"The best things in the world
come from the simplest of ideas."

Tradi-Lin thermo-extrusion is no exception to the rule.

Seeds… It’s well-known; they represent life.
Seeds come from the reproductive organs of plants and give life, perpetuating the species.

1. Improving digestibility
2. Destroying anti-nutritional factors
3. The "old" techniques for cooking seeds
4. Why thermo-extrusion?
5. And then?
6. Like Corn-Flakes?
7. And is it possible to measure that thermo-extruded seeds are better?
8. Why?
9. What measurements?
10. Conclusion

1- "Improving digestibility"
So that life can begin again, the seeds contain energy reserves to allow the young plant to develop and become independent. These energy reserves are starch and oils. For these reserves to be usable, conditions of temperature, pressure and humidity that will allow digestion by the young plant to start are necessary.
When animals and humans eat raw seeds, these are a really poor source of energy. The type of cooking we invented several hundreds of thousands of years ago made it possible to improve the digestibility of the seeds eaten by animals.

2- "Destroying the anti-nutritional factors"
For life to begin again, the birds must not eat all the seeds either. Amongst the “miracles” of the evolution of species is the remarkable ability of the seeds to make poisons to discourage birds and other animals from eating them.
All seeds contain alkaloids, cyanogens, glucosinolates, antitrypsic factors, etc. in varying degrees, which “put off animals”.
As birds can rarely master the art of thermo-extrusion, they do not eat cooked, detoxified seeds. Farm animals are not very good at the cooking techniques for seeds either, but they have, however, always eaten cooked seeds that their farmer has ground, soaked, boiled or cooked for them.

3- The "old" techniques for cooking seeds
In Brittany, it is called "gâche" (a sort of creamy porridge), in Normandy, "gâteau de lin" (flax cake) and elsewhere "la bouillie" (gruel), or "mash". Linseed was given to cattle after cooking and grinding.
It is difficult to reproduce these techniques.  However they are remarkably precise and effective.
Generations of attentive observation and routine have undoubtedly been necessary develop them with great patience.

4- Why Tradi-Lin thermo-extrusion?
Thermo from Thermal
And 
Extrusion, the opposite of Intrusion
Thermal because the seeds are cooked before they are processed
And
Intrusion because the oil and starch in the seeds leave their cells and enter the seed matrix

5- And then?
So…
Thorough cooking detoxifies the seed and facilitates the hydrolysis of their components.
Good intrusion of the oily and starchy components into the seed matrix facilitates their subsequent digestion by the enzymes in the digestive tract.

6- Like cornflakes?
Yes.
Moreover, the first patents for feed extrusion were filed in the 1860s by Mr Kellogg in the USA
As we all know, he built his career on it.

7- And is it possible to measure that thermo-extruded seeds are better?
Of course.
Thermally treated (heated) seed is a little better than raw seed (not always)
Extruded seed is a little better than thermally treated seed (not always)
Thermo-extruded seed is always better than heated or extruded seed and, of course, better than raw seed.

8- Why?
VALOREX® is the only company to master seed-by-seed Tradi-Lin thermo-extrusion.
Tradi-Lin thermo-extrusion is a simple idea carried out in a very precise manner.  Conditions must be created for the activity of some enzymes and the destruction of others. This depends on just a few degrees and the objectives are always different from one seed to another. Valorex is the only extrusion company which specialises its production lines by seed type (thus by processing objective). With its 5 specialised extrusion lines in 2005 VALOREX® is a unique specialist in thermo-extrusion. Obviously soya is not cooked in the same way as flax, rape in the same way as lupine, wheat in the same way as maize, and this why VALOREX® runs 5 different extrusion lines.

9- What measurements?

a. Experimental
To develop our process, we performed experimental studies both on animal models (rodents), and farm animals (cows, pigs, beef cattle, rabbits, laying hens, chickens, etc.).
Each time we compared the effects of raw seeds, extruded seeds, thermo-extruded seeds and the oils extracted from these seeds.
The results have been published (See the chapters, “Evidence”). These trials have enabled us to determine the best parameters for cooking and extrusion: neither too much nor too little. As in cooking too much is the enemy of good cuisine and so is "not enough". The thermo-extruded seeds must be cooked enough to destroy the anti-nutritional factors but not too much or the seed would be indigestible. The thermo-extruded seeds must be pressed enough, but not too much so that the oils and the starch are not damaged

b. Analytical
At Valorex, each process has its equivalent analysis. Gelatinisation of the starch, density, release of the oils, anti-nutritional factor content, oxidation indices, etc. are all measured.  All the information is given to the client, who is not buying a process but the result of the process: good animal performance, observing the food safety and traceability criteria on which we place great importance.

10- Conclusion
Above all, thermo-extrusion is an effective, economic method of making the best value of oilseeds and cereals.
When the digestibility of a seed is multiplied by three, this means it is necessary to use three times less in animal diets to achieve the same result.
However this zootechnical efficacy takes place within a supported scientific framework: all of the figures are supported by independent trials.
This solid scientific foundation results in a precise food safety framework. Everything we claim is measured analytically.
Finally the application of this technology has a topical aim: don’t eat more, eat better. In other words, move from a quantitative approach to diet to a qualitative approach to nutrition.