve quality, and can more reliably, efficiently, and easily improve meat quality grades, as well as a method of raising beef cattle using the same.

As a result of intensive research in view of the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have found a new use for charcoal and have completed the present invention.
That is, a feed additive for improving the meat quality of food-producing animals,
The charcoal is made by smoking and carbonizing the plant raw materials of the Gramineae family, mainly rice husks, and is characterized by the fact that it naturally contains the components contained in the smoke produced during the carbonization process.

The feed additive and feed of the present invention, and the method for fattening beef cattle using them, can reduce the cost of charcoal as a feed additive that is highly effective in improving meat quality grade, and can also improve quality, making it possible to improve meat quality grade more reliably, efficiently, and easily.

1 is a front view showing a schematic overall configuration of a feed additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a side view showing an outline of the overall configuration of a feed additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a container body of the feed additive manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a shutter opening/closing mechanism of the feed additive manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a chimney of the feed additive manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1C are front views showing various modified examples of the container body of the feed additive manufacturing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a reed ash manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a table showing an example of the results of a component analysis of liquid smoke contained in a feed additive according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a table showing the amounts of ingredients and raw materials of an example of a commercially available feed to be mixed with a feed additive according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a table showing the amounts of ingredients and raw materials of an example of a commercially available feed to be mixed with a feed additive according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a table showing the amounts of ingredients and raw materials of an example of a commercially available feed to be mixed with a feed additive according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a table showing the amounts of ingredients and raw materials of an example of a commercially available feed to be mixed with a feed additive according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a grading table showing the discrimination of yield grades in the grading of beef cattle meat quality grades. 1 is a grading table showing the discrimination of fat marbling in the grading of meat quality grades of beef cattle. This is a grading table showing the classification of meat color and luster when grading beef cattle quality grades. This is a grading table showing the classification of meat firmness and texture in grading beef cattle meat quality grades. This is a grading table showing the color and quality of fat used to grade beef cattle. 1 is a table showing an example of test results relating to a beef cattle fattening method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes, in order, with reference to the drawings, a representative embodiment of the present invention, a production apparatus and production method for feed additives for improving the meat quality of edible animals, as well as the feed additives and feed, and a method for fattening beef cattle using them. Here, edible animals broadly include mammals such as cattle, buffalo, deer, sheep, goats, horses, pigs, and wild boars, birds such as chickens, quails, ducks, pheasants, and ostriches, fish such as tuna and sturgeon, and amphibians such as edible frogs, all of which are used for food. However, the following description will be given using beef cattle as a representative example. Note that the components, shapes, values, etc. shown in the embodiments described below are all examples of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention.

<Regarding the feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10>
1 to 6 show a feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment. The feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is an apparatus for manufacturing a feed additive for improving the meat quality of food-producing animals from a plant material of the Gramineae family, mainly rice husks. Note that the relative dimensional relationship and shape of the components shown in each figure may be changed as appropriate and may differ from the actual ones.

In this embodiment, the "plant raw material" is primarily rice husks, but may also include other plants of the Poaceae family, such as dried and finely cut bamboo or reeds, or sawdust or fallen leaves. Note that rice husks are the outermost skin of rice grains, and it is known that the majority of the components of rice husks are resistant organic matter such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.

In addition, in this embodiment, a "feed additive" is, for example, a substance added to cattle feed for the purpose of improving the meat quality grade. Here, "feed" is, for example, a substance used for the purpose of providing nutrition to cattle, and as long as it is a conventionally known feed, it does not matter whether it is roughage or concentrated feed classified according to nutritional value, or single feed, mixed feed, or compounded feed classified according to the mixing method. In addition to the above-mentioned edible animals, the feed additive in this embodiment may be provided to farmed fish, and even to pets such as dogs and cats that are not used for food, and ornamental fish.

<<Container body 11>>
As shown in Fig. 1, the feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 has a container body 11 in which the inside where the plant raw materials are put is divided into an air supply chamber 101 at the bottom side and a carbonization chamber 102 where the plant raw materials are filled above the air supply chamber 101 and the plant raw materials are ignited and carbonized by smoking from the top layer to the bottom layer. The feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 having the container body 11 as a main part has a basic structure almost the same as that of a device called a smoker (registered trademark, Koran Sangyo Co., Ltd.), but the feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 of the present invention is an apparatus based on a new finding that produces feed additives for improving the quality of meat of edible animals. Incidentally, "smoking" means burning without a flame while producing smoke, i.e., it is the same as the general term "smoking".

The container body 11 has a vertical cylindrical shape overall, and is made of a metal material such as stainless steel or iron. More specifically, the container body 11 comprises a cylindrical body portion 110, which forms the main part, a lower inverted truncated cone portion 111, a lower small diameter portion 112, an upper small diameter portion 113, and an upper small diameter portion 114. As will be described later, the inside of the container body 11 is divided into an air supply chamber 101 on the bottom side and a carbonization chamber 102 above it by a grate 12 arranged approximately horizontally midway through the lower small diameter portion 112.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main body cylindrical portion 110 is formed as a cylindrical portion with the maximum outer diameter in the container body 11. Below this main body cylindrical portion 110, in other words, at the bottom of the carbonization chamber 102 of the container body 11, a main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111 is formed as a tapered portion whose peripheral wall gradually decreases in diameter toward the bottom. In addition, below the main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111, a main body lower small diameter portion 112 is formed which extends with the same diameter as the lower end opening of the main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111.

The lower end opening of the lower small diameter portion 112 of the main body is closed by a bottom cover 115 constructed as a separate body. The bottom cover 115 is formed, for example, in a metal disk shape, and one end is connected to the periphery of the lower end opening of the lower small diameter portion 112 of the main body via a hinge, and is configured so that it can be fixed in a sealed state by fasteners such as hooks (not shown) provided at multiple locations including the other end. In addition, a cylindrical portion 115a that fits into the lower half of the lower small diameter portion 112 of the main body may be provided on the inside of the bottom cover 115, and the grate 12 may be fixed to the upper end opening of this cylindrical portion. Here, the cylindrical portion 115a has a structure with excellent breathability, for example, by providing a large number of holes so that the inside and outside of the cylindrical portion are connected as the air supply chamber 101.

Above the main body cylindrical portion 110, in other words, at the top of the carbonization chamber 102 of the container body 11, a main body upper truncated cone portion 113 is formed, the peripheral wall of which gradually expands in diameter toward the bottom. Above the main body upper truncated cone portion 113, a main body upper small diameter portion 114 is formed, which extends with the same diameter as the upper end opening of the main body upper truncated cone portion 113. Here, the main body upper truncated cone portion 113 is illustrated as having the same shape as the above-mentioned main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111, but upside down. However, the taper angles of the main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111 and the main body upper truncated cone portion 113, and the outer diameters of the main body lower small diameter portion 112 and the main body upper small diameter portion 114 may be configured to be different from each other.

The upper end opening of the upper small diameter portion 114 of the main body is closed by a canopy 116 constructed as a separate body. The canopy 116 is formed, for example, in a metallic disk shape, and is configured so that it can be fixed in a sealed state by fasteners such as hooks (not shown) provided at multiple points in the circumferential direction when placed on the periphery of the upper small diameter portion 114 of the main body. The canopy 116 may be configured as an integral structure that is inseparable from the upper small diameter portion 114 of the main body and the upper truncated cone portion 113 of the main body, and the lower end opening of the upper truncated cone portion 113 of the main body may be connected to the upper end opening of the cylindrical main body portion 110 in an openable and closable manner. In addition, a chimney 30, which will be described later, is provided on the upper side of the canopy 116.

The size of the container body 11 is suitable for a large capacity that can produce a large amount of feed additives at one time, for example a dimension of 500 to 1000 L in height. In this embodiment, the carbonization chamber 102 inside the container body 11, which is filled with plant raw materials, corresponds to, from the bottom, the upper half of the lower small diameter part 112 of the main body, which is above the rotisserie 12 described below, the lower inverted truncated cone part 111 of the main body, the cylindrical part 110 of the main body, and the upper truncated cone part 113 of the main body, and the sum of these volumes is the actual capacity of the container body 11. Therefore, the lower half of the lower small diameter part 112 of the main body and the upper small diameter part 114 of the main body are not included in the actual capacity, but plant raw materials may be filled up to the upper small diameter part 114 as appropriate.

Specific dimensions of each part of the container body 11 are as follows: for example, if the actual capacity is 1000 L, the diameter of the cylindrical body part 110, which is the maximum diameter of the entire container, is about 100 cm, the maximum diameter of the lower inverted truncated cone part 111 and the upper truncated cone part 113 is about 100 cm and the minimum diameter is about 60 cm, and the diameter of the lower small diameter part 112 and the upper small diameter part 114 is 60 cm. The height of the cylindrical body part 110 is about 110 cm, and the height of the lower inverted truncated cone part 111 and the upper truncated cone part 113 is about 20 cm. The height of the lower small diameter part 112 is about 20 cm, and the upper half of it, which is about 10 cm, is part of the actual capacity. The upper small diameter part 114 is not included in the actual capacity, but it is recommended that its height be about 10 cm.

The total height of the parts that form the substantial capacity of the container body 11 is 160 cm, which is the total of the height of the upper half of the small diameter part 112 at the bottom of the body, about 10 cm, the height of the inverted truncated cone part 111 at the bottom of the body, about 20 cm, the height of the cylindrical part 110 of the body, about 110 cm, and the height of the truncated cone part 113 at the top of the body, about 20 cm. Here, the ratio of the total height of the parts that form the substantial capacity of the container body 11, about 160 cm, to the diameter of the cylindrical part 110 of the body, which forms the main part of the substantial capacity of the container body 11, about 100 cm, is 1.6:1. The inventors have confirmed that such a ratio of the height and diameter of the container body 11 is preferable for continued combustion, regardless of the size of the container body 11 as a whole. In this embodiment, the substantial capacity of the container body 11 is set to 1000 L, taking into consideration that the amount of rice husks that usually occurs from one tan, which is a unit of rice field, is 1000 L.

A particularly important part of the container body 11 is the inverted truncated cone section 111 below the body, which has a shape that squeezes the bottom side. The inverted truncated cone section 111 below the body is a section that gradually narrows the cross-sectional area of the part where the plant material is being smoked in the carbonization chamber 102 (smoked layer) as it progresses downward. With this inverted truncated cone section 111 below the body, even the lower part of the plant material, which is particularly prone to remaining unburned, can be smoked reliably over its entire cross-sectional area. This prevents the generation of uncarbonized parts in the lower part of the plant material, and ensures that all of the filled plant material is smoked.

The inclination angle and length of the taper in the inverted truncated cone section 111 below the main body are set to dimensions that ensure the capacity of the carbonization chamber 102 is as large as possible while preventing any unburned plant material from remaining. In a container body 11 with a relatively large capacity (1000 L) as in this embodiment, based on the specific dimensions of each part described above, the taper angle θ1 in the inverted truncated cone section 111 below the main body is approximately 45 degrees and the length of the vertical cross section is approximately 28 cm. The inventors have confirmed through experiments that with an inverted truncated cone section 111 below the main body of such dimensions, all plant material equivalent to 1000 L can be reliably charcoalized down to the bottom layer.

If the bottom side of the container body 11 were cylindrical with a horizontal bottom shape like a conventional smoker, the larger the overall capacity of the container body 11, the less stable the progress of smoking and roasting down to the lowest layer of the plant raw materials would be. The tapered portion, the inverted truncated cone portion 111 below the body, may be configured to be provided not only on the bottom side of the carbonization chamber 102, but also in the middle or from the top of the carbonization chamber 102. This will be explained as a modified example of this embodiment, which will be described later. The shape of the truncated cone portion 113 above the body of the container body 11 is also unique, and this will also be described later.

The container body 11 is installed on an installation surface, which is the ground or floor surface, via, for example, a support mechanism 13, with its central axis extending in a substantially vertical direction. The support mechanism 13 is capable of supporting the container body 11 above the installation surface by engaging a pair of support shafts protruding from both sides of the outer circumferential surface of the container body 11. This support mechanism 13 supports the container body 11 so that it can swing around the pair of support shafts as the swing center during the operation of filling the plant raw material or removing the charcoal, and supports the container body 11 so that the swing is suppressed during smoking.

In the container body 11, the charcoal, which is a feed additive, can be removed by opening the bottom lid 115 from the lower opening of the small diameter part 112 at the bottom of the body. If the container body 11 is supported above the installation surface by the support mechanism 13 as described above, the charcoal can be easily removed. The container body 11 may be placed directly on the installation surface without providing the support mechanism 13. In this case, however, since the bottom lid 115, which is the contact surface of the container body 11, has a small diameter and area and is therefore unstable, it is preferable to provide a structure that supports the container body 11 from all sides to prevent it from falling over. In addition, when removing the charcoal from the lower opening of the small diameter part 112 at the bottom of the body, the container body 11 will be turned sideways.

<<Rostler 12>>
The space inside the container body 11 is divided by the grate 12 into an air supply chamber 101 on the bottom side and a carbonization chamber 102 above the bottom side, which occupies the main part of the whole. The grate 12 is a heat-resistant plate material with excellent breathability, such as a metal wire rod combined in a lattice shape or a metal plate with many holes drilled, etc. The grate 12 is disposed on the bottom side inside the container body 11, but in this embodiment, it is disposed approximately horizontally at a midpoint in the height direction, which is midway through the main body lower small diameter portion 112. Here, the position of the grate 12 may be halfway or below the lower side of the main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111 (taper portion), and may also be disposed, for example, at the boundary between the main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111 and the main body lower small diameter portion 112.

The grate 12 is arranged substantially horizontally and removably fixed on the bottom side inside the container body 11. In this embodiment, as described above, for example, a cylindrical portion 115a that fits into the lower half of the lower small diameter portion 112 of the main body may be provided inside the bottom cover 115, and the grate 12 may be removably fixed to the upper opening of this cylindrical portion. Alternatively, for example, if the upper side of the container body 11 is configured to be connected openably and closably from the lower opening of the upper truncated cone portion 113 of the main body to the upper opening of the cylindrical body portion 110, the grate 12 may be placed inside the cylindrical body portion 110 with the upper opening open and arranged substantially horizontally. In this case, a plurality of stoppers such as fixing stands are provided circumferentially on the inner peripheral surface at the position where the grate 12 is to be arranged.

The air supply chamber 101 below the grate 12 is a space for supplying the air (oxygen) necessary for the smoking of the plant material in the carbonization chamber 102, and an air vent 20 is provided at one end of the peripheral wall of the air supply chamber 101, which leads to the air supply chamber 101 from the outside. On the other hand, the carbonization chamber 102 above the grate 12 is a space filled with plant material, and the plant material is smoked and carbonized in sequence from the top layer to the bottom layer where the plant material is ignited. In this embodiment, the carbonization chamber 102 occupies the majority of the interior of the container body 11 in terms of volume, but the inventors have confirmed through experiments that even with this volume ratio, the air supply chamber 101 supplies the carbonization chamber 102 with sufficient air, allowing optimal carbonization.

<<Ventilation hole 20>>
In the container body 11, a vent hole 20 is provided in the peripheral wall on the air supply chamber 101 side, which allows air from the outside to be naturally introduced into the interior. The vent hole 20 serves to naturally send air into the carbonization chamber 102 via the air supply chamber 101 and the grate 12. Here, the vent hole 20 is disposed at a position communicating with the air supply chamber 101 of the container body 11, but does not necessarily have to be directly below the grate 12. In addition, in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer shell of the hood section 21 described below is provided across the grate 12 from above to below, but at the location where the base end opening of the hood section 21 communicates with the peripheral wall on the air supply chamber 101 side, the side above the grate 12 is closed and the side below the grate 12 is open.

More specifically, at the location where the vent 20 is opened, a hood section 21 is provided that protrudes outward from the peripheral wall of the main body lower small diameter section 112, and the vent 20 is opened at the tip side of this hood section 21. The hood section 21 is formed, for example, in a roughly rectangular tube shape, and the vent 20 is also opened in a roughly rectangular shape, but the specific shapes of the vent 20 and hood section 21 are design matters that can be determined appropriately. In addition, the specific location of the vent 20 (hood section 21) may be in a position that at least communicates with the air supply chamber 101 side.

Furthermore, the specific opening area of the vent 20 is a design item that can be appropriately determined in light of the carbonization efficiency by smoking. The dimensions of the vent 20 in this embodiment are set, for example, to 7 cm in the vertical direction (height) and 15 cm in the horizontal direction (width) in accordance with the capacity (1000 L) of the container body 11 described above. The specific dimensions of the vent 20 were determined based on the results of the inventors' experimental data so that the maximum temperature during smoking of the plant raw material is 500°C or less.

<<Shutter 22>>
2, the ventilation opening 20 is opened and closed by a shutter 22. The shutter 22 is configured to be openable between an open state in which air can be taken in through the ventilation opening 20 and a closed state in which air intake through the ventilation opening 20 is stopped. The shutter 22 is in the shape of a plate having a size sufficient to cover the ventilation opening 20, and is formed of a metal plate such as stainless steel or iron. The shutter 22 is provided at the tip of the hood portion 21, and is attached, for example, on the upper end side of the hood portion 21 so that its upper edge can rotate about a horizontal rotation shaft.

When the shutter 22 is opened and separated from the left and right edges and the bottom edge of the hood portion 21, the ventilation hole 20 opens and air is naturally blown into the air supply chamber 101 of the container body 11. On the other hand, when the shutter 22 is closed and abuts against the left and right edges and the bottom edge at the tip of the hood portion 21, the ventilation hole 20 is blocked and air is not naturally blown into the air supply chamber 101 of the container body 11. Such a shutter 22 is configured to be supported stationary in the open state by the opening/closing mechanism 23. As shown in FIG. 4, a handle 27 is provided on the outer surface of the shutter 22, and a seat 28 is provided on the inner surface against which the tip of the hanging rod 24, which will be described later, abuts.

<<Opening and closing mechanism 23>>
As shown in Fig. 4, the shutter 22 is maintained in the open state by the opening/closing mechanism 23 until the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the bottom layer in the carbonization chamber 102, and when the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the bottom layer, it is closed due to the heat of carbonization at that part. The opening/closing mechanism 23 includes a hanging rod 24 and a combustible rod 25 as "support parts" that support the shutter 22 from the inside of the container body 11, and a guide rail 26 that places them on the upper surface of the grate 12. The guide rail 26 has a cross-sectional shape that is approximately U-shaped with an open upper surface, and is made of a metal material. The guide rail 26 is placed on the upper surface of the grate 12 in a state of extending in the radial direction, and the front end communicates with the inside of the hood part 21 through a small window-like opening in the peripheral wall of the main body lower small diameter part 112 and faces the vent 20, while the rear end toward the center of the grate 12 is closed in the form of a vertical wall.

The hanging rod 24 and the combustible rod 25 can be connected to each other so that they are connected in a straight line, and are inserted inside the guide rail 26 and positioned on the grate 12. The hanging rod 24 is made of a non-combustible metal material with sufficient strength as a brace rod. The base end of the hanging rod 24 is coaxially connected to the tip of the combustible rod 25, and the tip of the hanging rod 24 protrudes outside the ventilation hole 20 and abuts against a seat 28 provided on the inner surface side of the shutter 22. As a result, the shutter 22 is held in an open state, raised outside the ventilation hole 20, via the hanging rod 24 and the combustible rod 25.

The combustible rod 25 is also strong enough to serve as a support rod, but is made of a combustible material that burns (including bending or crumbling) due to the heat of smoking and carbonization, such as disposable chopsticks or bamboo skewers. The base end of the combustible rod 25 abuts against the vertical wall at the end of the guide rail 26. In this state, the shutter 22 is held open as described above by the hanging rod 24 connected to the tip of the combustible rod 25. The length of the combustible rod 25 is sufficient to allow air to flow in far enough away from the ventilation hole 20 when the shutter 22 is supported by passing through the guide rail 26 or the hood section 21 together with the hanging rod 24.

When the charcoal in the carbonization chamber 102 reaches the bottom layer of the plant material and the combustible rod 25 is burned (including bending or breaking) by the heat of carbonization, the shutter 22 is released from the latch and closes the vent 20. That is, the opening and closing mechanism 23 of the shutter 22 is configured to naturally supply an appropriate amount of air to the air supply chamber 101 of the container body 11 to smoke and carbonize the plant material in the carbonization chamber 102, and then automatically stop the natural supply of air and extinguish the charcoal when the charcoal reaches the bottom layer of the plant material. In addition, to ensure the closing operation of the shutter 22 associated with the burning of the combustible rod 25 and the sealing of the vent 20, it is preferable to bias the shutter 22 in the direction of closing the vent 20 by a biasing means such as a coil spring (not shown).

As an alternative configuration for the shutter 22, for example, it may be configured so that it can be opened and closed by sliding vertically outside a vent hole opened directly in the peripheral wall of the container body 11. In this case, the shutter is formed in a curved plate shape with approximately the same curvature as the peripheral wall of the container body 11, and guides into which both side edges of the shutter can slide are provided on both sides of the vent hole. The aforementioned hanging rod 24, combustible rod 25, and guide rail 26 can be configured in the same way, and the tip of the hanging rod 24 protrudes from the vent hole 20 to support the lower edge of the shutter. If the capacity of the container body 11 is large, such a shutter will become larger along with the opening, which may increase the sliding resistance when opening and closing.

<<Chimney 30>>
As shown in Fig. 1, the canopy 116 of the container body 11 is provided with a chimney 30 for naturally exhausting the smoke generated in the carbonization chamber 102. The canopy 116 is provided with a chimney mounting portion 117 that protrudes in a substantially cylindrical shape in order to mount the chimney 30. The chimney 30 is a cylindrical tube extending in the longitudinal direction as a whole, and is made of a metal material such as stainless steel or iron. The chimney 30 not only naturally exhausts the smoke generated in the carbonization chamber 102 by air suction, which is its original function, but also efficiently cools the smoke passing through it to condense and produce smoke liquid (rice vinegar liquid).

As shown in FIG. 5, the chimney 30 is composed of an approximately L-shaped elbow 31 connected to the chimney mounting part 117, an approximately T-shaped tee 32 connected to the tip of the elbow 31, a long tube part 33 connected to one end of the tee 32, and an approximately T-shaped top 34 connected to the tip of the long tube part 33. The elbow 31 is formed in an approximately L-shaped cylinder. One end of the elbow 31 is removably connected to the inner circumferential surface of the chimney mounting part 117 at a position offset from the center of the canopy 116 in a state where it fits into the inner circumferential surface. The canopy 116 is open inside the chimney mounting part 117, so the chimney 30 is connected to the inside of the container body 11.

The tee 32 is formed in a generally T-shaped cylinder. The base end of the tee 32 is removably connected to the outer circumferential surface of the other end of the elbow 31, covering it. One of the two ends of the tip of the tee 32 is arranged facing upward, and the base end of the long tube portion 33 is fitted into the inner circumferential surface of this one end and is removably connected. The other of the two ends of the tip of the tee 32 is arranged facing downward, and this other end is normally closed, but it is preferable to make it openable or to open a drip hole so that the smoke liquid (rice vinegar liquid) can be extracted. In this case, a container such as a can for collecting the dripped smoke liquid (rice vinegar liquid) can be attached below the other end of the tee 32.

The long tube portion 33 forms the main part of the chimney 30 and is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the longitudinal direction. The base end side of the long tube portion 33 is connected to one end side of both ends of the tee 32 as described above. Here, the tee 32 is rotatable with respect to the other end side of the elbow 31 to which its base end side is connected. Therefore, by rotating the long tube portion 33 together with the tee 32 around the other end side of the elbow 31, the long tube portion 33 can be freely tilted to any angle. In other words, the tilt angle of the long tube portion 33, in other words the height of the tip (top 34) of the chimney 30 from the installation surface, is configured to be continuously adjustable.

The top 34 prevents wind from blowing into the chimney 30, and in addition to improving the durability and stability of the air suction force, it also cools the inner wall of the chimney 30. The top 34 is formed in a roughly T-shaped cylinder. The base end of the top 34 is removably connected to the inner circumferential surface of the tip end of the long tube portion 33 in a state where it fits into the inner circumferential surface of the long tube portion 33. The long tube portion 33 is not limited to one piece, and may be a set of units of a predetermined length joined together in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, for example, two long tube portions 33 are shown connected together.

When multiple long tube sections 33 are joined together, the base end of the upper long tube section 33 fits into the inner circumference of the tip end of the lower long tube section 33. In this way, the end openings of each part of the chimney 30 are connected in an overlapping state, with the lower part surrounding the upper part from the outside. Therefore, there is no risk of liquid smoke (rice vinegar liquid) leaking out from the gaps where the parts are connected.

As shown in FIG. 1, the long tube portion 33 of the chimney 30 is supported on an installation surface (e.g., a horizontal surface such as the ground) via a support 35 and maintained at a predetermined inclination angle. The support 35 is, for example, a rod-shaped member that is erected between a mid-way point in the longitudinal direction of the long tube portion 33 and the installation surface of the container body 11 to support the long tube portion 33. The support 35 can maintain the long tube portion 33 at a desired inclination angle (height) depending on the position at which it supports the long tube portion 33 in the longitudinal direction, but it may also be configured to be extendable.

The specific dimensions of the chimney 30 are design items that can be determined as appropriate within the range in which the chimney 30 can perform its original functions as described above. In this embodiment, the long tube section 33 that forms the main part of the chimney 30 is set to an outer diameter of 12 cm and a length of 90 cm. Therefore, each time one long tube section 33 is added, the total length of the chimney 30 increases by approximately 90 cm. In addition, the inclination angle of the chimney 30 (long tube section 33) can be set appropriately each time within the range of 20 to 40 degrees from the horizontal plane.

<Feed additive manufacturing method>
Next, a method for producing a feed additive using the feed additive production apparatus 10 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method for producing a feed additive according to this embodiment.
In this embodiment, rice husks are used as the plant raw material. The rice husks are sufficiently dried in advance. The moisture content of the entire rice husks is preferably, for example, 10 to 35% by weight, with the optimum value being 15 to 25% by weight. The reason why the moisture content of the entire plant raw material is set to 10 to 35% by weight is that if the moisture content is less than 10% by weight, there is a risk that the amount of smoke liquid (rice vinegar liquid) recovered will be small, and if the moisture content exceeds 35% by weight, there is a risk that the smoke-grilling process will be stopped due to the moisture content.

The plant raw material is not limited to rice husks; it is also possible to use an appropriate mixture (e.g., 10% or less of the dry weight) of other grasses, such as rice straw, bamboo, or reeds. When using the culm of these plants, such as rice straw, mixed with rice husks, it is desirable to cut the culm of the plant to, for example, 3 cm or less in advance to ensure air circulation during smoking. It is also possible to mix sawdust or fallen leaves with the plant raw material in order to adjust the moisture content of the plant raw material.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart that illustrates a schematic method for producing a feed additive.
First, the operator sets the feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 in a predetermined state (S101). First, the container body 11 is placed on the installation surface via the support mechanism 13 in a horizontal state with the central axis extending in a substantially vertical direction. At this time, a space for filling the plant raw material and a space for supporting the chimney 30 at an angle are also secured. Inside the container body 11 in this state, a grate 12 is fixed, which divides the inside of the container body 11 into an air supply chamber 101 on the bottom side and a carbonization chamber 102 on the upper side.

When the grate 12 is fixed to the upper end opening of the cylindrical portion 115a provided inside the bottom lid 115, closing the bottom lid 115 in this fixed state will position the grate 12 approximately horizontally at the midpoint in the height direction, which is midway through the lower small diameter portion 112 of the main body. Alternatively, when the upper main body truncated cone portion 113 is connected to the upper end opening of the cylindrical main body portion 110 in an openable manner, the grate 12 placed inside the container main body 11 may be positioned approximately horizontally at the midpoint of the lower small diameter portion 112 of the main body described above with the upper main body truncated cone portion 113 open.

Next, the shutter 22 and its opening/closing mechanism 23 are set. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the tip of the combustible rod 25 is connected to the base end of the hanging rod 24 and inserted into the guide rail 26. At this time, the base end of the combustible rod 25 is abutted against the vertical wall at the rear end of the guide rail 26, and the tip of the hanging rod 24 protrudes forward from the front end opening of the guide rail 26. In this state, the guide rail 26 is inserted into the hood section 21 through the ventilation opening 20 with the shutter 22 in the open state, and is inserted all the way into the small window-like opening in the peripheral wall of the main body lower small diameter section 112 just above the grate 12, and placed horizontally on the grate 12.

Then, the shutter 22 is lowered and the tip of the hook rod 24 is brought into contact with the seat 28 on the inner side of the shutter 22. As a result, the shutter 22 is held in an open state, raised outside the vent 20 via the combustible rod 25 and hook rod 24. Here, the upper edge of the shutter 22 is hung so as to be freely rotatable, and the lower edge of the shutter 22 is constantly biased in the direction of closing the vent 20 by its own weight (and the biasing means). Therefore, if the combustible rod 25 burns down as described below, the blocking rod is released and the shutter 22 immediately blocks the vent 20.

Next, the worker fills the carbonization chamber 102 of the container body 11 with the plant raw material (S102). That is, the canopy 116 is removed from the upper conical truncated portion 113 of the main body, and the plant raw material (rice husks) is filled into the carbonization chamber 102, which is partitioned by the grate 12 as the bottom surface, from the upper opening of the upper small diameter portion 114 of the main body. At this time, the worker can easily fill the plant raw material by tilting the container body 11, which is supported in the air by the support mechanism 13, as necessary. After filling the carbonization chamber 102 with an appropriate amount of plant raw material, the top layer (upper surface) is smoothed flat.

As shown in FIG. 3, the position of the bottom layer (bottom surface) of the plant raw material M is located above the grate 12. On the other hand, the position of the top layer (top surface) of the plant raw material M may be limited to the cylindrical body portion 110 or may extend beyond the cylindrical body portion 110 and reach the upper body truncated cone portion 113 (see FIG. 3), depending on the amount of filling. By providing the upper body truncated cone portion 113 on the upper part of the container body 11, a closed space with a peripheral wall that gradually expands in diameter downward can be secured between the canopy 116 and the top layer of plant raw material in the carbonization chamber 102.

Therefore, if the plant material is filled beyond the cylindrical body portion 110 and reaches partway up the upper body truncated cone portion 113, the surface area of the top layer of the plant material that will ignite can be narrowed. In this embodiment, since the effective capacity of the container body 11 is large at 1000 L, it is advisable to fill the container body 11 so that the top layer (upper surface) of the plant material M reaches the top end of the upper body truncated cone portion 113 (the border with the bottom end of the upper body narrow diameter portion 114).

Next, the worker scatters a combustion aid such as kerosene or rice husks soaked in kerosene, as necessary, on the top surface of the plant raw materials filled in the carbonization chamber 102 of the container body 11, and then inserts a pilot flame to ignite the top surface of the plant raw materials (S103). When scattering the combustion aid on the top surface of the plant raw materials, the worker scatters it evenly and uniformly over the entire surface. Once the worker visually confirms that the flame has spread over the entire top surface of the plant raw materials, the removed canopy 116 is placed on the upper end opening of the main body upper cone truncated portion 113 to close it.

In conventional smoker devices in which the upper part of the container body 11 is also roughly cylindrical, at the end of the smoking carbonization process described below, some uncarbonized plant material may remain at the top peripheral edge of the carbonization chamber 102 due to incomplete ignition of the plant material. In order to smoke the plant material without leaving any behind, it is necessary to ensure that the entire surface area of the top layer of the plant material filled in the carbonization chamber 102 is combusted so that all of the plant material filled can be smoked and carbonized in order without leaving any behind.

In this embodiment, the upper conical truncated portion 113 is provided between the cylindrical portion 110 of the container body 11 and the canopy 116, and by filling the plant material beyond the cylindrical portion 110 and reaching the upper end of the upper conical truncated portion 113, the surface area of the top layer of the plant material to be ignited can be narrowed. Therefore, the area over which the pilot flame must spread the combustion is narrowed, and the entire top layer of the plant material can be easily burned. This prevents the occurrence of unburned parts or parts that burn but die down during the start or early stages of smoldering, which will be described later, and ensures that all the filled plant material is charcoalized.

Here, if the taper angle θ2 (see FIG. 3) of the truncated cone portion 113 on the main body is too acute, there is a risk of uncarbonized portions occurring near the boundary between the truncated cone portion 113 on the main body and the cylindrical portion 110 on the main body. Conversely, if the taper angle θ2 of the truncated cone portion 113 on the main body is too large, the height dimension of the truncated cone portion 113 on the main body must be increased in order to reduce the surface area of the top surface of the plant material, and the filling capacity of the plant material will be reduced within the limited range of the height of the entire device. For this reason, it is desirable to set the taper angle θ2 of the truncated cone portion 113 on the main body within the range of 40 to 50 degrees.

After the plant raw material is ignited, the worker closes the canopy 116 and then sets up the chimney 30 (S104). That is, as shown in FIG. 5, an elbow 31 is connected to the chimney mounting part 117 on the canopy 116, and a tee 32 is connected to the elbow 31. Then, a long tube part 33 is connected to one of the two ends of the tee 32. The number of long tube parts 33 can be selected as appropriate. In the example shown in FIG. 1, two are connected together, but it has been confirmed through experiments that it is actually best to connect three parts and set the total length to about 270 cm. In addition, the inclination angle of the entire chimney 30 can be adjusted by rotating the long tube part 33 on the base end side together with the tee 32 around the other end side of the elbow 31, and the chimney 30 is supported on the installation surface by the support 35 in a state inclined at the desired inclination angle.

When such a chimney 30 is used as a set, the inclination angle of the chimney 30 (long tube portion 33) should be set so that the maximum temperature in the smoking process described below is 500°C or less. For this purpose, an inclination angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal plane is suitable. The inventors have confirmed through numerous experiments that by setting the carbonization temperature at 500°C or less, the smoking and roasting of plant raw materials can be carried out most efficiently in the carbonization chamber 102 of the container body 11 with the aforementioned capacity (1000 L).

The maximum temperature of the smoldering process in the carbonization chamber 102 of the container body 11 is also affected by the opening area of the vent 20. The opening area of the vent 20 is designed to be an optimal size in advance, as described above. As another configuration of the shutter 22, as described above, it may be a sliding type that allows the opening area of the vent to be adjusted directly on the peripheral wall of the container body 11. Alternatively, a sliding plate or the like that allows the area of the vent 20 itself to be adjusted may be provided in the hood section 21, separate from the shutter 22 that opens and closes the vent 20. In addition, the area of the base end of the hood section 21 that opens on the peripheral wall of the container body 11 may be configured to be adjustable, so that the opening area in the hood section 21 can be appropriately adjusted separately from the opening and closing of the shutter 22.

There is also a method in which the chimney 30 can be set before the plant material is ignited as described above. That is, when the plant material is ignited, one end of the canopy 116 can be shifted upward to create a roughly annular gap between the upper end opening of the upper small diameter portion 114 of the main body, and a pilot flame can be inserted through this gap to ignite the top surface of the plant material. In such a case, in order to maintain the gap between the shifted canopy 116 and the upper end opening of the upper small diameter portion 114 of the main body, it is recommended to prepare an auxiliary jig to be inserted into this gap. After ignition, the canopy 116 can be closed by pulling out the jig that was inserted. The width of the gap does not affect the setting state of the chimney 30, and is set to a size that returns to its original state when the canopy 116 is closed.

Then, even after the lid 116 of the container body 11 is closed, the combustion of the top surface of the plant raw material continues for a while, consuming oxygen in the air in the truncated cone portion 113 on the body between the top surface of the plant raw material and the lid 116. When the oxygen in the air is consumed, the combustion ends and the smoking process of the plant raw material begins (S105).

When the smoking of the plant raw materials begins, the portion of the plant raw materials being smoked (the smoking layer) moves in sequence from the top layer of the plant raw materials to the bottom layer in response to the air supply from the bottom side. An appropriate amount of oxygen-containing air is naturally blown into the air supply chamber 101 from the ventilation opening 20, passes through the grate 12 between the plant raw materials in the lower layer that have not yet been smoked, and is supplied to the smoking layer and consumed. Then, the interaction between the heat of the smoking layer and the air supplied from the bottom side starts the smoking carbonization of the plant raw material layer directly below the smoking layer, and by repeating this cycle, the smoking layer of the plant raw materials moves in sequence to the bottom layer.

The smoke generated in the smoked roasting layer of the plant raw materials rises between the layers that have already turned to charcoal (the layer of smoked coal during carbonization) above that position, is guided into the chimney 30, and is naturally exhausted from the chimney 30. During the carbonization of the plant raw materials by smoked roasting, the layer of smoked coal is prevented from turning to ash by the protective effect of the smoke from the layer of smoked roasted plant raw materials below, so it remains as smoked coal. In this way, the layer of smoked roasted plant raw materials continues moving from the top layer to the bottom layer. The layer of smoked roasted plant raw materials then reaches the bottom layer on the rostre 12 without interruption.

In particular, in this embodiment, the position of the lowest layer of plant material in the carbonization chamber 102 of the container body 11 is above the grate 12, but the lower part of the carbonization chamber 102 located above that is provided with an inverted truncated cone section 111 below the body, whose peripheral wall gradually narrows in diameter as it approaches the bottom. With this inverted truncated cone section 111 below the body, even the lower part of the plant material, where unburned residue is likely to occur, can be smoked and roasted reliably over its entire cross-sectional area. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of uncarbonized portions in the lower part of the plant material, and to carbonize all of the filled plant material more reliably than with conventional smoker devices.

Here, if the taper angle θ1 (see FIG. 3) of the inverted truncated cone portion 111 below the main body is too acute, there is a risk of an uncarbonized portion being generated near the boundary between the cylindrical portion 110 of the main body and the inverted truncated cone portion 111 below the main body. Conversely, if the taper angle θ1 of the inverted truncated cone portion 111 below the main body is too large, the bottom side of the container body will also have a shape similar to a cylindrical cylinder, as in conventional smoker devices, and the larger the overall capacity of the container body 11, the less stable the progress of smoking and roasting down to the bottom layer of the plant raw material. For this reason, it is desirable to set the taper angle θ1 of the inverted truncated cone portion 111 below the main body within the range of 40 to 50 degrees. In this embodiment, the taper angle θ1 of the inverted truncated cone portion 111 below the main body is set to approximately 45 degrees depending on the capacity of the container body 11 (1000 L).

The components (including tar components as well as liquid smoke components) that volatilize from the plant raw materials when heated by smoking rise together with the smoke produced during carbonization. The components contained in this smoke are naturally incorporated into the charcoal as it passes through it. The remaining smoke that reaches the top of the carbonization chamber 102 is guided into the chimney 30, where it cools and condenses in the long tube section 33 of the chimney 30, and is collected as drops as needed. Tar components and the like are removed and separated from the collected liquid smoke (rice vinegar liquid) as needed. It is believed that carbonization at 500°C or less is particularly effective at removing tar components by volatilization.

In this smoking process, smoke liquid components and tar components are appropriately volatilized and removed, and charcoal is obtained in which silicate components remain abundantly in an amorphous structure. The charcoal, which is a feed additive obtained by this embodiment, is not alkaline but is weakly acidic to nearly neutral, and has little variation in pH value (high reproducibility stability). Such a feed additive is highly valuable as it can be used for various purposes, including as feed for beef cattle, which are food-producing animals, to improve the meat quality grade.

The smoking process ends when the bottom layer of the plant material is smoked and carbonized, but when the smoked and carbonized material reaches the bottom layer of the plant material, the shutter 22 closes due to the heat of carbonization at that point, and the introduction of air through the ventilation hole 20 stops, and the process moves to the extinguishing process where the fire is extinguished (S106). In other words, when the combustible rod 25 is burned (including bending or breaking) by the heat of carbonization in the bottom layer of the plant material, the shutter 22 is released from its latch, and the shutter 22 closes by its own weight (and the biasing means) and blocks the ventilation hole 20.

As a result, air is no longer naturally blown into the air supply chamber 101 of the container body 11. Therefore, the smoky charcoal in the carbonization chamber 102 can be automatically extinguished. With the capacity of the container body 11 of this embodiment, the extinguishing process can be completed in approximately several days after ignition. When extinguishing the smoky charcoal, in addition to blocking the vent 20 with the shutter 22, it is desirable for the worker to remove the chimney 30 from the chimney mounting part 117 of the canopy 116 and close this chimney mounting part 117 as well. Closing the chimney mounting part 117 together with the vent 20 can shorten the time required for extinguishing.

In the smoking process in this embodiment, the inclination angle of the chimney 30 (exhaust condition) and the opening area of the vent 20 (air supply condition) described above can be set to maintain a low-temperature smoking environment in the carbonization chamber 102 with a maximum temperature of 500°C or less. In other words, with regard to air supply, no excessive air supply that would cause high-temperature carbonization is performed, and an appropriate amount of air is naturally supplied to continue the smoking of the plant raw materials slowly and carefully. In addition, with regard to exhaust, no excessive high-speed exhaust that would cause high-temperature carbonization is performed, and an appropriate amount of air is naturally exhausted to continue the smoking of the plant raw materials slowly and carefully.

This makes it possible to thin the layer of plant raw materials that are simultaneously smoked during the smoking process, suppressing the increase in the amount of heat generated per unit time by the entire smoking layer, and also to realize circulation of air supply and exhaust that does not interrupt the smoking process midway, so that the smoking temperature during carbonization can be maintained lower than before and can be continued stably. Furthermore, with the feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to obtain smoked charcoal (feed additive) in a volume of approximately 60 to 80% of the plant raw materials filled in the carbonization chamber 102.

After the fire extinguishing process is completed, the container is left as is for several days, for example, until the fire is completely extinguished naturally, after which the chimney 33 and the canopy 116 are removed, the shutter 22 of the ventilation hole 20 is opened, and the hanging rod 24, the remaining combustible rod 25, and the guide rail 26 are removed. After that, the bottom cover 115 is removed, and the charcoal (feed additive) is taken out from the bottom side of the container body 11 (S107). Note that when the plant raw material is smoked and carbonized, the container body 11 is stationary and the plant raw material is not allowed to flow, so the charcoal (feed additive) mainly made of rice husk retains the appearance of the rice husk almost intact.

The charcoal (feed additive) removed from the container body 11 is packed into a packaging bag for storing or transporting powder or granular cargo, such as a transbag or flexicon bag (flexible container bag), and stored at room temperature until it is used as a feed additive, as described below. The packaging bag should have a structure that allows the opening to be sealed, and should be made of a material that is excellent at preventing moisture and powder leakage.

<Modification of the feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10>
FIG. 6 shows various modified examples of the feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 1, the container body 11 of the feed additive production apparatus 10 has a tapered portion (main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111) in which the peripheral wall of the lower part of the carbonization chamber 102 gradually narrows in diameter downward, and various types of specific shapes of this tapered portion are considered. That is, in the container body 11 shown in Fig. 1, the main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111 and the main body upper truncated cone portion 113 at the lower and upper parts are formed to have the same shape but upside down, but the taper angles and heights of the main body lower inverted truncated cone portion 111 and the main body upper truncated cone portion 113 may be configured to be different from each other.

In the container body 11A shown in Figure 6 (a), the taper angle of the inverted truncated cone portion 111 below the body is larger than that of the truncated cone portion 113 above the body, and therefore the height (length of the vertical cross section) of the inverted truncated cone portion 111a below the body is greater than that of the truncated cone portion 113 above the body.
In the container body 11B shown in FIG. 6(b), there is no cylindrical body portion 110 below the upper body truncated cone portion 113, and instead there is a lower body inverted truncated cone portion 111b whose peripheral wall gradually narrows downward.

6C, the container body 11C does not have the upper body truncated cone portion 113, and the upper end of the container body 11C forms a substantially horizontal top surface, and immediately below the upper end is an inverted truncated cone portion 111c whose peripheral wall gradually narrows downward. That is, in the container body 11C, not only the lower part of the coking chamber 102 but also the upper part is formed as a tapered part.
In the container body 11D shown in Figure 6 (d), there is no upper main body truncated cone portion 113, and the upper end of the container body 11D forms a substantially horizontal top surface, below which is the main body cylindrical portion 110, and below the main body cylindrical portion 110 is formed an inverted main body truncated cone portion 111.

The specific shape of such container bodies 11A-11D is a matter of choice that is appropriately determined according to the actual capacity, etc., and whatever the shape of the tapered portion, it is designed from the perspective of preventing the generation of uncarbonized portions in the lower part of the plant raw material in the carbonization chamber 102. Furthermore, the position of the grate 12 in each container body 11A-11D may be midway down or below the lower side of each tapered portion. Furthermore, whatever the shape or size of each container body 11, 11A-11D, it is preferable for the ratio of the height and diameter (inner diameter) of the part that constitutes the actual capacity to be not too far apart, for example, 1-2:1, in order to continue combustion.

<Details of charcoal (feed additive)>
Next, the charcoal (feed additive) produced by the feed additive production method using the feed additive production apparatus 10 described above will be described. It has been known that the charcoal (feed additive) itself has a porous structure, good air permeability, and contains a high concentration of amorphous silicic acid with excellent solubility. The reason why the charcoal (feed additive) contains a lot of silicic acid is because the hard shell of rice husk is mainly made of silicon, and it contains little nitrogen and potassium components, and also contains mineral components such as copper, manganese, iron, and potassium, which are trace elements.

In the charcoal (feed additive), the tar components are appropriately volatilized and removed by the above-mentioned smoking process, and the silicate components remain abundantly in soluble amorphous structure without crystallizing at high temperatures, and the mineral components are also in a state where they are easily soluble. Furthermore, the charcoal (feed additive) naturally contains the components contained in the smoke generated in the above-mentioned smoking process. The main components in the smoke are the same components of the liquid smoke (rice vinegar liquid), and the applicants conducted a component analysis of the liquid smoke (rice vinegar liquid) and found the components and their content rates shown in Figure 8.

<<Collecting smoked liquid (rice vinegar liquid)>>
In the applicants' analytical test, a feed additive manufacturing apparatus 10 with a container body 11 capacity of 1000 L was used. All the plant raw materials were rice husks to manufacture charcoal (feed additive), and the smoked liquid (rice vinegar liquid) obtained in the process was collected in a container from the chimney 30, and about 100 ml was collected as an analytical sample. The maximum temperature in the smoking process of the plant raw material (rice husks) was set to be 500°C or less.

<<Measurement of ingredients>>
The organic components of the collected liquid smoke (rice vinegar) were extracted with diethyl ether, and the main components were identified using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. The types and amounts of components contained in the diethyl ether extract were also analyzed using a gas chromatograph. As a result of this analysis, the names of the compounds identified by gas chromatography among the components contained in the extract of the liquid smoke (rice vinegar) and their content (%) are shown in Figure 8.

As shown in Figure 8, the types of components contained in the extract of liquid smoke (rice vinegar) and their content are characterized by the highest content of acetic acid (41.17%), followed by acetone (25.85%) and then p,m-cresol (15.01%). Another characteristic is that it contains a relatively high amount of propionic acid (2.20%), which can suppress methane production by fermentation by bacteria in the cow's first stomach. Looking at the overall content, the four organic acids, acetic acid, methyl acetate, propionic acid, and butyric acid, account for 43.71% of the total. The five ferrules, guaiacol, o-cresol, ethyl guaiacol, p,m-cresol, and 4-acetyl-methoxyphenol, account for 16.82% of the total.

It has been confirmed that the results of the component analysis of such smoked liquid (rice vinegar liquid) are almost the same not only when it is done once, but also when it is done multiple times under different weather or temperature conditions. It is also presumed that the organic components of the smoked liquid (rice vinegar liquid) identified by the component analysis are contained in the charcoal (feed additive) in almost the same proportions. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that while charcoal from open burning is generally alkaline (pH 9-10), the pH value of the charcoal (feed additive) of the present invention is neutral to slightly acidic (pH 6-7) with little variation (high reproducibility stability). This is thought to be due to the relatively high proportion of organic acids mentioned above.

<Feed containing charcoal (feed additive)>
Next, feed containing the above-mentioned feed additives will be described.
The general solid feed for beef cattle, which are food animals, is roughly divided into two types: roughage and mixed feed, and is given to cattle in a predetermined ratio from birth according to the growing period. Roughage is large in volume and contains a lot of crude fiber, for example, pasture grass hay such as timothy hay and oat hay, as well as rice straw, wheat straw, and beer grains. Mixed feed is relatively small in volume but has high nutritional value, and is prepared by mixing various raw materials such as corn, milo, wheat, and bran, and many types are commercially available.

The roughage in this embodiment is an appropriate mixture of timothy hay, oat hay, rice straw, wheat straw, brewer's lees, etc. In addition, the compound feed used in this embodiment is commercially available Moret (product name), Value Beef Early (product name), Value Beef Late (product name), and Value Beef Finish (product name) in accordance with the growth of the beef cattle. All of these compound feeds are manufactured and sold by JA Zennoh Kita Nippon Kumiai Feed Co., Ltd.

Figure 9 shows an example of the items that should be the standards for labeling the quality of mullet. Moullet is generally fed to suckling calves, cattle approximately within three months of birth, and animals between approximately three months and six months of age.

Figure 10 shows an example of the items that should be the standards for labeling the quality of Value Beef Pre-season. Value Beef Pre-season is generally fed to fattening cattle that are approximately 6 months of age or older.

Figure 11 shows an example of the items that should be the standards for labeling the quality of Value Beef Late Stage. Value Beef Late Stage is also generally fed to fattening cattle that are approximately 6 months of age or older. In Value Beef Late Stage, the amount of cereal grains is increased, and barley, etc. are added.

Figure 12 shows an example of the criteria for labeling the quality of Value Beef Finishing. Value Beef Finishing is generally fed to fattening cattle that are approximately 6 months of age or older. Value Beef Finishing has a higher protein content than other compound feeds.

Of course, compound feed is not limited to the above-mentioned commercial products. For roughage, processed commercial products can be used, but the raw material grass can also be cultivated or purchased and dried or mixed. For any roughage or compound feed, the above-mentioned charcoal (feed additive) is mixed in a ratio of 3 to 9 g per head for the weight of free food eaten by beef cattle at each stage of growth per day to produce feed for improving meat quality grades.

According to the inventors' research, it has been confirmed that if the amount of charcoal (feed additive) is less than 3g, the effect of improving the meat quality grade of beef cattle is not significantly improved. Also, even if the amount of charcoal (feed additive) exceeds 9g, there is no significant difference in the effect of improving the meat quality grade compared to when it is mixed in a ratio of 3 to 9g, but it has been confirmed that this is undesirable as it may affect the cattle's palatability and reduce the feed intake rate.

The inventors have confirmed that feeding beef cattle with this type of meat quality grade improving feed has the unique effect of improving the meat quality grade of the beef cattle compared to feeding them with general solid feed. The ratio of charcoal (feed additive) mixed into the solid feed may be uniformly adjusted in advance, for example, to 3% by weight or more and less than 9% by weight of the original solid feed, regardless of the amount eaten per beef cattle.

<Method of fattening beef cattle>
Next, a method for fattening beef cattle by feeding them feed containing the above-mentioned feed additives will be described. Feeding of beef cattle begins after the calves are weaned from artificial feeding, and the period from three months of age to shipping is generally divided into early, early, late, and finishing periods, with the specific type and amount of solid feed being different for each stage of growth.

In the "early stage" when calves are 3 to 6 months old, they are given about 1 to 2 kg of roughage and 2 to 3 kg of mixed feed mullet per head per day. A certain amount of charcoal (feed additive) is mixed into this solid feed, for example in the range of 3 to 9 g per head. In this way, it is best to start feeding the calves feed containing charcoal (feed additive) as soon as they are fed. The amount of solid feed should be adjusted appropriately to a range that the calf can eat freely, and it is usually fed twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. It is best to mix charcoal (feed additive) into only the morning feeding, which is the first feeding of the day.

Next, in the "early stage" when the calves are 7 to 11 months old, they are fed a diet mainly consisting of roughage in order to strengthen their internal organs, build their skeletons, and develop muscles. In addition to the roughage, the amount of compound feed is gradually increased. For example, each calf is fed about 4 to 6 kg of roughage and 2 to 6 kg of Value Beef Early Stage compound feed per day. A certain amount of charcoal (feed additive) is mixed into this solid feed, for example in the range of 3 to 9 g per calf.

The weight of solid feed in this early stage will be increased daily, but should be adjusted appropriately to within the range that the animal can freely eat, and is usually given twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. Even in the early stage, it is a good idea to mix charcoal (feed additive) into only the morning portion of the two morning and evening portions. The amount of charcoal (feed additive) mixed into the solid feed does not necessarily have to be a uniform amount within the range of 3-9g, and it is also possible to convert the amount that has increased since the early stage mentioned above and adjust it so that it is the same weight percentage as in the early stage.

Next, in the "late stage" when the cow is 12 to 23 months old, this is the time when fat accumulates in the beef cattle's muscles, and roughage is gradually reduced while the proportion of compound feed is increased. For example, the amount of roughage is gradually reduced from about 4 kg per head per day, while the amount of value beef compound feed is gradually increased to 8 to 12 kg in the late stage. A certain amount of charcoal (feed additive) is mixed into these solid feeds, for example within the range of 3 to 9 g per head.

The amount of solid feed in this later period is also adjusted appropriately to within the range that can be freely eaten, and is usually given twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. Note that even in the later period, charcoal (feed additive) may be mixed into only the morning portion of the two morning and evening portions. Here too, the amount of charcoal (feed additive) mixed into the solid feed is not necessarily uniform, ranging from 3 to 9 g, and may be adjusted to the same weight percentage as in the previous period, by converting the amount that has increased from the previous period.

Then, when the cows are 24-27 months old, they enter a three-month "finishing" period, which is the last period before they are shipped as beef cattle. In order to develop marbled fat, they are given the maximum amount of compound feed, with little roughage. For example, about 1 kg of roughage is sufficient per cow per day, and about 12 kg of Value Beef Finishing compound feed is given. A certain amount of charcoal (feed additive) is mixed into this solid feed, for example, within the range of 3-9 g per cow.

The amount of solid feed given during this finishing period is adjusted appropriately to within the range that can be freely eaten, and is usually given twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. Note that, even during the finishing period, charcoal (feed additive) may be mixed into the morning portion of the feed given twice a day. Here too, the amount of charcoal (feed additive) mixed into the solid feed is not necessarily uniform, ranging from 3 to 9 g, and may be adjusted so that the weight percentage is the same for the entire period, including the most recent period, by converting any increase or decrease in the amount given since the latter period mentioned above.

<Beef cattle fattening test>
Next, a fattening test was conducted to investigate the effect of the present invention on improving meat quality using the feed of the present invention and a commercially available feed. In this fattening test, crossbred cows (females) that showed no abnormalities in appearance were used. The test cows were randomly selected based on their weight at the time of introduction and were divided into a charcoal group and a control group, each of which had five cows.

In a typical cattle barn owned by the inventors, the charcoal-using group was fattened by feeding the beef cattle with feed containing charcoal (feed additive) as described above. That is, the fattening period was divided into early, early, late and finishing periods, and a certain amount of charcoal (feed additive) was mixed into the roughage or mixed feed in each period, within the range of 3-9g per cattle, at the time of feeding once in the morning. On the other hand, the control group was fattened in the standard manner, feeding only roughage or mixed feed in each period. Both groups were allowed to drink water ad libitum through a standard drinking fountain.

In both the charcoal-treated and control groups, no abnormalities were observed in the general condition of any individual during the rearing period up to shipping, and no significant variations were observed in weight gain, feed intake, or feed conversion rate when compared with each other. The 10 test cattle in each group were shipped as beef cattle on the same day after the finishing period described above, and after undergoing the required inspections before and after slaughter, the carcasses were turned into carcasses with the skin, head, feet, and internal organs removed from the bodies, and the carcasses were cut into two pieces from the center and graded. The age of all test cattle on the shipping date was equivalent to the 26-month age range.

<<Meat quality grading>>
Grading (officially known as "carcass trading standards") is a ranking given by the Japan Meat Grading Association in accordance with national standards. The carcass is graded by applying a set of specified standards to determine whether the meat is good or bad. The application of the specified standards involves a grade being given for each of the "yield" and "meat quality", with "yield" displayed as an alphabet and "meat quality" as a number. If the carcass has any defects, the condition is noted alongside the grade according to a set type classification, but as none of the 10 test cows had any defects, an explanation of the defects will be omitted.

First, the "yield" grade is expressed as one of three grades (A, B, C) based on the weight of the portion of meat obtained from the carcass. This yield grade is determined by applying a value called the yield standard value to a specified formula and comparing the calculated value with the grading table shown in Figure 13. Regardless of the above regulations, if the carcass meets predetermined conditions, it may be graded one grade lower, but none of these conditions were met for the 10 test cows.

The "meat quality" grade is determined based on four criteria: "fat marbling (marbling)," "meat color and luster," "meat firmness and texture," and "fat color and luster and quality." Of these criteria, the lowest grade is assigned.

1) The grade of marbling (marbling) is determined based on the amount of fat (marbling) in the loin core of the carcass. The grade is determined based on a 12-level chart (commonly known as B.M.S.) called B (beef), M (marbling), and S (standard). Specifically, as shown in Figure 14, if the B.M.S. is No. 8 to No. 12, it is determined to have a lot of marbling and is graded "5," if the B.M.S. is No. 5 to No. 7, it is determined to have a little bit of marbling and is graded "4," if the B.M.S. is No. 3 to No. 4, it is determined to have standard marbling and is graded "3," if the B.M.S. is No. 2, it is determined to have a little less marbling and is graded "2," and if the B.M.S. is No. 1, it is determined to have almost no marbling and is graded "1."

2) The grade of meat color and luster is determined based on the balance between the standard for evaluating the color of the carcass and the luster. The grade is determined based on a seven-level chart (commonly known as B.C.S.) called B (beef), C (color), and S (standard). Specifically, as shown in Figure 15, if the B.C.S is No. 3 to No. 5, the meat color and luster are considered to be quite good and graded "5", if the B.C.S is No. 2 to No. 6, the meat color and luster are considered to be somewhat good and graded "4", if the B.C.S is No. 1 to No. 6, the meat color and luster are considered to be standard and graded "3", if the B.C.S is No. 1 to No. 7, the meat color and luster are considered to be close to the standard and graded "2", and if the B.C.S is anything other than grades 5 to 2, the meat color and luster are considered to be poor and graded "1".

3) The grades of firmness and texture of meat are judged based on the firmness, which indicates the water retention of the carcass, and the fineness of the texture. The judgment here is done by the naked eye, and specifically, as shown in Figure 16, very good is graded "5", fairly good is graded "4", average is graded "3", near-average is graded "2", and poor is graded "1".

4) The grade of fat color and quality is determined based on the standard for evaluating fat color and the balance between fat luster and quality. The grade is determined based on a seven-level chart called B (beef), F (fat), and S (standard) (commonly known as B.F.S.). Specifically, as shown in Figure 17, if the B.F.S is No.1 to No.4, the fat color and quality is fairly good and graded "5", if the B.F.S is No.1 to No.5, the fat color and quality is somewhat good and graded "4", if the B.F.S is No.1 to No.6, the fat color and quality is standard and graded "3", if the B.F.S is No.1 to No.7, the fat color and quality is close to the standard and graded "2", and if the B.F.S is anything other than grades 5 to 2, the fat color and quality is poor and graded "1".

The final meat quality grade is determined by the lowest rank of the results of the four inspection items 1) to 4) mentioned above. For example, even if the marbling (marbling) grade is 3 and all others are 5, the meat quality grade of this beef will be determined to be "3." In other words, to receive the meat quality grade "5," the beef must receive the highest rank of 5 in all four items.

<<Results of fattening test>>
Figure 18 shows the results of the above-mentioned grading of the carcasses of 10 test cattle after fattening. The grading is a combination of three grades (A, B, C) for "yield" and five levels for "meat quality", with A5 being the highest quality and C1 being the lowest quality. Based on this grading, for example, wholesalers will purchase the carcasses, process them further, and sell them to general butcher shops, etc.

As is clear from Figure 18, the grading results for the charcoal-treated group were as follows: out of the five test cows, one was A5 rank and four were A4 rank. In contrast, the grading results for the control group were as follows: out of the five test cows, the highest were two B2 ranks, one B3 rank, one C2 rank, and one C3 rank.

These results have revealed that feeding feed containing the aforementioned charcoal (feed additive) has the effect of improving the meat quality of beef cattle, making it possible to increase the commercial value of beef cattle. The weight of each test cattle at the time of shipping varied from one individual to another, but while there were some slight differences, no major differences were observed in the weight gain during the fattening test period.

According to the feed additive manufacturing device 10 described above, ignition starts from the top surface of the plant raw material, so the smoke generated in the smoked roasting layer of the plant raw material passes through the upper layer of charcoal between the already smoked layer (the layer of smoked charcoal at the time of carbonization) above that position, and the pH of the charcoal becomes 6.5 to 7.0 due to the components in the smoke. For example, charcoal with a pH of 6.5 is suitable for the growth of effective microorganisms such as bacteria that produce propionic acid, which suppresses methane production in the first stomach of cows, and can promote the proliferation of such microorganisms. Also, as described above, the smoke contains a relatively high amount of propionic acid, at 2.20%.

More specifically, the first stomach of a cow breaks down and ferments feed with the help of microorganisms. During this process, methane is produced, as well as propionic acid, which serves as an energy source for cows. It is known that the more propionic acid there is, the less methane is produced. Furthermore, methane does not provide energy for cows. For this reason, ruminant animals such as cows waste a significant portion of the energy they ingest from their feed by producing methane. If this energy could be redirected to producing propionic acid, it would be possible to raise cows on less feed.

From the above, it is believed that by feeding cows more propionic acid, the production of methane gas is suppressed and feed efficiency improves, which in turn improves the condition of the carcass and meat quality. Furthermore, it is estimated that about 2 billion tons of methane is produced worldwide annually, accounting for about 4% of greenhouse gases produced worldwide, and is therefore considered to be one of the causes of global warming. Therefore, reducing methane production by cows is thought to not only improve meat quality as mentioned above, but also have an effect in mitigating global warming.

As a feed additive, charcoal not only improves the quality of beef cattle, as mentioned above, but also suppresses the foul odors in feces and urine, as well as bad breath. It has also been confirmed that charcoal can suppress the foul odors of feces and urine when fed to pigs and chickens, in addition to cattle. This is thought to be because charcoal increases the number of good bacteria in the animal's body, which then aids in the digestion and absorption of feed (regulating the intestines), improving the animal's appetite, growth, health, and immunity.

In addition, by mixing charcoal with the manure of food-producing animals, the odor of the manure can be directly reduced. It is assumed that this deodorizing effect is due to the large surface area of the porous structure of charcoal, which makes it easy to adsorb organic matter, nitrogen, etc. Therefore, charcoal is useful for deodorizing livestock sheds. Furthermore, charcoal can also be used as a material for improving water quality in fish, shellfish, shrimp, and other aquaculture facilities.

[Configuration and Effects of the Present Invention]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The present invention derived from the above-described embodiment will be described below.

First, the present invention provides a feed additive for improving meat quality of food-producing animals, comprising:
The charcoal is made by smoking and carbonizing the plant raw materials of the Gramineae family, mainly rice husks, and is characterized by the fact that it naturally contains the components contained in the smoke produced during the carbonization process.

This type of feed additive is inexpensive because its raw material is a grass family plant material such as rice husk, and can be easily produced by simply spontaneously burning the plant material, yet it can easily improve the quality of meat produced by animals that eat it.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, of the components contained in the smoke, acetic acid accounts for about 40%, followed by acetone, which accounts for a large proportion.
By using charcoal having such a component composition as a feed additive, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect of improving the meat quality grade of food-producing animals.

The present invention also relates to a feed for improving the meat quality of animals, which is obtained by mixing the above-mentioned feed additive with solid feed for animals.
This makes it possible to easily feed such feed to food-producing animals such as beef cattle.

The present invention also provides a method for fattening beef cattle, which are food animals, comprising the steps of:
The feed for improving meat quality is allowed to be freely consumed by the beef cattle continuously from the start of feeding to the beef cattle until shipment.
This will ensure that the grading rank of beef cattle can be improved, and the commercial value of beef cattle can be significantly increased.

The present invention also provides a method for fattening beef cattle, which are food animals, comprising the steps of:
The period from the start of feeding to the beef cattle until shipping is divided into a plurality of stages, and the feed for improving meat quality grade is fed to the beef cattle in each stage, and the weight of the feed additive for improving meat quality grade is adjusted to a constant value regardless of the change in the type or weight of the original solid feed, and the cattle are allowed to eat the feed ad libitum at the first feeding of the day.

This has been shown to improve the grading rank of beef cattle even more reliably, making it possible to significantly increase the commercial value of beef cattle. It has also been shown that the effectiveness of improving meat quality can be achieved to a certain extent by limiting the feeding of solid feed mixed with charcoal (feed additive) to the early part of the fattening period mentioned above, and feeding only commercially available solid feed from the later part onwards. In other words, it can be said that the feeding of solid feed mixed with charcoal (feed additive) is important in the initial and early stages of the fattening period.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

The feed additive and feed of the present invention, and the method for fattening beef cattle using them, can be effectively used in the livestock industry.

Reference Signs List 10... Feed additive manufacturing apparatus 11... Container body 101... Air supply chamber 102... Carbonization chamber 111... Inverted truncated cone section below main body 112... Small diameter section below main body 113... Traccion truncated cone section above main body 114... Small diameter section above main body 115... Bottom lid 116... Canopy 12... Rost 13... Support mechanism 20... Vent 21... Hood section 22... Shutter 23... Opening/closing mechanism 30... Chimney 31... Elbow 32... Tee 33... Long cylinder section 34... Top 35... Support

Claims (5)

A method for producing a feed additive for improving the quality of meat of food-producing animals from a plant material of the Gramineae family, mainly consisting of rice husks, by a feed additive production apparatus, comprising the steps of:
The feed additive manufacturing apparatus comprises:
A container body in which the inside into which the plant raw material is put is partitioned into an air supply chamber at the bottom side for supplying air, and a carbonization chamber above which the plant raw material is filled and in which the plant raw material is ignited and carbonized by smoking proceeds in sequence from the top layer to the bottom layer;
A vent hole is provided in a peripheral wall of the container body on the air supply chamber side, and allows outside air to be naturally taken in;
a shutter that can open and close the vent hole between an open state in which air can be taken in and a closed state in which air intake is stopped;
an opening/closing mechanism that maintains the shutter in the open state until the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the lowest layer, and closes the shutter when the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the lowest layer due to heat of carbonization of the lowest layer;
When the shutter is closed by the opening/closing mechanism and the smoking/carbonization of the plant raw material is completed, the components in the smoke generated during the smoking /carbonization process are naturally contained in the smoked charcoal. 2. The method for producing a feed additive for improving the meat quality of edible animals according to claim 1, characterized in that, of the components contained in the smoke, acetic acid accounts for about 40%, followed by acetone, which accounts for a large proportion. A method for producing feed for improving meat quality of food-producing animals, comprising: producing a feed additive for improving meat quality of food-producing animals from a plant material of the Gramineae family, mainly rice husks, by a feed additive production device; and mixing the feed additive with solid feed of food-producing animals,
The feed additive manufacturing apparatus comprises:
A container body in which the inside into which the plant raw material is put is partitioned into an air supply chamber at the bottom side for supplying air, and a carbonization chamber above which the plant raw material is filled and in which the plant raw material is ignited and carbonized by smoking proceeds in sequence from the top layer to the bottom layer;
A vent hole is provided in a peripheral wall of the container body on the air supply chamber side, and allows outside air to be naturally taken in;
a shutter that can open and close the vent hole between an open state in which air can be taken in and a closed state in which air intake is stopped;
an opening/closing mechanism that maintains the shutter in the open state until the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the lowest layer, and closes the shutter when the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the lowest layer due to heat of carbonization of the lowest layer;
When the shutter is closed by the opening/closing mechanism and the smoking carbonization of the plant raw material is completed, the feed additive is produced as smoked charcoal that naturally contains the components in the smoke generated during the smoking carbonization process,
A method for producing feed for improving meat quality of animals, comprising mixing the feed additive with solid feed of animals. In a method for fattening beef cattle, which are food animals,
The feed additive for improving the meat quality of beef cattle is produced from a plant material of the Gramineae family, mainly consisting of rice husks, by a feed additive production device;
The feed additive manufacturing apparatus comprises:
A container body in which the inside into which the plant raw material is put is partitioned into an air supply chamber at the bottom side for supplying air, and a carbonization chamber above which the plant raw material is filled and in which the plant raw material is ignited and carbonized by smoking proceeds in sequence from the top layer to the bottom layer;
A vent hole is provided in a peripheral wall of the container body on the air supply chamber side, and allows outside air to be naturally taken in;
a shutter that can open and close the vent hole between an open state in which air can be taken in and a closed state in which air intake is stopped;
an opening/closing mechanism that maintains the shutter in the open state until the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the lowest layer, and closes the shutter when the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the lowest layer due to heat of carbonization of the lowest layer;
When the shutter is closed by the opening/closing mechanism and the smoking/carbonization of the plant raw material is completed, the feed additive is produced as smoked charcoal that naturally contains the components in the smoke generated during the smoking/carbonization process,
A method for fattening beef cattle , comprising mixing the feed additive with solid feed for edible animals , and allowing the beef cattle to freely consume the feed for improving meat quality grade from the start of feeding to the beef cattle until shipment. In a method for fattening beef cattle, which are food animals,
The feed additive for improving the meat quality of the beef cattle is produced from a plant material of the Gramineae family, mainly consisting of rice husks, by a feed additive production device, and the feed additive is mixed with solid feed for food-producing animals to produce feed for improving the meat quality;
The feed additive manufacturing apparatus comprises:
A container body in which the inside into which the plant raw material is put is partitioned into an air supply chamber at the bottom side for supplying air, and a carbonization chamber above which the plant raw material is filled and in which the plant raw material is ignited and carbonized by smoking proceeds in sequence from the top layer to the bottom layer;
A vent hole is provided in a peripheral wall of the container body on the air supply chamber side, and allows outside air to be naturally taken in;
a shutter that can open and close the vent hole between an open state in which air can be taken in and a closed state in which air intake is stopped;
an opening/closing mechanism that maintains the shutter in the open state until the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the lowest layer, and closes the shutter when the smoked carbonized plant raw material reaches the lowest layer due to heat of carbonization of the lowest layer;
When the shutter is closed by the opening/closing mechanism and the smoking/carbonization of the plant raw material is completed, the feed additive is produced as smoked charcoal that naturally contains the components in the smoke generated during the smoking/carbonization process,
The feed additive is mixed with solid feed for edible animals to produce the feed for improving meat quality grade;
The method for fattening beef cattle comprises dividing the period from the start of feeding to the beef cattle until shipping into a plurality of stages, adjusting the weight of the feed additive for improving meat quality grade to a constant value for the feed for improving meat quality grade that is fed to the beef cattle in each stage regardless of changes in the type or weight of the original solid feed, and allowing the cattle to eat the feed ad libitum at the first feeding of the day.

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