JP5943260B2 - Pre-coagulation, pre-hydration, and pre-gelatinization processes for pet food compositions - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a pet food composition based on a meat portion and one or more carbohydrate sources.

[0001] Pets have been fed “dry” and “wet” feed for many years. “Wet” feed is generally packaged in containers such as cans. They are “wet” in appearance due to the moisture in them. In general, two types of “wet” feed are currently being prepared. One is usually
In the industry, it is called a ground loaf. This is generally done in a series of devices, a single device, or a single device, such as a thermal screw cooker / mixer, with all important components such as meat and carbohydrate sources in water. Prepared by contacting together and then heating and mixing together. Thus, all major components as well as minor components,
For example, colorants, oils, vitamins, and vitamin-like substances are combined in an early pre-processing step and all are processed together.

[0002] Following this procedure, an essentially homogeneous in-cell honeycomb type (intracel)
lulla honeycomb-type) mass is produced and immediately packaged in a cylindrical container to form a "ground loaf" product. The second wet feed is commonly referred to in the industry as “chunk and gravy”. This wet feed is usually produced by grinding, mixing and emulsifying the meat and then mixing the meat further with water, oil and carbohydrate sources and optionally other ingredients. This mixture is then fed into the cooking device, out of it, cut, cooled and then sent to the various stages of filling. Usually, gravy is added to chunks in two stages of filling. The gravy is in the usual way, eg one or more carbohydrate sources,
For example, cereal, starch, water, vitamins (if needed), and other ingredients are prepared by mixing in a mixing tank and heating it in it, then adding it to the chunky material Supply to the holding container. In contrast to ground loaf, this feed
Has discontinuously minced ground meat and grain chunk pieces as prepared.
These discontinuous particles are present in the gravy liquid in the final container. Products produced by the “chunk and gravy” method have been used in pet food for many years.

[0003] Groundloaf products are generally prepared by mixing various components such as meat, one or more carbohydrate sources, vitamins, minerals and water, usually with steam and added water. The solid components are ground together beforehand. The entire mixture of meat, carbohydrate source, water and other components is then heated to a low temperature of 15 ° C. or to a higher range of 80-95 ° C. depending on the specific component. The product is filled into cans, seamed, and retorted for sterilization. The finished product is generally about 65% to about 8%.
Has a moisture range of 5%. These ground loaf products are on a batch-by-batch basis (
batch to batch basis), or a continuous process in which the three main components, meat, one or more carbohydrate sources and water are added continuously into a thermal screw cooker / mixer and mixed together. be able to. During this process, and especially at this stage, everything is treated as a single component regardless of the physical or chemical properties of the individual components, components and formulations. Examples of such physical and chemical properties are differences in boiling points, gelatinization temperatures of one or more carbohydrate sources, protein denaturation temperatures of various meats, and the like. As a result of such processing, there is a wide range of texture differences in terms of the softness and firmness of the final composition, tackiness and musiness, and other easily evaluated parameters. , It occurs between batches and between compositions.

[0004] In the process described in US Pat. No. 6,440,485, the meat component is “heat cured” at and / or below the protein denaturation temperature of the mixture.
thermally set) "and heated essentially by themselves, ie, essentially or completely without one or more carbohydrate sources, additional water, vitamins, minerals, and the like .

[0005] There is a continuing need for new processes for providing pet food compositions, particularly processes that can form loaf products.

US Pat. No. 6,440,485

[0006] The process for making the product of the present invention includes pre-coagulation of meat parts.
and pre-hydration and pre-gelatinization of carbohydrate sources. The coagulated meat portion and the prehydrated and pregelatinized carbohydrate source are combined in a cooker.

[0007] In various embodiments, a carbohydrate source, such as cereal, is pre-hydrated with process water and then identified to harden the starch without interference from meat / slurry components or to complete its starch reaction. Pre-gelatinized to the temperature of the gelatinization of the carbohydrate source. Alternatively, the meat portion or meat slurry is pre-coagulated at a temperature above the protein denaturation temperature in order to preserve the natural and distinct identity of skeletal muscle and / or meat by-products.

[0008] Once the carbohydrate source and available water are pre-hydrated and pre-gelatinized and the meat portion or slurry is pre-coagulated, the two components are in a continuous or batch mixer Are mixed with additional liquid to form a homogeneous matrix, filled into cans and seamed, ready to be sterilized or retorted.

[0009] As a result of the process, the formed product may be a homogenous loaf product that has a friable texture, is soft and sticky, and is less prone to having a pasty or wrinkled texture. it can. Aesthetically, healthy, discontinuous and naturally irregular skeletal muscles appear throughout the loaf matrix. The palatability test shows that the feed is favored by animals because of its friable texture that results in a composition that does not stick to the upper oral cavity of the mouth and does not tend to clog the animal's throat.

[0010] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected aspects;
It is not intended for all possible embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a schematic flow diagram of a process for making a pet food composition having a discontinuous composition. [0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a continuous process.

[0013] In one embodiment, a process for the preparation of a pet food composition based on meat and carbohydrate sources is provided. The carbohydrate source may be provided in a cereal mixture as further described herein. As is typical of pet food formulations, particularly pet food formulations for dogs, the composition has a relatively high content of one or more carbohydrate sources, such as cereals, wherein the one or more The carbohydrate source is from about 10 to about 35%, or from about 13 to about 28% by weight of the composition. The process includes heating the meat portion of the composition to a temperature above the denaturation point of the protein in the meat portion. This “pre-coagulation” step results in the preparation of a pre-coagulated meat composition. Alternatively, one or more carbohydrate sources are mixed with water and the carbohydrate sources are prehydrated to form a prehydrated composition. After or simultaneously with prehydration, the carbohydrate source is gelatinized by heating the prehydrated carbohydrate source to a temperature at which the gelatinization reaction occurs. The resulting gelatinized carbohydrate composition is then mixed with the pre-coagulated meat composition and heated for an additional hour if desired to prepare the pet food composition ready for filling into cans. In various embodiments, the step of combining the pre-coagulated meat composition in the gelatinized carbohydrate composition includes the further step of combining with a liquid composition comprising at least one of a colorant, a flavoring agent, a fat, and an oil. .

[0014] The meat portion is heated to a temperature above the denaturation point of the meat protein. In one embodiment, the meat portion comprises beef from meat or meat by-products, and the meat portion is heated above 80 ° C. in a pre-coagulation step. In general, it is preferred to heat at a temperature above the denaturation point, for example in the range from about 2 ° C to about 6 ° C above the denaturation temperature.

[0015] In various embodiments, the steps of forming the pre-coagulated meat composition and the pre-hydrated and pre-gelatinized carbohydrate composition are performed in a thermal screw cooker / mixer. A typical residence time in a thermal screw cooker used for gelatinization of one or more carbohydrate sources is about 60-90 seconds, where the temperature at the outlet of the thermal screw cooker is about 80 ° C.

[0016] The pet food composition includes a relatively high level of one or more carbohydrate sources, such as from about 10 to about 35 wt%, or from about 13 to about 28 wt% of one or more carbohydrate sources. In an exemplary embodiment, the carbohydrate source is about 18% of the loaf composition by weight and can generally vary from about 13% to about 28%. In this regard, carbohydrate sources refer to all cereals, ground cereals, flours, or starches used in the formulation of loaf products, including starches derived from non-cereal sources such as potato starch.

[0017] In another embodiment, the process for the preparation of a pet food composition comprises:
(A) heating the meat portion to a temperature of about 2 ° C. to about 6 ° C. above the denaturation point;
(B) Combine carbohydrate source and water and cook at a temperature sufficient to prehydrate and pregelatinize the carbohydrate source, where the carbohydrate source is cereal, ground cereal, partially ground cereal , One or more of flour, and starch;
(C) combining the products of steps (a) and (b); and (d) heating the combined product of step (c);
Here, the meat portion is 15-30% by weight of the pet food composition and the carbohydrate source is 13-28% by weight of the pet food composition.

[0018] In various embodiments, the meat portion includes meat and / or meat by-products. In various embodiments, the carbohydrate source is corn, wheat, potato, rice, buckwheat, barley,
Contains grain components from one or more of mill, flax, fibrim, peanut hulls, and sugar beets. The carbohydrate source can also include starch or flour.

[0019] With respect to the meat portion, "pre-coagulation" is achieved by heating the meat component above the denaturation temperature of the meat protein. This is usually about 48 ° C for fish protein
Up to about 51 ° C. and up to about 80 ° C. or more for bovine skeletal muscle proteins.
The degeneration temperature of muscle from chickens and pigs is somewhere in this range. When such a meat combination is present, the temperature of heating is above the denaturation temperature of the meat having the highest denaturation temperature. This can be properly ascertained by the texture and / or color of the mixture.

[0020] In various embodiments, the meat portion is fresh, such as meat or meat by-products,
Or a mixture of meats containing either thawed frozen meat blocks. The meat material in the meat part is mammalian muscle or skeletal meat, including animal protein frames, neck and back, or meat by-products such as blood, heart, liver, lung, tongue, spleen, and It can be similar. The meat material is generally ground by different grinding plates, depending on the need for discontinuous food particle size in the finished product. In various embodiments, the meat and / or meat by-products are from one or more of cows, pigs, chickens, fish, shellfish, lambs, ducks, turkeys, and deer meat.

[0021] Generally, the meat portion comprises about 15-30% protein with a moisture content ranging from about 55 to 75% by weight and a fat content ranging from about 5 to 15%.
[0022] The composite meat mixture may be a twin screw mixer, a twin ribbon mixer, an overlapping paddle mixer (overwrapping pad) with live steam injection, for example.
dle mixer), or a combination of the above features, eg, mixed and heated in any suitable mixer / cooker such as a screw / ribbon / paddle. Mixing
This is to ensure that the meat portion solidifies homogeneously above the protein denaturation temperature of the meat portion. Its denaturation point generally ranges from about 48 ° C. to mammalian (
The range is up to about 76 ° C. or higher for skeletal muscle proteins of cattle and lambs. The degeneration temperature of muscle from chickens and pigs is somewhere in this range. When such a meat combination is present, the temperature of heating is above the denaturation temperature of the meat having the highest denaturation temperature.

[0023] With respect to carbohydrate sources, the carbohydrate source will undergo a process including hydration, gelatinization and aging when exposed to heat treatment with added water. In addition, at high temperatures, decomposition of complex carbohydrates to simpler carbohydrates is achieved. By properly balancing the carbohydrate source, it is possible to obtain the proper stickiness or binding to maintain a particular texture as desired. For example, short chain polysaccharides tend to be sticky and gluey, and longer chain polysaccharides are less sticky and gluey than those of shorter chains. In general, simple sugars such as sucrose and glucose have the ability to “bind” which is detrimental when the friable texture of the finished product of this invention is desired. Basically, the desired texture of this mixed feed is achieved with longer-chain polysaccharides and starches, such as naturally or non-chemically modified starches, for example, modification by heat and / or pressure. Examples of carbohydrate sources that can be used are standard or natural, chemically unmodified materials such as corn starch, potato starch, cellulose and rice starch. Typical of these natural starches are National Starch 150, natural corn starch, and natural potato starch. Heat and / or pressure treated materials such as Novation 1600, a heat and pressure treated potato starch available from National Star, as well as National Star
Novatio, a heat and pressure treated corn starch available from Ch
n 2700, and heat and pressure treated rice starches such as Remy DR can also be used. These natural and heat and / or pressure treated cereals have further advantages in maintaining proper balance in the gastrointestinal tract and good general stool quality.

[0024] The one or more carbohydrate sources may be processed separately and then added to the pre- "heat-cured" meat. Hydration, gelatinization and aging to mix one or more carbohydrate sources, improve their binding to meat and / or reduce stickiness of the finished texture or increase firmness Cook at a temperature range that will be achieved or essentially achieved. In addition, it breaks complex carbohydrates into simpler carbohydrates. High temperatures are required to achieve these properties. Basically, temperatures up to 80-95 ° C, but preferably not exceeding 82-85 ° C can be used.

[0025] The composition of one or more carbohydrate sources and water of step (b), preferably comprising added vitamins and minerals, comprises buckwheat fiber, cellulose, peanut hulls, sugar beet pulp, perboiled rice and corn gluten It can be a single cereal or carbohydrate source, such as meal, or a mixture of cereals and sources with the addition of salt, spices, seasonings, vitamins, minerals, flavoring agents, coloring agents, and the like. Dried eggs can also be included in the carbohydrate source and water composition. The amount of this additive mixture is determined by the American Feed Inspectors Association (
Depending at least in part on the nutritional requirements for the different life stages of the animal under the provisions of AAFCO).

[0026] In various embodiments, the temperature of heating during mixing achieves or essentially achieves hydration, gelatinization and / or aging of the carbohydrate source and water composition for a particular desired texture of the feed. In order to achieve, it ranges from about 65 ° C to about 82 ° C. Complex carbohydrates are broken down into simpler carbohydrates during this heating step.

[0027] In various embodiments, the meat is pre-coagulated and one or more carbohydrate sources are pre-hydrated and pre-gelatinized prior to combining to make a pet food composition. In a preferred embodiment, the meat and one or more carbohydrate sources and water compositions are further combined with a liquid composition (or “liquid”) prior to final cooking. The liquid composition includes all ingredients necessary for the formulation that were not included in the water and meat and grain portions. In various embodiments, the liquid composition includes water and at least one of colorants, flavor enhancers, fats, and oils.

[0028] In a typical process, a meat portion or slurry comprising about 25% plus 5% or minus 10% (ie, about 15-30% by weight) of the total composition is provided,
It contains eg poultry ingredients. About 18% plus 10% or minus 5% of the total composition (
That is, a carbohydrate source comprising about 13-28% by weight) is also provided, which comprises whole grain, wet milled whole grain, or chemically modified grain or starch. Process water is provided at about 50% of the composition depending on the hydration rate and the nature and quality of the grain. A typical ratio is about 1 part grain to 2 parts water. The liquid composition is also about 1-2% by weight of the total composition
Provided in addition to water, it is beneficial nutrients such as, but not limited to, fish oil,
Contains a colorant and carnitine.

[0029] In the first step, in order to obtain a pre-coagulated composition, the meat portion or slurry is heated to a temperature of 60 ° C. or more beyond the denaturation temperature to coagulate. The time required for pre-coagulation varies from about 10 to 20 minutes depending on the amount of material and the target temperature. In a separate step, process water is added at the beginning of the process to hydrate the one or more carbohydrate sources and then reach a gelatinization temperature of about 82 to about 87 ° C. The time required for the process is about 10-20 minutes, which also depends on the amount of material and the temperature. This process produces a gelatinized carbohydrate composition.

[0030] The resulting three components, the solidified meat composition, the gelatinized carbohydrate composition, and the liquid are then mixed, filled, canned and sterilized in a container ready for sale. A composition is provided. Normal continuous process, for example triple
For a throughput of 400 pounds per minute using a multiple) thermoscrew cooker / mixer, the mixing, filling, canning, and sterilization processes can be accomplished in about 90-120 seconds.

[0031] In another illustrative process, the meat portion is provided at about 15% plus or minus 10% (ie, 5-25%) of the composition, which is an animal species such as cattle, poultry, pigs, etc. Consists of. The carbohydrate source is provided at about 25% plus or minus 15% by weight of the composition (ie 10-40%), which can comprise whole grains, wet milled grains, chemically modified grains, or combinations. Including. Process water is provided at about 60% by weight of the composition depending on the hydration rate and the nature and quality of its carbohydrate source. A typical ratio is about 1 part grain to 2.5 parts water. A liquid composition comprising water and a trace amount of colorant is also provided.

[0032] In an illustrative process, the meat portion is moved above the denaturation temperature, ie 70 ° C.
Heat to above and solidify. Separately, process water is added at the initial stage of the process to hydrate the carbohydrate source and then reach a gelatinization temperature of about 80 to about 95 ° C. The resulting three components: a solidified meat portion, a gelatinized carbohydrate source and water composition, and a liquid mixed, filled, canned, sterilized in its container and pet food composition Offer things.

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram for the thermosetting process of the present disclosure. As a batch,
Or it can be implemented as a continuous process.
In FIG. 1, meat and / or meat by-products (which together make up a meat portion) are mixed in a mixer 75 and moved to cooker 77 through line 76. After cooking at a temperature above the denaturation point of the meat or meat mixture, the mixture is moved through line 78 to the second mixer 82. Separately, one or more carbohydrate sources utilized in the formulation are mixed with various vitamins and minerals in a container 80 and transferred to cooker 85 through line 81 where the one or more carbohydrate sources are reserved water. Sum and pregelatinize, then move them to the mixer 82. Also during this time, the liquid compositions are mixed together in container 83 and transferred through line 84 to mixer 82 where they are mixed. Mixer 82
The three components are prevailing temperature (prevailing tempera)
true). Heat can be applied to maintain the prevailing temperature if desired, but reaching temperatures above about 82 ° C. is generally unnecessary and undesirable. The feed is then moved through line 87 to filling machine 88. Thus, the feed of this disclosure is easily prepared.

[0035] An embodiment of a continuous process is shown in FIG. Figure 2 shows 4 of the composition
The entry points for the main components of the type are shown: carbohydrate sources, water or broth components, meat parts, and liquids. The figure shows the separate locations in the process where those components are added. As shown in FIG. 2, the one or more carbohydrate sources and water are cooked together in a continuous mixer or cooker to provide a pregelatinized carbohydrate composition. Separately, the meat portion or slurry is cooked in a mixer or cooker at a temperature above the denaturation temperature of the meat portion. As shown, the product of the pre-coagulation step for the meat portion and the pre-gelatinization step for the carbohydrate composition is mixed with the mixer /
Add to cooker separately with liquid part. Steam is usually used to provide high temperatures.
Transport the combined pre-gelatinized carbohydrate source, pre-coagulated meat, and any liquid from the mixer / cooker to a filler steamer and place the finished product in a can for commercial sale .

[0036] The meat portion or slurry is provided at about 25% by weight of the total composition. The meat portion or slurry can be used to grind the entire turkey to a size of approximately 1 cm.
size) to reduce bone particles (about 18% by weight of the composition) and ground poultry liver to a ground size of approximately 1 cm (about 7% by weight of the total composition). The meat portion or slurry is cooked in a continuous thermo screw cooker / mixer (Mapaco or Blend tech type) with paddles and ribbons or in a batch (stationary) mixer. Heating is achieved by direct steam injection. The final cooking temperature is 65 ° C. (beyond the denaturation temperature). The cooking time varies from 90 to 120 seconds in a continuous cooker / mixer or from 8 to 12 minutes in a batch cooker / mixer.

[0037] Separately, the carbohydrate source is provided at about 23% of the total composition. The carbohydrate source is
Parboiled rice (about 13% of the total composition, yellow ground corn (about 5% of the composition)
, Dried eggs (about 4% by weight of the composition), fiber (about 0.8% by weight of the composition), flavor (about 0.3% by weight of the composition), the rest being vitamins and minerals. Add process water to the carbohydrate source. The actual amount of water added is about 39% by weight of the composition; the steam condensate adds about 12% by weight. The carbohydrate source and water composition is pre-hydrated and pre-gelatinized in a cooking device, which can be a continuous cooker / mixer with paddles and ribbons or a stationary batch mixer. Heating is achieved by direct steam injection. The initial water temperature is ambient (ie, about 21 ° C.) and the final temperature reached to achieve gelatinization is about 80 ° C. Apart from water, caramel color,
And a liquid composition comprising iron oxide is provided at about 1% by weight of the composition. The liquid composition, pre-coagulated meat composition and pre-gelatinized carbohydrate source and water composition are combined and mixed in a cooker mixer without further heating. The resulting product is
The cans are filled into the can by a commercially available pocket / piston type filling machine, and then the filled can is hermetically seamed in a commercial wrapping machine. Filled and seamed cans will be sterilized and packaged and distributed in a commercial chain.

75 Mixer 76 Line 77 Cooker 80 Container 81 Line 82 Mixer 83 Container 84 Line 85 Cooker 86 Line 87 Line 88 Filling Machine

Claims (17)

A process for preparing a pet food composition based on a meat portion and one or more carbohydrate sources, comprising:
(A) heating the meat portion to a temperature 2 ° C to 6 ° C above the denaturation point of the meat portion to form a solidified meat composition;
(B) combining one or more carbohydrate sources and water to form a hydrated carbohydrate composition;
(C) heating the hydrated carbohydrate composition to a gelatinization temperature of 80 ° C. to 95 ° C . ; and (d) combining the coagulated meat composition and gelatinized carbohydrate composition;
including,
Said process. The process of claim 1, further comprising heating the combined solidified meat composition and gelatinized carbohydrate composition for an additional time in step (d). The process of claim 1, wherein the meat portion comprises meat from meat and meat by-products, and the meat portion is heated above 80 ° C. Step (d) comprises combining the solidified meat composition, the gelatinized carbohydrate composition, and the liquid composition, wherein the liquid composition is at least one of a colorant, flavor enhancer, fat, and oil. The process of claim 1 comprising a type. The process of claim 1 wherein steps (b) and (c) are performed in a thermal screw cooker. The process according to claim 5 , wherein the residence time in the thermal screw cooker is 60 to 90 seconds and the temperature at the outlet is about 80C. The process of claim 1, wherein the pet food composition comprises 10-35% by weight of one or more carbohydrate sources. 8. The process of claim 7 , wherein the pet food composition comprises 13 to 28% by weight of one or more carbohydrate sources. The process of claim 1, wherein the process forms a pet food composition into a loaf product. The process of claim 9 , wherein the loaf product is suitable for dogs. A process for preparing a pet food composition comprising:
(A) heating the meat portion to a temperature 2 ° C to 6 ° C higher than the denaturation point of the meat portion;
(B) combining one or more carbohydrate sources and water, to a temperature between 80 ° C. and 95 ° C. , and time sufficient to pre-hydrate and pregelatinize the one or more carbohydrate sources and water; Heating the one or more carbohydrate sources and water during
(C) combining the products of steps (a) and (b); and (d) heating the combined product of step (c);
Wherein the meat portion is 15-30% by weight of the pet food composition and the one or more carbohydrate sources are 13-28% by weight of the pet food composition.
Said process. The process of claim 11 , wherein the meat portion comprises meat and meat by-products. The process of claim 11 , wherein the one or more carbohydrate sources include one or more of cereals, ground cereals, partially ground cereals, flour, and starch. 12. The process of claim 11 , wherein the one or more carbohydrate sources are derived from one or more of corn, wheat, potato, rice, buckwheat, barley, milo, flax, fibrim, peanut shell, and sugar beet. The process of claim 11 , wherein the one or more carbohydrate sources comprises starch or flour. The process of claim 11 , wherein the pet food composition comprises a loaf product. The process of claim 16 , wherein the loaf product is suitable for dogs.

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