Finish Line has examined the value of supplying products in a pelletized form several times over the last decade. There is a definite demand for this type of product, but, after weighing the pros and cons of the entire situation, Finish Line has elected to stick with concentrated powders instead of pelletized products for the present time. A review of all of the factors involved in making this decision follows:

1. Cost increases: Pelletizing a product increases costs across the board. The product must be diluted in a feed material, additives such as binders included, power requirements for heating, extruding and drying, larger packaging units, and freight of shipping a bulkier material all add up to higher cost to you, the buyer. Finish Line believes that a concentrated powder is far more economical for the consumer. Why pay for fillers/binders/extra shipping that you do not need?
2. Ingredient stability: The typical pelletizing process involves adding water and/or steam to the blended fillers/active ingredients/binders. Energy is added as heat by both heaters and by the pressures experienced in the extrusion block. The heat is also needed to dry the pellets (evaporate the water rapidly) after pellet formation. The exact temperature that the ingredients experience is unknown, and it is difficult to find published specifications for extrusion block temperatures. What temperature do the active ingredients reach? What happens to them?

   Some active ingredients are heat sensitive, and may be changed or lost in the pelletizing process. For example, Vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, and Calcium Pantothenate all have specific decomposition temperatures in the 190-290 degrees Centigrade range ¹.

   The beta form of Glucosamine has a decomposition temperature of 110 degrees C², just above that of (non-superheated) steam.

   One literature source detailed an experiment in which the vitamins A,D,E and K were analyzed before and after pelletizing³.
   Calculating the percent loss revealed the following:

   1. Vitamin A: 20% loss
   2. Vitamin D: 20% loss
   3. Vitamin E: 12% loss
   4. Vitamin K: 45% loss

   One technique used by processors is to add a calculated excess to reach the desired level after processing. This brings the nutrient up to its stated level, but why pay extra for burnt active ingredients? If and when a "cold process" method of pelletizing becomes available and feasible, Finish Line will re-evaluate the situation again.

3. Pasteurization: The process of pelletizing a feed does kill bacteria, which is good, just as it kills vitamins which is bad! A literature source stated results from a microbiology test of before and after pelletizing on (high) microbe concentrations. Coliform, mold and Clostridium were greatly reduced, and TPC (Total Plate Count or everything that’ll grow on the plate) was reduced 96%⁴. Very few if any natural feed items for horses are "sterile" though. Additionally, using concentrated, pure active ingredients in a dry blend achieves very low microbe levels as evidenced by the microbiology results listed on the specification sheet of the active ingredients Finish Line uses. So, why Pasteurize something that doesn’t need Pasteurizing? If and when a good cold-process is found, the whole Pasteurization issue becomes irrelevant anyway.
4. Ease of Application: Some consumers are concerned that their horse is not ingesting the powdered supplement; it’s falling to the bottom of the feed tub and being left behind. A pelletized feed avoids this. While most horses eat virtually everything in their tub, thanks in part to Finish Line’s attention to product palatability, it’s true that a few horses out there have perfected the fine art of picking through their tubs. An inspection of your horse’s eating habits, and the tub afterwards identifies the culprits. There are many old-fashioned, easy solutions to this issue, such as a wet mash.
5. Never Say Never: Finish Line will continue monitoring the available technologies in the field of pelletizing, and if a method is found that preserves the active ingredients yet is economical for you, our consumer, we will re-evaluate our policy. Again! After reviewing all of the factors involved in choosing between concentrated powder or pelletized, we hope you agree that concentrated powder is the best all-around value at this time.

References:
1) The Merck Index, 9^th ed, Merck & Co Inc
2) The Merck Index, 9^th ed, Merck & Co Inc
3) Coelho 1994. Vitamin Stability in Expanders. Feed Management. 45(8). 10-15.
4) Rokey. G. 2001. Pelleting, Conditioning, and Steam Addition. 2001 Feed Management Seminar. US Egg and Poultry