MXPA01008441A - Fried pet treats - Google Patents

Abstract

A pet treat in a sealed container. The treat is in the form of one or more pieces of a formulated food product. Each piece has a fried body of a thermally gelled matrix containing protein and starch. Further, each piece has a moisture content of above about 25%by weight. The pet treat may be retorted. If not retorted, it may include a preservative and preferably have a reduced pH. The non-retorted treat pieces are provided in a sealed container comprising a pouch.

Description

FRIED SANDWICHES FOR PETS Field of the invention This invention relates to a pet sandwich, preferably retorted, which simulates the appearance of the meat. The invention also relates to a process for producing the pet sandwich.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pet snacks differ from normal pet foods in that they are not intended to provide the pet's main ration. Instead, they are usually intended as a means of rewarding the pet; especially as part of a process to modify behavior. Consequently, even when pet snacks may contain essential nutrients, they are usually not nutritionally balanced. However, they are highly palatable for pets, particularly for cats and dogs.

An example of a normal pet food designed to provide a complete food is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,869,121. This is an emulsion product formulated of reduced moisture having a moisture content of less than about 20% by weight, moisture is typically reduced by deep fat frying. Another example is presented in PCT publication number WO97 / 02760, wherein an intermediate moisture product having a simulated flesh appearance texture is produced from a meat emulsion cut into pieces. The emulsion includes alkali to raise the pH and promote moisture retention by modifying the gelatinization of the protein.

Pet snacks are available in different forms. The first category is dry pet snacks, which contain less than about 15% moisture by weight. Examples of these are baked goods, such as bone-shaped products for dogs. A second category is a semi-wet or intermediate moisture pet sandwich having a moisture content of about 20% to 50% by weight. These products are generally characterized by a smooth and crumbling texture and comparable densities with meat or meat products. These products become stable by the inclusion of various acids and solutes that alter the pH and activity of the water at a level that prevents the growth of mold and bacteria. The third category includes products for chewing and dried products type jerky. These products are chewable, have low to intermediate moisture contents, are relatively dense and are storage stable. These products are mainly intended to be chewed by pets.

However, there is a need for additional forms of pet snacks that are highly palatable. It is consequently an object of the invention to provide a pet sandwich which is of excellent palatability and which has a texture and appearance similar to that of cooked meat while having a relatively low moisture content.

The invention In one aspect, this invention provides a pet snack comprising: a sealed container; and one or more pieces of a food product formulated in the package, each piece contains a fried body of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing protein and starch and having a moisture content of at least about 25% by weight.

In a preferable form of the invention, the moisture content exceeds about 30% by weight.

The pieces of the formulated food product have a texture and appearance similar to that of cooked meat. In addition, the pieces have excellent palatability making them suitable for use as snacks.

Preferably the pet sandwich is retorted and the sealed package can be retorted.

Preferably the thermally gelatinized matrix is in the form of a layered gelatinized matrix. The pieces preferably have a moisture content of from about 30% to about 50% by weight.

The pet snack may also include a condom.

The invention extends to a retorted pet sandwich, comprising a sealed container that can be retorted; and one or more pieces of a food product formulated in the package, each piece contains a fried body of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing protein and starch and having a moisture content of more than about 30% by weight.

In a preferred form of the invention, the retorted pet sandwich has a moisture content of about 35% to 50% by weight.

The fried body of each piece may comprise layers of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing protein and starch.

In another aspect, this invention provides a process for producing a pet fried sandwich, the process comprising: - thermally gelatinizing a protein source and a starch source to provide a thermally gelatinized matrix; forming the thermally gelatinized matrix into pieces; - Frying the pieces to provide fried pieces and reducing the moisture content to not less than 25% moisture by weight; provide a container to receive the pieces; - Dispatch the pieces into the container; and - seal the container.

Preferably the process further comprises forming the thermally gelatinized matrix in a gelatinized matrix in layers before forming the matrix into pieces. This can be achieved by using mechanical energy to heat the protein source and the source of starch.

In a preferable form of the invention, the process includes introducing a condom into the container.

The process can include the additional step of reducing the pH of the pieces to a range from 4.5 to 5.2.

Preferably the frying is a quick frying.

In a further preferable form of the invention, the package: is a sealable bag.

In a further aspect, this invention provides a process for producing a retorted pet snack, the process comprising: forming the thermally gelatinized matrix into pieces; Fry by quick frying the pieces to provide fried pieces; - provide a retortable container, and retort the container.

Preferably the process further comprises forming the thermally gelatinized matrix in a gelatinized matrix in layers before forming the matrix into pieces. This can be achieved by heating the protein source and the starch source using mechanical energy in an emulsion mill and ejecting the hot emulsion mill mixture into a container tube.

The pieces preferably have a moisture content of about 50% to about 65% by weight before frying. After frying, the fried pieces preferably have a moisture content of about 25% to about 50% by weight.

The process may further comprise dispensing moisture within the retortable container with the fried pieces, providing sufficient moisture to raise the moisture content of the fried pieces to that of the pieces prior to frying, at any other desired level.

The process may include introducing a condom into the container.

Detailed description of the preferable representations of the invention.

Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of example only.

The invention is a pet sandwich in the form of pieces of a food product formulated in a sealed package. Each piece contains a fried body of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing protein and starch and has a moisture content of about 25% by weight. Snacks in this form are especially suitable for cats and dogs, depending respectively on the final appearance of the product, as stated more fully below.

Because the pieces are sealed in a retortable container, to be retorted in due time, their moisture content can be more than approximately 30%. by weight, preferably from about 35% to about 50% by weight and more preferably about 40%. For non-retorted products, it is desirable to keep the moisture content relatively low, for example, preferably from about 25% to 35% by weight.

The source of protein and the source of starch used in the thermally gelatinized matrix can be any convenient source of protein and starch.

The choice of protein and starch sources will be determined mostly by nutritional needs, palatability considerations, and the type of food produced.

The protein source can be a source of vegetable protein, a source of animal protein, or a mixture of these protein sources. Suitable plant protein sources are wheat protein, soy protein, rice protein, corn protein, and the like. These proteins can be provided in the form of flours, concentrates and isolates as desired. Suitable animal protein sources are muscle meat or skeleton of mammals, birds, and fish; grinds such as meat meal, bone meal, fish meal, and poultry meal; by-products such as hearts, liver, kidneys, tongue and the like; and milk proteins.

The source of starch is conveniently a grain such as corn, rice, wheat, barley, oats, or soy, and mixtures of these grains. The grain is conveniently provided in the form of a flour. Pure or substantially pure starches can also be used. If flours are used, they will also provide some protein. Thus, it is possible to use a material that is both a source of protein and a source of starch.

Various other ingredients, for example, salt, spices, seasonings, vitamins, minerals, flavoring agents, lipids, humectants, sugar and the like can also be incorporated into the thermally gelatinized mixture as desired. If they are added, the lipids can be any convenient animal fat; for example, sebum, or they can be vegetable fats.

The pet snack is produced by forming a thermally gelatinized matrix, forming the matrix into pieces, frying the pieces and dispatching the pieces in a container. The container is preferably retortable and is retorted. If the container is not retorted, condoms or appropriate agents should be added to modify the water activity to prevent or reduce microbial growth. They can be added optionally to the retorted mixture to increase the shelf life after the final product is opened by the final consumer.

The thermally gelatinized matrix can be produced in several different ways as desired.

For example, a thermally gelatinizable mixture can be prepared from water and all the ingredients that form the formulated food product of reduced moisture. The thermally gelatinizable mixture is then heated and. formed in layers. This can be done as described in U.S. Patents 4,781,939 and 5,132,137. As described in these patents, the thermally gelatinizable mixture is fed into an emulsion mill in which the mixture is subjected to rapid mechanical heating and cutting. Any suitable emulsion mill can be used, for example the emulsion mill described in United States Patent 5,132,137. Other suitable emulsion mills are available under the tradename Trigonal and can be obtained from Siefer Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co KG, Bahnhofstrasse 114, Postfach 101008, Velbert 1, Germany.

In the emulsion mill, the temperature of the mixture is raised to the desired gelatinization temperature for a very short time; usually less than one or two seconds. Preferably the temperature is raised to about 100 ° C to about 120 ° C. Alternatively, the temperature may be high in the range from about 45 SC to about 752C as described in U.S. Patent 5,132,137. Usually the mechanical energy generated in the emulsion mill will be sufficient to heat the mixture to the desired temperature but this can be supplemented by injection of superheated steam.

The heated mixture is ejected from the emulsion mill in a thin stream into a container tube. Because the heated mixture enters the container tube in a thin stream, it forms thin layers in the heated mixture that is already in the container tube. Each layer of the mixture heated in layers remains substantially, visually distinct. The residence time of the heated mixture in the container tube is sufficient for the mixture to gelatinize in a firm gelatinized product upon reaching the outlet of the container tube. At this stage, the gelatinized product has the highly striated appearance and texture of the meat.

In another example, the thermally gelatinized matrix can be produced by emulsifying water and the ingredients that form the formulated food product of reduced moisture. A high speed emulsifier or homogenizer is particularly suitable for emulsification. If necessary or desired, a gelatinising agent can be added. The emulsion is then heated to thermally gelatinize the emulsion to provide a thermally gelatinized matrix; for example in a mixer-cooker or extruder. The thermally gelatinized matrix can then be forced through a hole such as an extrusion filler to provide a gelatinized product suitable for cutting into pieces.

The gelatinized product obtained from the process used is then cut into pieces in a suitable cutter. The pieces are preferably of an appropriate size for use as a pet snack; for example, for dogs, from about 20 mm to about 35 mm in length. For cats, the length can be from about 8 mm to about 20 mm. The pieces can be sifted to remove smaller parts.

The pieces are then fried quickly. This is conveniently carried out in a deep fat frying apparatus. Any deep fat frying appliance can be used. The fat used to fry the pieces can be any animal or vegetable fat or suitable oil. Suitable vegetable oils are peanut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and the like. Ox tallow is a suitable animal oil. The temperature of the oil is preferably in the range of about 1102C to about 205C; for example about 160aC to about 180-C.

The pieces are fried for a sufficient time to reduce their moisture content - but not less than about 25% by weight - and to provide them with a desired color and texture. For example, the moisture content can be reduced to approximately 40% by weight for a retorted product. For a non-retorted bag product, the moisture content can preferably be reduced to between 25% and 35%. Depending on the temperature of the oil, the frying time can vary from approximately 5 seconds to approximately 12 minutes; preferably from about 10 seconds to about 1 minute. The specific time and temperature needed for any particular product will depend on the size of the pieces but can be determined quickly by an experienced person.

The frits produced from pieces in layers maintain the expanded layer structure of the pieces in non-fried layers. Thus, the appearance of meat type is retained.

The fried pieces can then be drained and cooled; for example at about 15-C to about 352C.

The fried piezcis can then be dispensed into appropriate containers using an appropriate dispensing apparatus. Where the chosen containers are retortable, these can be any suitable containers such as cans, aluminum-based trays, and the like. Non-retortable containers will typically include sealable bags of appropriate plastic materials. Similarly, the dispatch machine can be any convenient dispatch machine. Appropriate packaging and convenient dispatching machines are commercially available.

Preferably, in the case of retortable containers, a small amount of moisture is filled into the containers together with the fried pieces. The amount of moisture added can be such that it raises the moisture content of the pieces to the moisture content of the pieces before frying, or to any other desired level. Flavoring agents may be included with moisture. Suitable flavoring agents include digestates of animal matter, amino acids such as glycine, fats such as tallow, and the like. Optionally, condoms can also be included, to protect the product after the initial opening by the end user.

The containers are then retorted under sufficient conditions to effect a commercial sterilization in the normal manner. Typically, for cans, the retorting is carried out at a temperature of about 115 gC to about 125-C for about 30 to 100 minutes.

Thus, the chips can contain from about 25% to about 60% by weight of moisture, but preferably from about 35% to 50%. If additional ingredients such as salts, sugars, spices, seasonings, flavoring agents, minerals and the like are included in the chips, these additional ingredients preferably constitute about 0.5% to about 15% by weight of the chips. Carbohydrates and proteins make up the rest.

In the case where the fried pieces have to be placed inside bag-type containers, instead of being retorted, appropriate preservatives are added to improve storage stability and the pH of the prepared product is reduced. Condoms can be added at any convenient stage of the process. Preferably they are introduced into the gelatinizable mixture before thermal gelatinization. Non-limiting examples of convenient condoms, which can be used beneficially, include potassium sorbate and sorbic acid and others that prevent the growth of yeast and mold. Potassium sorbate and sorbic acid are typically used at a level between 0.3% and 0.65% by weight, depending on the pH and water activity (Aw) of the product. The pH of the contents of the bag is reduced to a value in the range from 4.5 to 5.2. This is preferably achieved by coating the pieces with acidulants after frying, but before putting them in the bags. Non-limiting examples of suitable acidulants include phosphoric acid or other suitable organic acids. These can be used at a level of 1.8% to 2.5% by weight to achieve the desired pH. The following examples further illustrate non-limiting representations of the invention: Example 1 A base mixture for producing a thermally gelatinizable mixture is prepared from wheat gluten, defatted soybean meal, sugars, tallow, and water. The thermally gelatinizable mixture is passed through an emulsion mill (a Trigonal Mill obtained from Siefer Maschinenfabrik GmbH &Co KG). The heated mixture leaves the mill at a temperature range of 103 to 1152C and is discharged into a container tube. The residence time in the container tube is less than 6 minutes, but enough to form a gel. The gelatinized product left by the container tube is cut into pieces. The pieces have a thickness of about 4 mm to about 5 mm. The length is approximately 10 mm for cat snacks and approximately 25 mm for dog snacks. The pieces have the striated appearance of the meat type.

The pieces are sifted to remove the smallest pieces. The moisture content of the pieces is approximately 55% by weight. The pieces are then transferred to an intense fryer with fat in batches in which they are fried in beef tallow at a temperature of about 111 ° C for about 20 seconds. Then, the pieces are removed, and they are allowed to drain in frying grates, and cool to room temperature. The fried pieces have a moisture content of about 40% by weight and maintain their striated appearance of the meat type.

The fried pieces are then transferred to a dispensing apparatus. In the dispensing apparatus, the pieces are dispensed into cans with a flavoring mixture and approximately 15% by weight of water. The cans are sealed in the usual way. Then, the cans are retorted in the usual way.

The 2 A base mixture for cat and dog snacks is prepared in the same manner as described in Example 1 above. However, before the mixture is passed through the emulsion mill as in the previous example, condoms are added.

The thermally gelatinizable mixture thus formed is passed through an emulsion mill (a Trigonal Mill obtained from Siefer Maschinenfabrik GmbH &Co KG). The heated mixture was discharged from the emulsion mill at a temperature of 1102C into a container tube. The residence time in the container tube was approximately 5 minutes. The product that left the mill had gelatinized and was then cut into pieces of approximate dimensions as sicjue: thickness of about 4-5 mm, length of about 10 mm and height of about 5 mm. The pieces presented a striated appearance of the meat type.

The pieces were sifted to remove the smaller pieces. The moisture content of the pieces was determined to be approximately 55% by weight. The pieces were then transferred to an intense fryer with fat in batches in which they were fried in beef tallow at a temperature of approximately 111 ° C for approximately 20 seconds. Then, the pieces were removed, and they were allowed to drain in frying grates, and cool to room temperature. It was found that the fried pieces had a moisture content of approximately 27% by weight and maintained their striated appearance of the meat type. The chilled parts were coated with acidulants to reduce their pH to approximately 5. The fried pieces are then transferred to a dispensing apparatus. In the dispensing apparatus, the pieces are dispensed into plastic bags together with a flavoring mixture and approximately 15% by weight of water. The bags are sealed in a conventional manner to retain moisture and taste.

It will be appreciated that various changes, modifications and variations to and from the preferable representations described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art. These can be done without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention and without diminishing the advantages that accompany them. It is therefore intended that such changes, modifications and variations be covered by the appended claims.

Claims (26)

1. - Snack for pets that includes: - a sealed container; and - one or more pieces of a food product formulated in the package, each piece contains a fried body of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing protein and starch and has a moisture content of at least about 25% by weight.

2. - Pet snack according to claim 1, which has a moisture content of more than 30% by weight.

3. - Pet snack according to claim 1, wherein the fried body of each piece comprises layers of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing the protein and the starch.

4. - Pet snack according to any of claims 1 to 3, which includes a condom.

5. - retorted pet food sandwich comprising: - a retortable sealed container; and - one or more pieces of a food product formulated in the package, each piece contains a fried body of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing protein and starch and has a moisture content of more than about 30% by weight.

6. - Pet snack according to claim 5, which has a moisture content of about 35% to about 50% by weight.

7. - Pet snack according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the fried body of each piece comprises layers of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing the protein and the starch.

8. - Pet sandwich comprising a sealed container and one or more pieces of a formulated food product and a condom in the container, each piece containing a fried body of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing protein and starch and having a moisture content of at least about 25% by weight

9. Pet snack according to claim 8, which has a moisture content in the range from about 25% to 35% by weight.

10. - Pet snack according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the fried body of each piece comprises layers of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing the protein and the starch.

11. - Pet snack according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein each piece has a pH in the range from 4.5 to 5.2.

12. - Process for producing a fried pet snack product, the process comprising: thermally gelatinizing a protein source and a starch source to provide a thermally gelatinized matrix; forming the thermally gelatinized matrix into pieces; frying the pieces to provide fried pieces and reducing the moisture content of the pieces to not less than 25% moisture by weight; - Dispatch the pieces inside a container; Y - seal the container.

13. - Process according to claim 12, comprising forming the thermally gelatinized matrix in a gelatinized matrix in layers before forming the matrix into pieces.

14. - Process according to claim 12 or claim 13, which includes the step of introducing a condom into the container.

15. - Process according to any of claims 12 to 14, which includes reducing the pH of the pieces to a range from 4.5 to 5.2.

16. - Process according to any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the step of frying is quick frying.

17. - Process according to any of claims 12 to 16, wherein the container is a sealable bag.

18. - Process for producing a retorted pet sandwich, the process comprising: thermally gelatinizing a source of protein and a starch source to provide a thermally gelatinized matrix; - forming the thermally gelatinized matrix into pieces; fast-frying the pieces to provide fried pieces having a moisture content of not less than 25% by weight; and - dispatch the pieces inside a retortable container and retort the container.

19. - Process according to claim 18, further comprising forming the thermally gelatinized matrix in a gelatinized matrix in layers before forming the matrix into pieces.

20. - Process according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the thermally gelatinized matrix is formed in the layered gelatinized matrix by heating the protein source and the starch source using mechanical energy in an emulsion mill and ejecting the mixture heated from the emulsion mill inside a container tube.

21. - Process according to any of claims 18 to 20, wherein the pieces have a moisture content of about 50% to about 60% by weight before frying.

22. - Process according to any of claims 18 to 21, wherein the pieces fried have a moisture content of about 35% to about 50% by weight.

23. - Process according to any of claims 18 to 22, which further comprises introducing moisture into the retortable container with the fried pieces, sufficient moisture is provided to raise the moisture content of the fried pieces to that of the pieces before frying.

24. - retorted pet sandwich comprising a retortable sealed container and one or more pieces of a food product formulated in the container, each piece having a moisture content of not less than about 25% by weight and comprising a fried body of gelatinized matrix unei thermally, the pet snack that can be obtained by a process comprising: thermally gelatinizing a source of protein and a source of starch to provide the thermally gelatinized matrix; forming the thermally gelatinized matrix into pieces; frying by quick frying the pieces to provide fried pieces; and dispatch the pieces in a retortable container and retort the container.

25. - Pet snack according to claim 24, wherein each piece has a moisture content of about 35% to about 50% by weight.

26. - Pet snack according to claim 24 or claim 25, wherein the fried body of each piece comprises layers of a thermally gelatinized matrix containing the protein and the starch.