JP2008029339A - Pet food - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide pet food having low water content and excellent preservability, free from being fragile in spite of having low bulk density, and excellent in palatability in spite of having low calorie. <P>SOLUTION: The pet food contains chicken boneless carcass as crude protein source. The mixing amount of chicken boneless carcass is ≥8 mass% as solid content. The pet food has ≤20 mass% of water, 1 mass% or below of a water insoluble inorganic matter, and bulk density of 0.3-0.7 g/cm<SP>3</SP>. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pet food represented by a jerky or the like.

  The number of pets is increasing due to the pet boom, and as a result, pet food in the form of snacks represented by jerky is used as a supplement to supplement pet nutrition or as a tool for communication between owners and pets. Is growing. On the other hand, aging of pets, lack of exercise, overnutrition, etc., increase of adult diseases in humans such as obesity of pets, diabetes, liver disease, etc., and many pets become obese due to hormonal imbalance after contraceptive surgery. Yes. Therefore, it is not preferable for pets and their owners to give unlimited foods that are delicious for pets, and there is a desire to provide highly-preferenceable products in consideration of the health of pets.

The pet food is softer than the hard one, and the palatability is higher, and this can be achieved by increasing the amount of water or expanding the food. However, since it is difficult to expand when the amount of water is increased, there is a technique for solving this problem by further containing water after expanding (Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a technique in which a dough containing a large amount of bubbles is used and is expanded by an oven or microwave heating (Patent Document 2). Furthermore, although it is not for pets, there is also a technique of increasing the palatability of meat by expanding it by generating carbon dioxide gas or the like (Patent Document 3). In addition, semi-moist pet food manufactured by expanding raw materials has a product moisture content of 13 to 23% by weight and an expansion rate of expansion of 200 to 350%. There is also a technology that makes it easy to eat even a cat or a young dog / cat with low chewing ability (Patent Document 4).
JP-A 63-56257 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-243869 JP 2003-259840 A JP 2006-158265 A

  As mentioned above, increasing the amount of water and increasing the amount of water can increase the palatability of the pet food, but increasing the amount of water decreases storage stability, and lowering the amount of water causes the food to expand. It became clear that the feeling became hard and fragile, and that the pet had a problem of contaminating the breeding environment and house after eating. In addition, pet food that has been excessively swollen not only causes the problem of loss of surface smoothness and poor appearance, but also makes the structure part that forms bubbles too thin and brittle and hard, making it difficult to shred. Therefore, there was room for improvement.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is a pet food that has low moisture content and good storage stability, and is brittle and not hard but easy to shred despite having a low bulk density. Is to provide.

Therefore, the present inventors have intensively studied the water content, specific component content, and bulk density of pet food. As a result, by using a large amount of raw materials such as chicken and adjusting the content of specific ingredients, it is low in moisture and low in bulk density, is not brittle, has a smooth surface, has a good appearance, and is easy to eat. Found that food can be obtained.
That is, the present invention is a pet food that contains chicken meat as a crude protein source and has a solid content of 8% by mass or more as a solid content, having a water content of 20% by mass or less and a water-insoluble mineral content. A pet food having a mass density of 1% by mass or less and a bulk density in the range of 0.3 to 0.7 g / cm ³ is provided.

  The pet food of the present invention has low moisture, good storage stability, and is low in bulk density, is not brittle, has a smooth surface and is easy to eat, has low calories, and has excellent palatability. .

  The chicken meat used in the pet food of the present invention refers to chicken skeletal muscles such as chicken breast, chicken thigh, and chicken fillet, and preferably does not contain internal organs, bones, heads, legs, wings, and other by-products. By doing so, it becomes possible to suppress content of a water-insoluble mineral. The raw chicken meat may be either raw or dried. The pet food of the present invention contains 8% by mass (hereinafter simply referred to as “%”) or more of chicken meat as a solid content in terms of improving palatability and reducing the bulk density. The blending amount of the chicken meat in the pet food of the present invention is preferably 8 to 50%, more preferably 10 to 40%, particularly 12 to 30%, especially 15 to 25% as a solid content. It is preferable from the viewpoint of improvement and easiness of foaming. In addition, "solid content" here means parts other than moisture, and when oil and fat is contained, this is also converted as solid content. For example, the thing after drying chicken true meat at 135 degreeC for 2 hours can be made into solid content.

The pet food of the present invention has a moisture content of 20% or less in terms of storage stability and ease of foaming. Since the moisture content of raw chicken meat is usually 70-80%, in order to mix chicken meat with a solid content of 8% or more, when raw chicken meat is used as a raw material, a drying process is required. Although necessary, it is preferable to combine with a dried chicken meat product or to use only a dried product with a certain range of moisture from the viewpoint of simplification of the manufacturing process and cost reduction. It is preferable that the moisture of the dried product is adjusted in advance with a heating device such as an oven. When using a dried chicken meat product, the water content is preferably 5 to 30%, more preferably 8 to 25%, and particularly 10 to 20%, because it is easy to foam and the strength after foaming. It is preferable from the viewpoints of maintenance and ease of molding. In addition, it is preferable that the moisture content of the chicken meat in the case of using a dried product alone, or the moisture content of the chicken meat after combining raw meat and a dried product is 20 to 70%, and further 30 to 65%. In particular, 40 to 60% is preferable from the viewpoints of easiness of foaming, maintenance of strength after foaming, easiness of molding, and the like.
In particular, when 10% or more, preferably 20% or more, and more preferably 30% or more of the chicken meat is a dried product, the meat can be distinguished from the appearance of the pet food, and the savory flavor peculiar to the dried meat is obtained. It is preferable because it enhances palatability. That 10% or more of the chicken meat is a dried product means that the raw product and the dried product are converted into solid content, and 10% or more of the solid content is a dried product and less than 90% is a raw product. In addition, the dried meat is a meat fiber that has been subjected to a drying treatment, and because physical and chemical changes such as fine fibers have occurred, when blended in the pet food of the present invention, Excessive swelling at the exit of the extruder is prevented. As a result, the product is not brittle and hard, which is desirable because it enhances the smoothness of the pet food appearance and ease of shredding.
Further, 5% or more, preferably 5 to 50%, more preferably 7 to 40%, and still more preferably 10 to 30% of the dried chicken meat passes through a sieve having an opening of 3.0 mm and the opening is 0. It is more preferable that the particles have a size that does not pass through a sieve of .85 mm because the meat particles can be easily distinguished from the appearance.

  As described above, the moisture content of the pet food of the present invention is 20% or less, more preferably 5 to 20%, even more preferably 7 to 18%, and particularly 8 to 17%. From the viewpoint of increasing Further, the water activity is preferably 0.79 or less, more preferably 0.4 to 0.79, particularly 0.45 to 0.75, and particularly preferably 0.5 to 0.7. It is preferable from the viewpoint of suppression of bacterial growth. Here, the water activity can be measured with a water activity measuring device by weighing 2 g of a sample on a measuring pan.

  The raw chicken may be a raw product and / or a dried product as it is, or may be refrigerated or frozen. It is preferable to make it mince before use from the viewpoint of easy blending and uniform mixing.

The bulk density of the pet food of the present invention is in the range of 0.3 to 0.7 g / cm ³ , but the bulk density is further 0.35 to 0.65 g / cm ³ , particularly 0.4 to 0.65 g / cm ³ . It is preferable to set it to cm ³ from the points of increasing palatability, increasing the texture, and reducing calorie. That is, when the bulk density exceeds 0.7 g / cm ³ , large bubbles exceeding 3 mm are generated non-uniformly, resulting in uneven texture and easy brittleness. In addition, in order to make a bulk density into the said range, it is achieved by including a bubble in a manufacturing process and making it foam.
Foaming in the manufacturing process can be achieved by baking in an oven, but foaming by using an extruder such as an extruder is easy to foam and simplifies the manufacturing process. preferable.

The extruder refers to a screw heating and pressure extrusion molding machine, and it is preferable to use a biaxial extruder in the pet food according to the present invention.
In the case of foaming using an extruder, it is preferable that the water content in the raw material mixture is 30% or less from the viewpoint of easy foaming and strength sufficient not to re-shrink after foaming. The water content in the raw material mixture is preferably 10 to 28%, more preferably 15 to 25% from the same point.
For foaming in the production process, a water-soluble swelling agent may be further used. The water-soluble swelling agent means one that generates a reactive gas such as carbon dioxide when dissolved in water, and examples thereof include baking powder, baking soda, and ammonium hydrogen carbonate. The blending amount of the water-soluble swelling agent is preferably 0.1 to 2.0%, more preferably 0.1 to 1.0%, and particularly preferably 0.1 to 0.5%. Above all, when baking powder is blended, the pH can be made weakly acidic and the smell of the pet food is improved, so that it is preferable for improving the storage stability and the taste of the pet food.
As another method of foaming in the manufacturing process, a porous substance containing small bubbles and suitable for food, for example, water-insoluble inorganic substances such as eggshell calcium and calcium phosphate are used as foaming aids. There is also a way to do it. However, if this method is adopted, the water-insoluble mineral plays a role as a foaming nucleus and abrupt foaming occurs and the state of the bubble is roughened. A large number of scums of air bubbles adhere to the surface, resulting in a significant deterioration in texture and surface roughness that stimulates the mouth corners, and a product having a smooth surface cannot be obtained. Therefore, the water-insoluble mineral content in the pet food of the present invention is 1% or less, preferably 0.8% or less, more preferably 0.5% or less, and particularly preferably 0.3% or less. The water-insoluble mineral in the present invention is measured by weighing after ashing (600 ° C., oven heating for 2 hours), dissolving the ashed product in water, filtering and drying the water-insoluble matter, Examples thereof include oxides of Ca and Ma, carbonates, phosphates, and oxides of Al and Si.

  The pet food of the present invention can be obtained, for example, by the production method described below. A mixture prepared by uniformly premixing raw materials with a vertical mixer or the like is supplied from the raw material feeder of the extruder into the cylinder barrel. The mixture supplied into the cylinder barrel is kneaded and extruded by a twin screw while being heated and pressurized in the cylinder barrel. The cylinder barrel temperature is preferably 20 to 100 ° C. for the preheating barrel, 80 to 180 ° C. for the intermediate barrel, 100 to 300 ° C. for the tip barrel, and 100 to 200 ° C. for the die plate. Further, the screw rotation speed is preferably 50 to 300 r / min when the screw diameter is 50 mm and the screw length / screw diameter ratio is about 16. In addition, in order to adjust the moisture content and foaming degree of the pet food of the present invention to preferable levels, it is possible to add an arbitrary amount of water into the cylinder barrel. What is extruded from the extruder is preferably received by a belt conveyor so as not to be bent and cut after cooling. This is because if the raw material is cut immediately after being extruded, it is difficult to maintain a certain shape such as bending. Thus, the pet food of the present invention can be obtained by foaming the mixture by evaporation of water and expansion of bubbles.

The pet food of the present invention preferably has a crude protein content of 20% or more from the viewpoints of palatability, foamability, strength maintenance after foaming, and the like. The crude protein content is further preferably 22 to 50%, particularly 25 to 35% from the same point. In addition, the crude protein content in pet food is measured using the improved Dumas method. Examples of the crude protein source include animal protein-containing substances, plant protein-containing substances, milk protein-containing substances, etc., and animal proteins include cattle, pigs, sheep, rabbits, kangaroos, etc. Products and processed products; chicken meat such as chicken meat, turkey, and quail, and by-products and processed products thereof; fish meat such as fish and white fish, and by-products and processed products thereof. Examples of plant protein-containing materials include soy protein, wheat protein, wheat gluten, and corn gluten. Examples of the milk protein-containing material include cheese, butter and processed products thereof. In the pet food of the present invention, it is preferable to use one or a combination of two or more selected from the above protein sources.
Among these, wheat gluten is preferable from the viewpoints of ease of molding, imparting strength that does not re-shrink after foaming, and enhancing texture. When wheat gluten is used, 5 to 50% in pet food, 7 to 40%, especially 8 to 30% is easy to mold, impart strength enough to prevent re-shrinking after foaming, texture From the viewpoint of increasing
Among them, cheese is very effective in improving palatability, and blending in the form of cheese food is desirable in terms of improving palatability and cost. The blending amount is 0.05 to 10% in the pet food, preferably 0.1 to 5%, more preferably 0.1 to 3%. Cheese food here contains 51% or more of cheese in the product. Milk, lactose, etc. derived from milk, or protein, fat, carbohydrate, etc. (within 10% by weight) and spices not derived from milk. , Refers to foods made by adding seasonings and the like (within 1/6 of ingredients other than moisture), and among them, those with particularly enhanced flavor are desirable.

  The pet food of the present invention preferably contains 20 to 70%, more preferably 30 to 60%, particularly 40 to 50% of a carbohydrate source from the viewpoints of effervescence, moldability, and texture. Examples of the carbohydrate source include cereals, sugars, dietary fiber, starches and the like.

Examples of cereals include wheat, barley, rye, corn, sorghum, rice, fin, awa, amaranth and quinoa.
The barley may be either Nijo barley or Rojo barley, including mixtures thereof used for feed. Barley contains 5% or more, more 5-80%, especially 10-70% in the carbohydrate source, economy, suppression of postprandial blood glucose level increase, postprandial blood insulin level increase, anti-obesity effect, ingestion It is preferable in terms of sex and fecal condition.

  Corn means normal corn, but includes not only corn flour made from this, but also corn starch. Corn is preferably contained in the carbohydrate source in an amount of 3% or more, more preferably 3 to 60%, particularly 5 to 50% from the viewpoints of economy, anti-obesity effect, ingestion and stool condition.

  Sorghum is a plant belonging to the family Gramineae, also known as Koryang, and also includes bloom corn, also known as broom sorghum, sweet sorghum, also known as sorghum, and grain sorghum, also known as milo. Sorghum is contained in a carbohydrate source at 3% or more, further 3 to 60%, particularly 5 to 50%, economical efficiency, postprandial blood glucose level increase suppression, postprandial blood insulin level increase suppression, obesity prevention effect, It is preferable from the viewpoint of ingestion and stool condition.

Examples of the saccharide include monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. In the pet food of the present invention, saccharides are effective for adjusting water activity, preventing brittleness, and improving palatability, for example. In particular, in terms of improving palatability, browning due to the Maillard reaction during preparation proceeds by using an appropriate amount of saccharide, and therefore, preferable in terms of color and fragrance. As mentioned above, the compounding quantity of the saccharide | sugar to the pet food of this invention is 0.1 to 10%, Preferably it is 0.2 to 5%, More preferably, 0.3 to 5% is good.
Oligosaccharides and polysaccharides include galactooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, soybean oligosaccharides, xylo-oligosaccharides, dairy oligosaccharides, raffinose, lactulose, palatinose oligosaccharides, nigero-oligosaccharides, gentio-oligosaccharides, Examples include dextrose and indigestible dextrin, and these are also preferable because they are effective in activating enteric bacteria.

  Dietary fiber refers to materials that are not degraded by animal digestive enzymes, including water-insoluble dietary fiber and water-soluble dietary fiber. Specific examples of the former include pea fiber, chicory root, alfalfa meal containing cellulose, hemicellulose, etc. Specific examples of the latter include guar gum enzyme degradation product, psyllium seed coat, glucomannan, agar, water-soluble soybean polysaccharide, water-soluble corn fiber, inulin, carboxymethylcellulose, alginic acid and the like. In particular, in the pet food of the present invention, beet pulp containing both water-insoluble dietary fiber and water-soluble dietary fiber is preferable. The blending amount of dietary fiber in the pet food of the present invention is 0.1 to 10%, preferably 0.3 to 8%, and more preferably 0.5 to 5%.

Moreover, as starches, in addition to those using any of the above-mentioned cereals as a raw material, processed starch or high amylose starch that has been further processed can be used. Among these, the use of one or more selected from modified starch and high amylose starch suppresses changes over time in physical properties that affect the texture, such as aging of starch, and the like. It is preferable in terms of easiness.
Processed starch is a normal starch such as waxy corn starch, corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch, sticky rice starch, potato starch, honeydew starch, tapioca starch, sago starch, etc. that have been chemically treated or chemically modified. Etc. The content of the modified starch is 3% or more, more preferably 3 to 30%, particularly 3 to 20% in the carbohydrate source. Economic efficiency, suppression of postprandial blood glucose level increase, postprandial blood insulin level increase suppression, It is preferable from the viewpoint of obesity prevention effect, ingestion and stool condition.

  Specifically, acetylated starch, octenyl succinylated starch, hydroxypropylated starch, acetylated adipic acid crosslinked starch, acetylated phosphate crosslinked starch, acetate starch, oxidized starch, phosphate monoesterified phosphate crosslinked starch, phosphorylated Starch, phosphate cross-linked starch, hydroxypropylated phosphate cross-linked starch, etc., can be manufactured from starch in a simple process with high purity and relatively inexpensively, postprandial blood glucose level rise suppression, postprandial blood insulin Acetylated starch, octenyl succinylated starch, and hydroxypropylated starch are preferred from the viewpoints of inhibition of increase in concentration, anti-obesity effect, food intake, and safety.

  The acetylated starch can be obtained by acetylating starch or modified starch by a conventional method. Specifically, it can be obtained by reacting acetic anhydride or vinyl acetate with starch. Also, Z-700 (derived from tapioca, acetylated, Nippon Star Chemical Co., Ltd.), MT-01B (derived from tapioca, acetylated, Nippon Food & Chemicals), ADIX-H (derived from waxy corn, acetylated, Nippon Food & Chemicals), Mapus Commercial products such as # 449 (derived from waxy corn, acetylated, Japanese food chemicals) can also be used. As the degree of acetylation, the acetyl value (number of acetyl groups per anhydroglucose residue in starch) is preferably 0.001-1, more preferably 0.005-0.5, Furthermore, it is preferable that it is 0.01-0.1.

  Octenyl succinylated starch can be obtained by octenyl succinic oxidation of starch or modified starch by a conventional method. Specifically, it can be obtained by reacting octenyl succinic anhydride with starch. Commercially available products such as Amycol Nyuka (derived from tapioca, octenyl succinic acid oxidation, Nippon Star Chemical Co., Ltd.) can also be used. As the degree of octenyl succinic oxidation, the octenyl succinic acid value (the number of octenyl succinic acid groups per anhydroglucose residue in starch) is preferably 0.001-1, more preferably 0.005-0.5. Yes, and preferably 0.01 to 0.1.

  Hydroxypropylated starch can be obtained by hydroxypropylating starch or modified starch by a conventional method. Specifically, it can be obtained by reacting propylene oxide with starch. National Frigex (from Tapioca, National Starch and Chemical), National 1658 (from Corn, National Starch and Chemical), Thermal Flow (from Waxy Corn, National Starch and Chemical), Thermtex (from Waxy Corn, National Commercial products such as Starch and Chemical Co.) can also be used. As the degree of hydroxypropylation, the degree of substitution (number of hydroxypropyl groups per anhydroglucose residue in starch) is preferably 0.001-1, more preferably 0.05-0.5. Yes, and preferably 0.1 to 0.3.

  Moreover, you may use what was set as another modified starch by combining another processing process. As processing that can be combined, esterification treatment such as acetic acid and phosphoric acid, etherification treatment by hydroxypropylation, carboxymethyl etherification, trimetaphosphate, hexametaphosphate, phosphorus oxychloride, adipic acid, epichlorohydrin, etc. Crosslinking treatment, oxidation treatment, acid treatment, bleaching treatment, wet heat treatment, heat treatment, enzyme treatment and the like using a conventional crosslinking agent can be mentioned, and one or more of them may be combined. Of these, esterification treatment is preferred, and phosphorylation treatment, particularly phosphoric acid crosslinking treatment is preferred. As the degree of phosphorylation treatment, the bound phosphorus content is in the range of 0.0001 to 2%, but 0.0001 to 0.5%, and further 0.0001 to 0.2% is the food intake etc. From the point of view, it is preferable.

  High amylose starch is starch having an amylose content of 40 to 99%, and in particular, high amylose corn starch, Glacier AC38 of hexagonal barley, su2 corn and the like. As commercial products, high amylose corn starch amylomaize V (amylose content 50-60%), amylomaise VI (amylose content 60-70%), amylomaise VII (amylose content 70-80%) or more manufactured by Nippon Food Processing Co., Ltd. , High amylose corn starch, etc., manufactured by NIPPON CHEMICAL CO., LTD.

  When high amylose starch is used, 5 to 50%, more preferably 8 to 40%, especially 10 to 30% is blended with the pet food of the present invention for economy, suppression of postprandial blood glucose level increase, postprandial blood insulin It is preferable from the viewpoints of inhibition of increase in concentration, obesity prevention effect, ingestion and fecal condition.

  The pet food of the present invention is preferably a pet jerky (provided as a snack). In general, jerky refers to dried animal meat, but when it comes to pets, a mixture of animal meat and carbohydrates is also called jerky. The pet food of the present invention is preferably a so-called pet jerky because it has high palatability among pet foods and is optimal for discipline and answering.

  It is preferable that the pet food of the present invention contains fats and oils from the viewpoint of increasing the palatability and supplying polyunsaturated fatty acids. Examples of fats and oils include safflower oil, olive oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, sesame oil, lard, beef tallow, fish oil, milk fat, etc. It is not restricted to this, When the fats and oils are contained in another plant raw material or animal raw material, this is included. Oils and fats are contained in the pet food of the present invention in an amount of 1 to 30%, more preferably 2 to 25%, especially 3 to 20%. This is preferable. Furthermore, it is preferable to add butter oil for the purpose of enhancing the flavor of milk because the palatability is further enhanced. The blending amount is 0.05% to 5%, preferably 0.1 to 2%, more preferably 0.1 to 1%.

  In particular, diacylglycerol is preferably contained at 15% or more in all fats and oils, and further contained in 15 to 85% and further 20 to 75% in all fats and oils, suppresses increase in blood insulin concentration after meals, and prevents obesity. From the point of view, it is preferable. That is, it is preferable to contain 0.5% or more, further 0.5 to 30%, further 1 to 20%, particularly 1 to 10% of diacylglycerol as fat in the pet food of the present invention.

  In diacylglycerol, 80 to 100% of the constituent fatty acids are preferably unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), more preferably 90 to 100%, further 93 to 100%, particularly 93 to 98%, and particularly 94 to 98%. This is preferable from the viewpoints of suppressing the increase in blood insulin concentration after meals and preventing obesity. Here, it is preferable that carbon number of this unsaturated fatty acid is 14-24, and also 16-22.

  Among the fatty acids constituting diacylglycerol, the content of oleic acid is 20 to 65%, more preferably 25 to 60%, particularly 30 to 50%, and particularly 30 to 45% in terms of anti-obesity effect and ingestion. preferable.

  Among the fatty acids constituting diacylglycerol, the content of linoleic acid is 15 to 65%, more preferably 20 to 60%, particularly 30 to 55%, especially 35 to 50%, in terms of anti-obesity effect and ingestion. preferable. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of oxidation stability and anti-obesity effect, the content mass ratio of linoleic acid / oleic acid in diacylglycerol is 0.01 to 2.0, more preferably 0.1 to 1.8, especially 0.3 to 1. .7 is preferable.

  Among the fatty acids constituting diacylglycerol, the content of linolenic acid is less than 15%, more preferably 0 to 13%, especially 1 to 10%, and especially 2 to 9%. Anti-obesity effect, intake and oxidative stability From the viewpoint of sex. As linolenic acid, α-linolenic acid and γ-linolenic acid are known as isomers, and α-linolenic acid is preferable.

  Of the fatty acids constituting diacylglycerol, the content of saturated fatty acid (SFA) is preferably less than 20%, more preferably 0 to 10%, further 0 to 7%, especially 2 to 7%, especially 2 to 6%. It is preferable from the viewpoints of obesity prevention effect, ingestion, and oxidative stability. As the saturated fatty acid, those having 14 to 24 carbon atoms, particularly 16 to 22 carbon atoms are preferable, and palmitic acid and stearic acid are particularly preferable.

  In the fatty acid constituting diacylglycerol, the content of fatty acid having 12 or less carbon atoms is preferably 5% or less from the viewpoint of flavor and ingestion, more preferably 0 to 2%, particularly 0 to 1%, It is particularly preferred not to include it. The remaining constituent fatty acids preferably have 14 to 24 carbon atoms, particularly 16 to 22 carbon atoms.

  Further, from the viewpoint of suppressing the increase in blood insulin concentration and preventing obesity, the ratio of 1,3-diacylglycerol in diacylglycerol is 50% or more, more preferably 52 to 100%, further 54 to 90%, and particularly 56 to 90%. Preference is given to using 80% diacylglycerol.

  Although diacylglycerol may contain what is contained in the above-mentioned natural fats and oils, in order to adjust the content of diacylglycerol, esterification reaction of fatty acid derived from fats and oils and glycerin, fats and oils and glycerin It is preferable to blend those obtained by transesterification with Although diacylglycerol can be obtained by a chemical reaction using an alkali catalyst or the like, it can be obtained by a mild reaction through an enzyme such as a 1,3-position selective lipase. It is preferable in terms of stability and palatability.

  In the case where fats and oils are blended in the pet food of the present invention, triacylglycerol is included in addition, and some monoacylglycerol, free fatty acid, and the like may be included. These include those contained in the fats and oils contained in the produced diacylglycerol-containing fats and oils, plant raw materials to be blended, or animal raw materials in addition to those contained in the natural fats and oils described above.

  The pet food of the present invention further preferably contains a plant sterol in an amount of 0.1% or more, more preferably 0.5% or more in terms of cholesterol lowering effect. The upper limit of the plant sterol content may be up to 30%. Examples of plant sterols include free forms such as α-sitosterol, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, α-sitostanol, β-sitostanol, stigmasteranol, campestanol, and cycloartenol, and the like. And fatty acid esters, ferulic acid esters, cinnamic acid esters and the like.

The pet food of the present invention may further contain glycerin, sugar alcohol, bran, potatoes, vegetables, vitamins, water-soluble minerals, amino acids, L-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10 and the like. it can.
The blending amount of glycerin and sugar alcohol in the pet food of the present invention is 2% or more, further 3% or more, particularly 5% or more, which gives flexibility and suppresses changes in flexibility during storage. It is preferable from the point.
As rice bran, rice bran, bran or the like is used, and as rice cake, soybean meal is used. It is preferable from the viewpoint of nutritional component supplementation that the amount of bran and moss to be added to the pet food of the present invention is 0.1% or more, further 0.3% or more, particularly 0.5% or more.
Examples of vegetables include tomatoes, broccoli, squash, spinach, red peppers, carrots and the like, and these vegetables are preferably blended in the state of raw vegetables, dried chips, dried powder, vegetable extracts and the like. In addition, it is preferable that the dried chips have a diameter of 1 to 20 mm, preferably 1.0 to 15 mm, and more preferably about 1.0 to 10 mm because the vegetable particles can be distinguished from the appearance. In particular, for tomatoes, when a dried tomato with a sugar content of 10% or more, preferably 15% or more is used, browning due to the Maillard reaction during preparation proceeds, so that a preferable one is obtained in terms of color and fragrance. The blending amount of the vegetables in the pet food of the present invention is 0.5 to 10%, preferably 1 to 10%, more preferably 2 to 7%, and further preferably 2 to 5% as a solid content. good.
Examples of vitamins include A, B ₁ , B ₂ , D, E, niacin, pantothenic acid, carotene and the like, and the blending amount in the pet food of the present invention is preferably 0.01 to 10%.
Examples of the water-soluble minerals include calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, iron and the like, and these may be blended as water-soluble salts, and the blending amount in the pet food of the present invention is 0.01 to 10%. Is preferable.
Examples of amino acids include arginine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine and the like, and the blending amount in the pet food of the present invention is preferably 0.1 to 5%.
In addition, gelling agents, shape-preserving agents, pH adjusters, seasonings, preservatives, nutritional supplements and the like that are generally used in pet foods are also blended in the pet food of the present invention within the range not contradicting the above description. be able to. In addition, in the manufacturing process, it is preferable to manufacture while substituting with an inert gas such as nitrogen or degassing for the purpose of suppressing the oxidation of fats and oils because it is particularly effective in the heating step.

The physical properties of the pet food of the present invention are as follows: after production, or after sealing the product and opening it, a sample having a thickness of 6 mm that has been left in an environment of temperature 20 ° C. and humidity 45% for 24 hours is placed on a 20 mm interval slit, The wedge-shaped plunger (for example, having a width of about 20 mm) is lowered from above at a speed of 50 mm / min so as to be perpendicular to the center of the sample, and the strain when the sample breaks is 4 mm or more. In addition, it has physical properties that are not brittle despite having a low bulk density, and is preferable from the viewpoint of suppressing changes in physical properties that affect the texture, and more preferably 5 mm or more, particularly 6 mm or more from the same point. . Further, when the strain is 4 mm or less, the stress is 0.6 N / mm ² or less, which has physical properties that are not brittle despite low moisture and low bulk density, and suppress changes in physical properties that affect the texture. From the point of view, it is preferable. Further, stress at strain 5mm is 0.6 N / mm ² or less, further 0.01~0.6N / mm ^2, it is preferred that particularly 0.02~0.4N / mm ^2.

The shape of the pet food of the present invention is preferably a rod having a cross-sectional area of 5 to 700 mm ² and a length of 15 to 200 mm from the viewpoint of ease of feeding, ease of handling, storage stability, and the like. The cross-sectional area is further preferably 8 to 500 mm ² , particularly preferably 10 to ²⁰⁰ mm ² , and the length is further preferably 20 to 170 mm, particularly preferably 30 to 150 mm. Moreover, although the shape of a cross section may be arbitrary, it is preferable from a point of the ease of shaping | molding and the ease of foaming to use a circle or a square.
Further, the expansion ratio of the pet food of the present invention, that is, the ratio of the diameter of the barrel of the pet food to the exit nozzle diameter of the extruder for extruding the raw material is 110% to 190%, preferably 120% to 185%, more preferably 130%. It is good to be ~ 180%. If the expansion coefficient exceeds 190%, not only the problem that the smoothness of the surface is lost and the appearance deteriorates, but also the structure part forming the bubbles becomes too thin and brittle and hard is not preferable.

Examples 1-10 and Comparative Examples 1-5
Pet foods having the compositions shown in Tables 1 to 3 were produced by the following method, and palatability tests were performed using 20 domestic dogs of various breeds shown in Table 4. Two to three dogs were given, and the following “taste evaluation method” evaluation was performed for palatability.

[Production method of pet food]
Each raw material shown in Tables 1 to 3 was put into a vertical mixer and sufficiently stirred and mixed to prepare a mixture. Next, the obtained mixture was subjected to screw rotation speed, cylinder barrel temperature (C1; C2; C3), die plate temperature under the conditions shown in Tables 1 to 3, supply amount 20 kg / hour, die diameter 5 mm (1 hole). Then, pet food was obtained by foam molding using an extruder (EA-20 manufactured by Suehiro EPM Co., Ltd.) and cooling.

[Measurement method of bulk density]
It was measured by dividing the weight (g) by the volume (cross-sectional area × length) (cm ³ ).

[Method of measuring moisture content]
About 2 g of the sample was weighed in an aluminum pan and dried in an oven at 135 ° C. for 2 hours. The sample was weighed after cooling in a desiccator, and the moisture content (% by mass) was determined by dividing the mass difference before and after drying by the sample mass before drying.

[Method for measuring water activity]
About 2 g of the sample was weighed on a measuring pan, and measured by a water activity measuring device (Pawkit manufactured by Decagon Device).
[Method for measuring crude protein]
About 2 g of the sample was weighed with a measuring pan and measured using a protein measuring instrument Tru Spec N (manufactured by LECO) according to the improved Dumas method (AOAC 990.03). The protein factor (coefficient when converting the nitrogen content to the crude protein amount) was 6.25.

[Preference evaluation method]
For the evaluation of the palatability of the pet food, a comparison of the pre-eating properties between the two products was performed for all the combinations of 15 samples of Examples 1 to 10 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5. First, two samples to be compared were placed in separate dishes one by one and placed side by side in front of the test dog. Next, before the start of the test, each dog smelled the test dog and the test was started after the smell was sufficiently recognized. The pre-eating property was determined based on which one was eaten first. Moreover, about the same combination, the test of the 2nd time which made the position which puts the plate of each sample left-right reversed was done by the method similar to the 1st time. When the results of the first time and the second time were different, the position where each dish was placed was returned to the same position as the first time, and the third test was performed. After testing for all combinations, the preference of each sample was evaluated using Scheffe's paired comparison method. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 3, Table 5, and FIG.

* The dried chicken meat of Example 6 contains 15% of particles having a diameter of 0.85 to 3 mm, and the tomato of Example 7 is a dried powder product containing 17% of glucose. The spinach of Example 8 is a dry powder, the broccoli of Example 9 is a dry product that has been air-dried while leaving the shape of the florets, and the pumpkin of Example 10 is an air-dried product of 2 mm dice including the skin. It is.

Examples 1 to 3 have high palatability as compared with Comparative Example 4 which is composed only of chicken meat but has a high bulk density. In particular, Example 1 has an average value of the confidence interval exceeding the upper limit of the confidence interval of Comparative Example 4. It was confirmed that the palatability was significantly higher than that of Comparative Example 4. In addition, it was confirmed that Examples 1 to 3 had significantly higher palatability than any of Comparative Examples 1 to 3. Further, Examples 1 to 3 were very low in calories of about 1/3 or less compared to Comparative Examples 2 to 4, and it was also confirmed that both palatability and health considerations were achieved.
Further, in Example 4 in which an expanding agent was blended, a product having a particularly low bulk density was obtained, and the palatability was also increased. About Example 5 in which cheese was blended, the exceptional palatability was good. Example 6 which mix | blended the chip | tip of the dry product of chicken normal meat was able to recognize the particle | grains of meat, and was the favorable external appearance. Example 7 which mix | blended the dry tomato powder had the preferable tomato-colored external appearance combined with the coloring by browning reaction. Example 8 blended with dried spinach powder had a preferred green appearance. In Example 9 in which the dried broccoli florets were blended, the shape of the florets could be recognized and the appearance was good. In Example 10 in which the skinned pumpkin dry product die was blended, the skin of the pumpkin could be recognized and the appearance was good.
Comparative Example 5 containing eggshell calcium, which is a water-insoluble inorganic material, foamed excessively and not only had a brittle structure with a bulk density of 0.29 and a puffing rate of 300, but the surface roughness was severe. .
From the above results, it was confirmed that the pet food of the present invention had a low calorie and was not brittle and had a smooth surface and good palatability than any of the comparative products. It was also confirmed that pachinko meat having a higher solid content and a bulk density in the range of 0.3 to 0.7 g / cm ³ has higher palatability.

About an Example and a comparative example, the result of the pair comparison method of Scheffe is illustrated.

Claims (14)

A pet food containing chicken meat as a crude protein source and containing 8% by mass or more of solid chicken as a solid content, having a water content of 20% by mass or less, a water-insoluble mineral content of 1% by mass or less, and A pet food having a bulk density in the range of 0.3 to 0.7 g / cm ³ .   The pet food according to claim 1, which is a mixture of dried products and / or raw products as chicken meat.   The pet food according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pet food is formed using an extruder.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the crude protein content is 20% by mass or more.   The pet food according to claim 4 containing wheat gluten as a crude protein source.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which contains 0.5% by mass or more of diacylglycerol as an oil or fat.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a high amylose starch content is 5 to 50 mass%. The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the strain when the sample breaks is 4 mm or more, and the stress when the strain is 4 mm is 0.6 N / mm ² or less. The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pet food has a bar shape having a cross-sectional area of 5 to 700 mm ² and a length of 15 to 200 mm.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the water content is 5% by mass or more and the water activity is 0.79 or less.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a blending amount of the water-soluble swelling agent is 0.1 to 2.0% by mass.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein 10% by mass or more of the chicken meat is a dried product.   The pet food according to claim 12, wherein 5% by mass or more of the dried chicken meat is a particle having a size that passes through a sieve having an opening of 3.0 mm and does not pass through a sieve having an opening of 0.85 mm. Pet food of any one of Claims 1-13 which mix | blended vegetables with 0.5-10 mass% as solid content.