JP6257567B2 - Pet food - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pet food. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pet food in which pets are less likely to vomit after eating.

  After granulating a pet food composition containing ingredients with a good nutritional balance as a comprehensive nutritional food for pets, the starch ingredients are pregelatinized by heating and dried, and then fried in oil at 180 ° C or lower Has been disclosed, and a method for producing a pet food with improved biting (preference) has been disclosed (Patent Document 1). Moreover, the manufacturing method of the pet food which shape | molds the granulated granular pet food in plate shape with an extruder is disclosed (patent document 2).

JP-A 64-39953 Japanese Patent No. 3793845

  Since cats have the habit of licking and grooming with their tongues, it is normal to swallow and spit out hairballs that have accumulated in the body. However, apart from the spitting out of pills, vomiting may occur within about one hour after eating pet food. Even in healthy cats without kidney disease, the rate of such vomiting increases with age. For example, in cats aged 7 to 9 years and older, cats that cause vomiting on a daily basis are found at a rate of about 1 in 2 (vomiting rate 50%).

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and makes it a subject to provide the pet food in which it was reduced that the pet vomits after a meal.

Vomiting occurs within about 1 hour after eating, and the vomitus is clear or pale yellow, so that the food is not mixed well with the eaten pet food, that is, from the stomach to the upper duodenum. It is thought that he was spitting up at the advanced stage. Although it is generally said that cats have high digestive ability, the reason why they are exhaled is that the pet food stays in a hard state from the stomach to the upper duodenum and stimulates the stomach wall or intestinal wall. It was thought that vomiting was caused.
The present inventors have found that a pet food capable of reducing post-meal vomiting can be obtained by controlling the hardness of the pet food after being immersed in dilute hydrochloric acid for a predetermined time, and completed the present invention. That is, the present invention is as follows.

(1) A pet food comprising at least one water-absorbing agent selected from the group consisting of lignocellulose, glycerin, sorbitol, trehalose, carrageenan and guar gum, and comprising a set of molded grains, A pet food comprising 60% or more of the aggregate having a hardness of 2.5 kgw or less immediately after being immersed in dilute hydrochloric acid (pH 2.5) for 10 minutes.
(2) The pet food according to (1), wherein the particles having a hardness of 1.3 kgw or less are contained in 40% or more of the aggregate.
(3) The pet food according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the moisture content of the grains before the immersion is 7.0 to 11.0% by weight.
(4) The pet food according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein glycerin or lignocellulose is contained.
(5) The pet food according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein a surface of the grain is coated with oil or fat.
(6) As described in any one of (1) to (5), the shape of the grain is a pellet having a short diameter and a long diameter of 3 to 25 mm and a thickness of 3 to 20 mm. Pet food.
(7) The pet food according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the pet food is a feed for cats.

  According to the pet food of the present invention, vomiting of a pet after eating can be reduced, which contributes to maintaining the health of the pet.

It is an example of the chewing waveform obtained by measuring pet food with a physical property measuring instrument. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the pet food of 1st embodiment.

《Pet food》
<First embodiment>
The pet food according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a pet food comprising a set of molded grains, and has a hardness of 2.5 kgw immediately after being immersed in dilute hydrochloric acid (pH 2.5) at 20 to 25 ° C. for 10 minutes. The pet food contains 60% or more of the following grains. Here, “immediately after immersion” means within 1 to 2 minutes after the pet food is taken out from the diluted hydrochloric acid.

  The dilute hydrochloric acid is dilute hydrochloric acid adjusted to pH 2.5 (20 to 25 ° C.) by dropping several drops of 1N (N) hydrochloric acid into distilled water.

  The hardness after the pet food is immersed in the dilute hydrochloric acid for 10 minutes is considered to correspond to the hardness of the eaten pet food in the stomach. When the hardness is 2.5 kgw or less, physical irritation to the stomach wall can be reduced and vomiting of the pet after eating can be suppressed.

  The more pet food having the above-mentioned hardness among a plurality of grains constituting a pet food that a pet eats with a single meal, the more vomiting after meal can be suppressed. Specifically, it is preferable that 60% or more of the plurality of grains have the hardness. Of the plurality of grains, 100% of the grains may have the hardness.

  The pet food should just be 60% or more of the grains whose hardness is 2.5 kgw or less. Further, the pet food preferably has 60% or more of grains having a hardness of 2.5 kgw or less, and preferably 40% or more of grains having a hardness of 1.3 kgw or less, More preferably. The lower limit of the hardness is 0.0 kgw (measurement accuracy or less).

The measurement of the hardness of a pet food grain is calculated | required as a numerical value read from the mastication waveform obtained by measuring on the following measurement conditions using the following physical property measuring device.
<Physical property measuring instrument>
Manufacturing company: Takemoto Electric Co., Ltd. Equipment name: TEXTUROMETER (model number: GTX-2)
<Measurement conditions>
Plunger: Disc with a smooth 20 mm diameter contact surface to pet food (“chrome 20 mm diameter”), Platform: Flat plate, Clearance (maximum compression point) 2 mm, Output 1 V, BITE SPEED: LOW (6 times / min) , Chewing frequency: 1 time chewing <Measurement method>
On the flat plate, one pet food immediately after being immersed in the aforementioned dilute hydrochloric acid for 10 minutes (within 1 minute after removal) is placed, and the plunger is pressed from above to apply a load. At this time, crush until the distance between the plunger and the platform is 2 mm (clearance). The measurement is completed within 1-2 minutes after the pet food is removed from the diluted hydrochloric acid.
<Reading numerical values from mastication waveforms>
In the mastication waveform shown in FIG. 1, the hardness is obtained as follows.
Hardness (H): Maximum height of waveform (peak A1) during the first chewing

In the mastication waveform shown in FIG. 1, each measured value means the following.
Hardness (H) represents the degree of physical hardness (hardness) of a pet food and refers to the maximum test force when a load is applied to the pet food with a plunger.
The numerical value unit of hardness is converted to Newton (N) by multiplying (multiplying) the numerical value of hardness (kgw) obtained from the masticatory waveform measured by the TEXTUROMETER (model number: GTX-2) by 9.8. be able to.

  The hardness of the pet food according to the present invention is the same as or compatible with the measurement conditions even when a physical property measuring device (texturometer) other than the TEXTTUROMETER (model number: GTX-2) is used. It can obtain | require based on the mastication waveform obtained by measuring by.

  The method for determining the hardness described in the present specification is based on the texture profile of Szesniak (Szczesniak, AS: J. Food Sci., 28, 385 (1963)). Cessniak organized and systematized terms related to textures at General Foods, USA, and showed a correlation between texturometer measurements and human sensory evaluation values (Szczesniak, AS, Brandt, MA & Freidman, H. H .: J. Food Sci., 28, 397 (1963)).

  The hardness of the pet food before water absorption can also be measured using the TEXTUROMETER (model number: GTX-2). The hardness of the pet food before water absorption is not particularly limited, but usually has a hardness of 5.0 kgw to 9.0 kgw, although it depends on the moisture content of the pet food. Examples of preferable hardness before water absorption include 6.0 kgw to 8.0 kgw.

  The water content of the pet food is not particularly limited, and the water content is 8.0 to 10.0% by weight similar to that of a normal dry-type pet food or 7.0 to 11.0% by weight in a range close thereto. It is appropriate to be.

<Measurement of moisture content>
The moisture content (% by weight) of the pet food can be obtained by a normal pressure heating drying method.
《Normal pressure heating drying method》
The weight (W1 gram) of the aluminum weighing can is measured in advance as a constant value. A sample is put into this aluminum weighing can and weighed (W2 grams). Next, using a forced circulation hot air dryer, the sample is dried at 135 ° C. for 2 hours. After standing to cool in a dry atmosphere (silica gel desiccator), the weight (W3 grams) is weighed. The water content is determined from the obtained weights using the following formula.
Moisture (%) = (W2−W3) ÷ (W2−W1) × 100

<Raw materials>
The raw material (animal raw material) which comprises the said pet food is not restrict | limited in particular, The raw material currently used for the conventional pet food can be applied. For example, meat derived from livestock such as cows, pigs and chickens and various fishes can be used. In addition to these protein-based raw materials, cereals that contain a large amount of carbohydrate components normally required by pets and plant foods that contain a large amount of dietary fiber may be used.

The pet food may contain a water absorbing agent having a function of absorbing moisture (water absorption). The kind and content of the water-absorbing agent are not particularly limited, and various water-absorbing agents can be used at a content of 0.5 to 15% by weight, for example, in pet food grains. However, in the present invention, cellulose not containing lignin is excluded from the water-absorbing agent.
The water-absorbing agent is preferably tasteless, odorless and colorless, and examples thereof include lignocellulose, which is cellulose containing lignin, and polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin. Further, water-soluble fibers such as sorbitol, trehalose and other water-absorbing sugars, carrageenan and guar gum may be used as the water-absorbing agent. The said water absorbing agent may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type.
When pet food using lignocellulose as a water-absorbing agent is compared with pet food using glycerin as a water-absorbing agent, pet food using lignocellulose may improve pet biting (preference).

When the pet food contains lignocellulose as the water-absorbing agent, the content of lignocellulose in the pet food after further oil-coating the heated and dried pet food grains is 2.0 to 15.0% by weight. Preferably, 4.0-10.0 weight% is more preferable, and 6.0-8.0 weight% is further more preferable.
When the content of lignocellulose is 2.0% by weight or more, the eaten pet food promotes the absorption of digestive juice or water in the gastrointestinal tract, the pet food becomes soft, and the physical to the stomach wall or intestinal wall Can reduce the irritation and prevent the pet from vomiting after eating. Moreover, the indigestion can be prevented when the content of lignocellulose is 15.0% by weight or less.

When the pet food contains glycerin as the hygroscopic agent, the content of glycerin in the pet food after further oil-coating the heated and dried pet food grains is preferably 2.0 to 15.0% by weight, 4.0-10.0 weight% is more preferable, and 6.0-8.0 weight% is further more preferable.
When the glycerin content is 2.0% by weight or more, the eaten pet food promotes the absorption of digestive juice or water in the gastrointestinal tract, the pet food becomes soft, and the physical property against the stomach wall or the intestinal wall is increased. It can reduce irritation and prevent the pet from vomiting after eating. Moreover, indigestion can be prevented because content of glycerol is 15.0 weight% or less.

  A granular pet food can be obtained by adding the raw material and, if necessary, the water-absorbing agent and mixing well, followed by granulating with a known extruder (extruder). Oil and fat may be added to the pet food after granulation by the method described later, and the surface thereof may be coated with oil and fat.

  The shape of the pet food is not particularly limited as long as it is granular, and examples thereof include shapes formed into pellets (grains) such as a spherical shape, a polygonal shape, a columnar shape, a donut shape, a plate shape, and a meteorite shape. The size of such pellets is not particularly limited. For example, when the pellet placed on the horizontal table is viewed from above, the short diameter and the long diameter are 3 to 25 mm, and the lower surface (lower end) of the pellet on the horizontal table is the upper surface (lower end). The thickness up to the upper end is preferably 3 to 20 mm, the short diameter and the long diameter are 3 to 11 mm, the thickness is more preferably 3 to 9 mm, the short diameter and the long diameter are 5 to 9 mm, and the thickness is 5 to 8 mm. More preferably it is. Since this suitable size is a size that the cat or small dog (dog having a weight of about 1 kg to 14 kg) can easily eat, the preference of the cat or small dog to the present invention can be further increased.

  The pet food of the present invention can be fed to any pet including dogs and cats, but is preferably given to cats because the effect of suppressing vomiting on cats is improved.

  When the pet food of the first embodiment is packaged and sold in order to inform the pet owner that the pet food of the first embodiment is suitable for feeding to a cat or dog, the cat or dog It is possible to display on the packaging that the pet food is suitable for the sale.

  In the present specification and claims, “pet” refers to an animal kept by a human. In a narrower sense, pets are animals petted by their owners. “Pet food” refers to pet feed. The pet food of the present invention can be produced and sold as “animal feed” or “animal food”.

《Pet food production method》
An example of the pet food production method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the production flow shown in FIG.
Using a preconditioner, mix the raw material separately pulverized with a grinder and the liquid, add hot water and steam, and pre-cook at about 90-100 ° C. The liquid may contain the water-absorbing agent such as lignocellulose and glycerin. Next, the mixture is fed into the extruder barrel by pre-cooking, and is heated and granulated at about 120 to 135 ° C. In the heating and granulation, a known extruder (extruder) can be applied. The starch component is pregelatinized by the first heat treatment (pre-cooking) at 90 to 100 ° C. to improve the flavor, and part of the raw material is expanded or vaporized by the second heat treatment at 120 to 135 ° C., A void is formed inside the food grains, and the texture is improved.
Then, the pet food of 1st embodiment can be obtained by making it dry at 80-120 degreeC until the moisture content in a food grain becomes 7-11 weight% and becomes the hardness mentioned above.
After drying, the pet food of the present invention may be coated with a coating agent further containing seasonings such as fats and oils, animal extracts and amino acids, or fragrances.

As said raw material, what is generally used as a complete nutrition food of pet food can be applied. Proteins and carbohydrates are important nutrients contained in the raw materials.
Examples of the protein include plant-derived proteins, animal-derived proteins, and mixtures thereof. Specifically, examples of the plant-derived protein include gluten, wheat protein, soybean protein, rice protein, and corn protein. Examples of the animal-derived protein include proteins such as muscles and organs of cows, pigs, chickens and seafood, proteins of milk, and mixtures thereof. These proteins can contain fat, vitamins, iron, etc., and can be used as a nutrient source.
Examples of preferred carbohydrates include carbohydrates of grains such as corn, wheat, barley, oats, rice, and soybeans. These cereals can contain proteins, ash, minerals, vitamins and the like in addition to carbohydrates, and can therefore be used as a nutrient source.
As the raw material, in addition to the protein and the carbohydrate, vitamins / minerals, salts, fats, animal protein extracts (extracts), and the like may be added to the mixture.

  For example, mixing raw materials with the formulation (% by weight) shown in Table 1 can be exemplified.

  The mixture in which the raw materials are mixed is obtained by mixing the raw materials at a desired blending ratio. As a method for obtaining the mixture, a known method in which raw materials are mixed while being pulverized with a mixer or the like can be applied.

  In the mixture, the content of the water-absorbing agent with respect to the main material such as animal raw material is not particularly limited. For example, the water-absorbing agent is contained at 0.5 to 15 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the main material. Composition. Here, the main materials are cereals, meats, seafood, vitamins and minerals shown in Table 1. By preparing the mixture as described above, the hardness of the pet food according to the first embodiment can be easily finished so as to fall within the above-described numerical range.

  Moreover, content of the water | moisture content in the said mixture is not restrict | limited in particular, For example, the composition by which the water | moisture content was contained in the said mixture by 10 to 25 weight% is mentioned. By preparing the mixture in this way, the hardness and moisture content of the pet food of the present invention can be easily finished so as to be in the above-mentioned numerical range.

  The method of granulating the mixture is not particularly limited as long as it can be molded (molded) into a shape suitable for pets to eat, and for example, a method of extruding with an extruder is suitable. A known extruder capable of granulating a food mixture to an appropriate size can be used. By using an extruder, the mixture can be pressurized and the hardness of the resulting hood grains can be adjusted.

  The above-mentioned “granulate” means molding into a shape that can be eaten by a pet. In the present invention, the shape of the food grain (pellet) to be molded is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape that can be eaten by a pet. For example, any shape such as a spherical shape, a polygonal shape, a columnar shape, a donut shape, a plate shape, a meteorite shape, etc. Applicable. In addition, the size of the food grains to be molded may be a small grain shape that allows a pet to cheek with a bite, or a large grain shape that allows a pet to bite multiple times.

  The shape of the hood grain is not particularly limited, and when the hood grain placed on the horizontal base is viewed from above, the short length and the long diameter are 3 to 25 mm, from the lower surface (lower end) to the upper surface (upper end) of the hood grain on the horizontal base. The thickness is preferably in the form of pellets (granular or massive) of 3 to 20 mm, more preferably in the form of pellets having a short diameter and a long diameter of 3 to 11 mm and a thickness of 3 to 9 mm, and a short diameter and a long diameter of 5 More preferably, it is in the form of pellets of ˜9 mm and thickness of 5-8 mm. With this shape, the hardness when adjusted to a predetermined moisture content can be easily adjusted to a preferred range in the subsequent heat treatment and drying treatment.

  In the granulation step, when the mixture is molded and granulated, the carbohydrate in the mixture can be pregelatinized by heat treatment. By converting to alpha, an effect of improving the flavor and texture of the obtained food grains can be obtained.

The heat treatment can be performed in two steps. For example, the following two-stage heating method can be mentioned.
The temperature of the first heat treatment (pre-cooking) is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 150 ° C. or less, more preferably 50 to 120 ° C., and still more preferably 80 to 100 ° C. When heating at this temperature, the heat treatment time is preferably 1 minute to 20 minutes, more preferably 2 minutes to 20 minutes, and further preferably 3 minutes to 6 minutes.
Although the temperature of the second heat treatment is not particularly limited, it is preferably performed at a higher temperature than the first heat treatment, for example, 120 to 150 ° C., preferably 1 minute to 20 minutes, more preferably 0.5 minutes to A heating condition of 10 minutes is mentioned.
The apparatus and method used for the heat treatment are not particularly limited, but the first heating is preferably performed while adding warm water or steam to the raw material using a preconditioner, and the second heating is performed using an extruder. It is preferable to carry out at the time of extruding the grains.
The hot water or steam can be added to add 4 to 5% by weight of water to the mixture.

<Drying process>
The method of drying the food grains obtained after heating is not particularly limited, and is a known method such as a method of drying naturally, a method of drying by blowing warm air, a method of drying under reduced pressure, or a method of drying by freeze drying. The method is applicable. Among these drying methods, the method of drying by blowing warm air is preferable because the flavor of the pet food is improved.

The temperature of the hood grains at the time of drying and the temperature of the warm air blown onto the hood grains are not particularly limited, but the temperature of the warm air is preferably 150 ° C. or less, more preferably 90 to 120 ° C., and more preferably 100 to 110. More preferably. When drying at this temperature, the heat treatment time is preferably 1 minute to 120 minutes, more preferably 5 minutes to 60 minutes, and even more preferably 5 minutes to 15 minutes. The lower limit of the temperature of the warm air is not particularly limited, and is usually a temperature exceeding room temperature (20 ° C.), preferably 30 ° C. or more.
When it is at least the lower limit value of the above temperature range and time range, the food grains can be dried in a relatively short time. When the temperature is not more than the upper limit of the temperature range, the hood grains can be prevented from being excessively heated.
The temperature of the heat treatment and the temperature of the drying treatment may be the same or different. By the drying treatment, the moisture content and hardness of the food grains can be adjusted to predetermined values.

After drying, the pet food of the first embodiment may be coated with a coating agent further containing crude beef tallow, seasoning or flavor.
The coating method is not particularly limited, and can be performed by, for example, a vacuum coating method.
The vacuum coating method is a method of reducing the pressure in a state where the heated hood grains and the coating agent are in contact with or adhering to each other, and then slowly releasing into the atmosphere. The coating agent may be liquid or powder. Pet's palatability (bite) can be improved by the coating. The pet food of the first embodiment preferably has the hardness regardless of the presence or absence of coating.

EXAMPLES Next, although an Example is shown and this invention is demonstrated further in detail, this invention is not limited to a following example.
First, the raw materials A containing cereals, meats, seafood, vitamins and minerals, sugars (sweeteners containing sucrose, fructose or glucose) and water, and glycerin, lignocellulose or cellulose at the blending ratio shown in Table 2 A mixture of was obtained.
The obtained mixture was heat-treated at 90 to 100 ° C. for 3 minutes using a preconditioner, and granulated using an extruder so as to form substantially cylindrical food grains having a diameter of 8 mm and a height of 3 mm. During granulation by extrusion, heat treatment was performed at 120 to 135 ° C. for 30 seconds. Then, the obtained food grain was dried at about 100 to 110 ° C. for about 15 minutes with a dryer, to obtain a pet food according to the present invention.
A coating treatment was carried out with a coating agent containing crude beef tallow, seasoning and flavoring in the weight ratios shown in Table 2, and used for tests of hardness evaluation and vomiting suppression evaluation. Each test was conducted by the method described above. Further, the moisture content of the pet food after the coating treatment was measured by the above-mentioned atmospheric pressure heating drying method. These results are also shown in Table 2.

In Table 2, the content ratio of the hardness after water absorption of 2.5 kgw or less is that each pet food is immersed in 20 dilute hydrochloric acid (pH 2.5) at 20 to 25 ° C. for 10 minutes and then taken out from dilute hydrochloric acid. Within ˜2 minutes, the hardness is measured as described above, and the proportion of grains having a hardness of 2.5 kgw or less is shown.
Moreover, in Table 2, the content rate of the hardness after water absorption of 1.3 kgw or less is measured by the same method, and indicates the proportion of grains having a hardness of 1.3 kgw or less.

  In Table 2, the post-meal vomiting suppression evaluation (%) was evaluated by evaluating the frequency of vomiting within 1 hour after meal, with 17 cats being monitored for each pet food, and 70-100 g of pet food per meal. Represents the percentage of cats that were lower than before the test.

  From the results in Table 2, the proportion of granules in which the hardness of the pet food of Examples 1-2 is 2.5 kgw or less and 1.3 kgw or less compared to the pet foods of Comparative Examples 1-2. It is clear that the pet foods of Examples 1 and 2 are more excellent in the anti-vomiting effect because of the high evaluation of post-meal vomiting suppression.

  The configurations and combinations thereof in the embodiments described above are examples, and the addition, omission, replacement, and other modifications of the configurations can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Further, the present invention is not limited by each embodiment, and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

  The pet food according to the present invention is widely applicable to the field of pet animal feed.

Claims (7)

A pet food comprising at least one water-absorbing agent selected from the group consisting of lignocellulose, glycerin, sorbitol, trehalose, carrageenan and guar gum, and consisting of a set of molded grains, diluted hydrochloric acid (pH 2) at 20 to 25 ° C. 5) Pet food comprising 60% or more of the aggregates having a hardness of 2.5 kgw or less immediately after being immersed in 10 minutes.   The pet food according to claim 1, wherein grains having a hardness of 1.3 kgw or less are contained in 40% or more of the aggregate.   The pet food according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moisture content of the grains before the immersion is 7.0 to 11.0% by weight.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein glycerin or lignocellulose is contained.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the surface of the grain is coated with fats and oils.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the shape of the grains is a pellet having a short diameter and a long diameter of 3 to 25 mm and a thickness of 3 to 20 mm.   The pet food according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pet food is a feed for cats.

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