GB2540369A

GB2540369A - A novel process for making and moulding dog / pet food

Info

Publication number: GB2540369A
Application number: GB1512274.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Watson John
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-07-14
Filing date: 2015-07-14
Publication date: 2017-01-18
Also published as: GB201512274D0

Abstract

A method for producing a hard cheese suitable for use as a chew for dogs is claimed. It may comprise producing and working cheese curds in hot whey or water. The mass of plastic curds may then be immediately moulded, extruded, shaped or cut into shapes (such as bones, sticks, dumbbells or paws). The moulded cheese may be treated in salt or brine to expel moisture from the cheese. The cheese may then be dried gradually for days or weeks under chilled or ambient conditions, and then moved to warmer temperatures for the final drying and hardening. The cheese may be freeze dried instead. The humidity conditions during the drying process may be such that it does not encourage mould growth. The process is similar to the production of traditional hard Churpi cheese, but the cheese is dried under special conditions rather than dried in the sun or over fires.

Description

Written description A new process for producing a natural hard cheese long lasting chew for dogs Description Pages 1 and 2 A similar but different product is manufactured using more traditional cheese making methods and drying out in the sun / smoked over an open fire in the Himalayas and this is called Churpi cheese.

It is traditionally made for preserving mainly Yaks / goats milk in the in hot summers when there is excess milk for use in the cold winter months when there is little to eat. I have invented a process for speeding up the cheese making process which also allows the cheese to be moulded into shapes such as stick or bone shapes etc. which is not easily done with the traditional process.

Using traditional manual cheese making methods makes it very expensive to produce a hard cheese for dogs. The Churpi process makes automation of the production and moulding process simple and cost effective.

The advantages of this new cheese making and moulding process over the traditional Churpi process is that the product can be easily moulded, shaped and cut immediately after making and does not require the time consuming and labour intensive pressing, forming and cutting. Where the cheese process differs is that it is made specifically as a shaped dog chew and it is made using a novel process.

The cheese dries under lower temperatures / humidity control / hygienic control, (not over fires or in the sun / open air)

Traditionally, in the Himalayas, Churpi cheese is used by humans as a hard chew (like a boiled sweet) or softened for use in soups etc.

More recently it is being purchased and used as a long lasting chew for dogs, mostly in the USA.

The unhygienic conditions under which it is produced ensure that it remains a prohibited import by the EU

The traditional Churpi cheese making process is lengthy and involves incubating, moulding and maturing the cheese in cheese cloths and drying them out in the sun / warm weather over several months. Churpi cheese is made mostly from yaks milk. After initial moulding in moulds / cheesecloths, the cheese is cut into strips before it hardens too much and is often hung to dry by piercing a hole in the cheese strip and a length of string being passed through the pieces to allow them to be suspended in the sunshine. Random shapes and sizes.

Essential features of the invention are the process for making and moulding the cheese in consistent sizes and shapes:

This new cheese product (which we call K9 Cheese) is a very hard non/low fat cheese designed to be a long lasting all natural canine chew.

The invention uses a new process (rather than traditional cheese making) for producing and moulding this new cheese specifically for dogs.

The cheese is made from Skimmed or semi skimmed milk (cow, goat, yak or other animals milk may be used). The cheese can include other ingredients such as whey, protein, lactose, vegetable fats, starches, sugars, proteins or similar food ingredients or filler products. The cheese can also be flavoured, smoked and or coloured using any combination of flavour / colour available. The cheese can also have added bits such as bacon etc. The milk / ingredients can be fresh or reconstituted.

What makes the cheese unique is that it is manufactured and moulded using a new process.

The cheese can be made either with or without starter cultures and with or without the addition of acid (vinegar / lime juice / lemon juice / food grade acids etc) or Rennet to assist in coagulation, and salt for taste and assist in preservation / expelling moisture. Calcium may also be added to the cheese and or to the cheese brine solution.

The milk / recipe is pasteurised (73°C to 100°C in vat (batch process) or into the vat.(Continuous process))

The mix is cooled and rennet added at the appropriate time / temperature. The PH is tested / adjusted and the curd sets firmly.

The coagulum in the vat is then cut and the cheese curds are worked into a homogenous mass in hot whey or water. In cheese manufacturing, the whey is drained off but in this process the whey can retained and be re-heated 55°C to 75°C and the curd worked in the hot whey or water or in a steam cooker. The mass of plastic curd is then immediately formed by hand or by machine into moulds or cut into shapes or extruded shaped like a bone or stick or dumbbell or paw or any shape suitable for use as a dog chew for large, medium small or miniature dogs.

The moulded cheese is placed in a chilled brine solution to absorb salt, rapidly cool and set the cheese shape (bone etc) and assist in the drying out process. Salt assists in expelling moisture from the cheese. The cheese can also be formed into blocks or sheets or tubes or balls or coins or sticks or biscuits and cut into various shapes or re-melted and shaped at a later date. The cheese can be frozen and de-frosted for use later.

The cheese moulding and / or extruding or shaping or cutting process is followed by drying out under special conditions.

The cheese is taken from the brine / mould and placed on a tray to dry.

The cheese is dried gradually for days / weeks under chilled or ambient conditions (depending on the size and weight of the cheese) and then moved to ambient / warmer temperatures for the final drying and hardening. The humidity of the drying room should not be such that it encourages mould growth. The temperature of the cooler should be in the range 0°C to 12°C. The drying out process can also be through freeze drying or freezing followed by chilled / ambient drying 0°C to 40°C.

Yeast and mould inhibitors can be added. The product is then packed for sale.

Claims

1. The particular cheese making and drying out process / conditions ensures that the cheese is made quickly / economically and also that it retains its shape during and after drying out as illustrated in photographs 1 and 2 below. The moisture is dried out more evenly and avoids quickly forming a hard skin which would then draw a vacuum when the cheese eventually dried, (resulting in unsightly / misshapen / distorted shapes)

2. This is the first very hard cheese made specifically for dogs using this novel method and drying out under controlled chilled temperature and humidity. Other cheeses are chilled and temperature controlled but not for the same reasons as this cheese.

3. The cheese produced using this new process has the advantage of the cheese production process being speeded up and moulding into shapes made much easier / quicker than if traditional cheese making methods were used, (making the process financially viable) The cheese is usually moulded and brined within one hour of production (can be longer). This gives significant savings and allows for easier automation Without this process it is unlikely (due to costs) that the canine world will have a mass produced all natural hard cheese chew.