RU2812282C2 - Edible chewable products for animals - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: production of products for animals.

SUBSTANCE: proposed edible chewable product for animals contains from 8 to 60 wt.% partially hydrolyzed collagen and from 1 to 25 wt.% alkyl succinate-modified starch. Moreover, the edible chewing product for animals has a tensile viscosity of more than 200 MPa. A method of producing the said edible chewable product for animals is also proposed. The method includes preparing an edible chewable product composition containing partially hydrolyzed collagen and alkyl succinate-modified starch; heating the edible chewable product composition to obtain a flowable edible chewable product composition; extruding a flowable edible chew product composition to form an extrudate and causing the extrudate to cool and solidify to form an edible chew product for animals.

EFFECT: invention is aimed at producing an edible chewable product that is chew-resistant and lasts longer, provides increased oral care performance and enhances the chewing experience for the animal.

42 cl, 21 dwg, 10 tbl, 7 ex

Description

State of the art

Edible pet chews provide oral care and mental stimulation by keeping pets, especially dogs, occupied. The material properties of modern edible animal chews are provided by starch, which is sometimes included in the form of flour. The longest chew time per gram of synthetic animal chews has been achieved by combining the material properties of starch with the use of an aerated structure.

Alternative, longer chewing animal chews can be made from the hide of an adult animal (rawhide), which requires no or only minimal processing. Although they provide longer chewing times, commercially produced animal skin-based chews have several major disadvantages. Such products have been linked to several cases of dental damage, as well as intestinal damage and microbacterial poisoning. Additionally, the variable size, shape and properties of rawhide, which are influenced by the part of the animal hide used, the quality of the cut and subsequent processing, result in an inconsistent product that is not suitable for large-scale commercialization.

Brief description of drawings

FIG. 1A shows the tensile viscosity of various pet chews (powder samples 1-5), wherein each pet chew contains porcine skin protein (PSP).

FIG. 1B shows the ratio of SME (mechanical energy delivered by the extruder) to revolutions per minute (RPM) observed for various edible animal chews (powder samples 1-5).

FIG. 2 shows triangular contour plots of the heated expanded strength of an edible chewable animal product of the present invention when the edible chewable animal product contains A) 0% and B) 10% by weight. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate.

FIG. 3 shows triangular contour plots of an expanded cross section of an edible chewable animal product of the present invention when the edible chewable animal product contains A) 0% and B) 10% by weight. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate.

FIG. 4 shows triangular contour plots of tensile strength with A) 0% and B) 10% wt. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate.

FIG. 5 shows triangular contour plots of the shear strength of an edible chewable animal product of the present invention when the edible chewable animal product contains A) 0% and B) 10% by weight. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate.

FIG. 6 shows triangular contour plots of the hardness (conical probe) of a pet chew of the present invention when the pet chew contains A) 0% and B) 10% by weight. hydrolyzed sodium starch succinate.

FIG. 7 shows A) daily and B) weekly chew time data for porcine skin protein edible animal chews compared to currently available daily and weekly products.

FIG. 8 shows a comparison of the tensile viscosity of edible animal chews made using partially hydrolyzed collagen with those made by combining natural collagen extract with gelatin (hydrolyzed collagen).

FIG. 9 shows tensile testing equipment (which can be used to determine tensile viscosity) and samples. A) punching press; B) ribbon-shaped (flat sheet) extrudate; C) die for punching out a standard tensile test specimen (ISO 527-2; length 75 mm, width 10 mm, center 5 mm); D) standard tensile test specimen for texture analysis; and E) standard tensile test specimen after analysis - the tensile test specimen is placed in the grips of the tensile testing machine so that its entire arm is visible. F) General texture analysis force response curve plotted along the axis of stress (MPa) versus strain (%). The dimensions of the central point of destruction (width and depth) are taken into account in the graph.

Detailed description

The presently disclosed subject matter of the invention is illustrated throughout the specification by specific but non-limiting examples. The examples may include compilations of data that are representative of data collected at various times during development and research related to the present invention(s). Each example is provided to explain the present invention and is not intended to limit it.

All references to features or limitations in the singular in the present invention shall include the corresponding feature(s) or limitation(s) in the plural and vice versa, unless otherwise stated or clearly implied to the contrary by the context in which the reference is made. link.

All combinations of method or process steps used in the invention may be carried out in any order unless otherwise indicated or clearly implied by the context in which the combination is mentioned.

Although the following terms used herein are believed to be well understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, definitions are provided to facilitate explanation of the presently disclosed subject matter.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the invention have the same meanings as commonly understood by one skilled in the art to which the subject matter now disclosed belongs. Although any methods, devices and materials similar or equivalent to those described in the invention may be used in implementing or testing the subject matter of the invention currently disclosed, representative methods, devices and materials are described herein.

Under longstanding patent law convention, the articles "a", "an" and "the" refer to "one or more" when used in a given application, including the claims. Thus, for example, a reference to “animal chew” may include a variety of such animal chews, etc.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, properties, etc., used in the description and claims are to be understood as modified in all cases by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless otherwise stated, numerical parameters presented in this specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties sought to be achieved by the currently disclosed subject matter.

As used herein, the term "about" when referring to a value or quantity of mass, weight, time, volume, concentration, or percentage is intended to include a variation of ±20% in some embodiments, ±15% in some embodiments %, in some embodiments ±10%, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments ±1%, in some embodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% of the specific amount because such fluctuations are acceptable for carrying out the desired invention(s).

As used in the invention, intervals can be expressed as "about" from one particular value and/or "about" to another particular value. It should also be understood that there are a number of values described in the invention, and that each value is also disclosed herein as being “about” that particular value in addition to the value itself. For example, if the value "10" is disclosed, then "about 10" is also disclosed. In addition, it should be understood that each unit between two specific values is also disclosed. For example, if 10 and 15 are revealed, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are also revealed.

The terms “component” and “share” are used interchangeably throughout the present invention to refer to a part or portion.

As used herein, “pet food” means a composition intended for oral administration to satisfy one or more nutritional needs of a pet. Pet food explicitly excludes objects that can be ingested but are not intended to be ingested, such as rocks. The terms “pet food” and “pet food” are used interchangeably throughout the specification. The pet food may be, for example, in some embodiments, a treat, chew, biscuit, gravy, supplement, scraps, and any combination thereof.

As used herein, "food composition" refers to any composition used as part of a dog's diet. This includes, but is not limited to, pet food, treats, chews, cookies, gravy, supplements, trimmings, and any combination thereof.

As used herein, “dietarily balanced” and/or “dietarily complete” refers to a composition capable of supporting life as the sole diet for an animal, without the need for any other substance, except possibly water.

As used herein, the terms “animal” or “pet” means a domestic animal, including, but not limited to, a pet dog, cat, horse, cow, ferret, rabbit, pig, or the like. Domestic dogs and cats are specific examples of pets. “Dog” includes adult dogs from 1 year to 7 years of age; older dogs over 7 years of age; and very old dogs over 11 years old. For purposes of this description, “dog” does not include puppies under 1 year of age.

All lists of elements, such as ingredient lists, can be read and interpreted as Markush groups. Consequently, all lists can be read and interpreted as elements "selected from the group consisting of ... list of elements ... "and combinations and mixtures thereof."

All percentages in the present invention are listed as percentages by weight of the total weight of the material or mixture unless clearly stated otherwise.

In a first aspect, an edible chewable product for animals is provided. The edible pet chew may contain partially hydrolyzed collagen and/or alkyl succinate modified starch. The edible pet chew product may have a tensile viscosity greater than 200 MPa.

In a second aspect, a method for producing an edible chewable product for animals is provided. The method may include:

preparing an edible chewable product composition containing partially hydrolyzed collagen and/or alkyl succinate modified starch;

heating the edible chewable product composition to obtain a flowable edible chewable product composition;

extruding a flowable edible chewable product composition to produce an extrudate;

causing the extrudate to cool and/or harden to form an edible chewable product for animals.

A third aspect provides an edible chewable product for animals in accordance with the third aspect, wherein the edible chewable product for animals is produced by a method in accordance with the second aspect.

Edible chews that resist chewing and last longer provide improved oral care performance and enhance the chewing experience for the animal. The present invention has found that partially hydrolyzed collagen and succinate-modified starch (ie, either used alone or together) provide edible animal chews that have improved physical properties compared to previous edible animal chews; for example, one of the following properties is improved: hardness, shear strength, ductility, tensile strength and mechanical toughness. By improving the physical properties of edible animal chews, edible animal chews have been created with an improved, ie, longer, chewing time.

As used herein, “chewing duration” refers to the time required for an animal to completely consume a product, that is, the time from which the animal first begins to chew the product until the time the animal swallows the last bits of the product. The duration of chewing eliminates any time when the animal may be playing with the product without actively chewing it. By increasing the amount of chewing time, animals are encouraged to chew more to clean their teeth and gums to a greater extent. In addition, the net caloric intake per chew may be reduced due to the increase in the number of chews the animal must perform to complete the chew.

It should be noted that an animal "chew" is very different from pet food or pet food. A pet chew differs from pet food in at least the size of the pieces, the time required for the animal to consume each piece, the number of pieces per serving, and/or the nutrient content. Thus, the largest pieces of food are smaller than the pieces in a chew treat, and kibbles are typically consumed more quickly than chews. For example, animal chews may have a longest dimension of at least about 5 cm, optionally at least 7 cm, optionally at least about 10 cm, optionally at least about 15 cm .

Edible chewable product for animals

The present invention describes an edible chewable product for animals. The edible pet chew contains partially hydrolyzed collagen and/or alkyl succinate modified starch. In other words, the edible animal chew product may contain partially hydrolyzed collagen and alkylsuccinate-modified starch, or it may contain partially hydrolyzed collagen and not contain alkylsuccinate-modified starch, or it may contain alkylsuccinate-modified starch and not contain partially hydrolyzed collagen.

Collagen in its natural state contains aggregates (fibrils) of collagen molecules (tropocollagen). Each tropocollagen molecule contains a triple helix of protein chains (polypeptide strands). Partially hydrolyzed collagen, as described in the invention, may indicate a collagen-derived product in which the collagen in its natural state has been subjected to a process that involves contacting the collagen with water so that at least some of the collagen fibrils are unwoven from each other. friend and/or the triple helices of tropocollagen have been unraveled (i.e., the triple helix is unfolded, partially or completely, to form three protein chains), resulting in partially hydrolyzed collagen. With partial hydrolysis, some hydrolysis and shortening of the peptide strands may or may not occur. In one embodiment, when partial hydrolysis is performed, there may be little or no shortening of the peptide chains. The partially hydrolyzed collagen is preferably prepared such that at least some of the partially hydrolyzed collagen is water insoluble, and preferably at least some of the partially hydrolyzed collagen is water soluble. Partially hydrolyzed collagen prior to inclusion in an animal chew product is typically not gelatin, which is formed by a hydrolysis process involving shortening of the protein chains to such an extent that the gelatin is completely soluble in water (at least at concentrations of approximately 1-2 % mass in water at 25°C). Gelatin, for example, will typically form a clear solution in water, whereas partially hydrolyzed collagen, as used in this invention, will typically form a cloudy mixture with water, with some of the partially hydrolyzed collagen dissolved and some of the partially hydrolyzed collagen suspended in the water (for example, when mixed with water in a ratio of 1:15 w/w, that is, at the rate of one part by weight of partially hydrolyzed collagen per 15 parts by weight of water at a temperature of 25°C).

The partially hydrolyzed collagen may have a Bloom gel strength of at least 300 g, optionally at least 350 g, optionally at least 400 g, optionally at least 450 g, optionally from 300 to 600 g , optionally from 300 to 550 g, when measured in accordance with ISO 9665. Bloom Gel Strength is a measure of the ability of a material to form a gel. Bloom strength of the gel is the mass in grams required to force the gel a distance of 4 mm using a piston having a cross-sectional area of 1 cm ² , the gel first being cooled for a certain time under certain conditions. Thus, the higher the Bloom gel strength of a material, the greater the ability of the material to form a gel. The gel for this measurement has a standard concentration of 6.67% and is kept for 17 hours at 10°C before taking the measurement.

The partially hydrolyzed collagen may have a molecular weight of at least 60 kDa, optionally at least 70 kDa, as measured using gel permeation chromatography (GPC), optionally 60 to 100 kDa, optionally 70 to 90 kDa , optionally 75 to 85 kDa, optionally about 80 kDa.

The partially hydrolyzed collagen may be molded prior to incorporation into an edible animal chew product by a process comprising spinning the wet collagen product into pulp form from a hide or skin at a temperature of 50° C. or less, followed by drying the wet collagen product using a contact a dryer, optionally having a surface temperature of 150° C. or higher, to obtain partially hydrolyzed collagen in powder form.

The partially hydrolyzed collagen, prior to incorporation into an edible animal chew product, may be produced by a process comprising the steps of: obtaining at a temperature of 50° C. or below a wet collagen product by undergoing a hide or skin size reduction step, an alkaline and/or oxidative treatment step, and a neutralization step; followed by drying said wet collagen product using a contact dryer to obtain partially hydrolyzed collagen in powder form. Optionally, drying is carried out using a contact dryer having a surface temperature of greater than 150°C, optionally 155°C or higher, optionally 160°C or higher, optionally a surface temperature of 165±4°C.

Optionally, the temperature of the wet collagen product production steps is maintained at 45°C or lower, and preferably at 40°C or lower. The wet collagen product can be obtained by performing a step of reducing the size of the hide or skin, for example by cutting or grinding the hide or skin into pieces, and then dispersing the pieces in water. The hide or skin dispersed in water may be subjected to alkaline and/or oxidative treatment. The alkaline treatment may include water in which the hide or skin is dispersed, containing an alkaline agent, such as a Group I or Group II element hydroxide, for example sodium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide, in an amount of at least 1% by weight, optionally by weight. at least 2% by weight, so that the pH value is at least 10, optionally at least 11, optionally at least 12, but preferably not more than 12.5. The alkaline treatment may take at least 10 seconds to 10 minutes, optionally 10 seconds to five minutes, optionally 10 seconds to one minute.

The oxidizing treatment may include an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide present in the water in which the hide or skin is dispersed, and the oxidizing agent may be present together with an alkaline agent.

The animal hide or skin is selected from the group consisting of bovine hide or skin, pig skin and poultry skin. Preferably the hide or skin is a bovine hide or skin.

The neutralizing treatment may result in a pH value of neutral or 6 or less, preferably 5 to 6. The neutralizing treatment may involve contacting the skin or hide with water containing an acid. The acid may be selected from lactic acid, hydrochloric acid, carbon dioxide, acetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ammonium chloride, propionic acid and fumaric acid. Carbon dioxide or acetic acid are the preferred acids. The method of partial hydrolysis of collagen avoids contact of collagen with water having a pH of less than 4.2, not necessarily less than 5.

Preferably, drying of the wet collagen product is carried out within 24 hours after the skin or hide is reduced in size, preferably within 12 hours after the leather or hide is reduced in size, more preferably within 6 hours after the leather or hide is reduced in size, and most preferably within one hour after neutralization stage.

Partially hydrolyzed collagen can be produced by the method described in WO 2011/149356, which is incorporated herein by reference, to produce collagen powder.

Partially hydrolyzed collagen can be purchased commercially, such as products sold under the trade name Kapro B95 from D.C.P Ingredients B.V.

In some examples, the edible chewable product for animals contains 10 wt.%. or more partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the edible chewable product for animals contains 11 wt.%. or more, in some examples 12 wt.%. or more, in some examples 13 wt.%. or more, in some examples 14 wt.%. or more, in some examples 15 wt.%. or more, in some examples 16 wt.%. or more, in some examples 17 wt.%. or more, in some examples 18 wt.%. or more, in some examples 19 wt.%. or more, in some examples 20% of the mass. or more, in some examples 21 wt.%. or more, in some examples 22 wt.%. or more, in some examples 23 wt.%. or more, in some examples 24 wt.%. or more, in some examples 25 wt.%. or more, in some examples 26% of the mass. or more, in some examples 27% of the mass. or more, in some examples 28 wt.%. or more, in some examples 29 wt.%. or more, in some examples 30% of the mass. or more, in some examples 31 wt.%. or more, in some examples 32 wt.%. or more, in some examples 33 wt.%. or more, in some examples 34% of the mass. or more, in some examples 35% of the mass. or more, in some examples 36 wt.%. or more, in some examples 37 wt.%. or more, in some examples 38 wt.%. or more, in some examples 39% of the mass. or more, in some examples 40 wt%. or more, in some examples 41 wt.%. or more, in some examples 42 wt.%. or more, in some examples 43 wt%. or more, in some examples 44 wt%. or more, in some examples 45 wt.%. or more, in some examples 50% of the mass. or more, in some examples 55% of the mass. or more, in some examples approximately 60% of the mass. partially hydrolyzed collagen.

In some examples, the edible chewable product for animals contains 60 wt.%. or less partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the edible chewable product for animals contains 55 wt.%. or less, in some examples 50% of the mass. or less, in some examples 45 wt.%. or less, in some examples 44 wt%. or less, in some examples 43 wt%. or less, in some examples 42 wt%. or less, in some examples 41 wt.%. or less, in some examples 40 wt.%. or less, in some examples 39% of the mass. or less, in some examples 38 wt.%. or less, in some examples 37 wt.%. or less, in some examples 36 wt.%. or less, in some examples 35% of the mass. or less, in some examples 34 wt.%. or less, in some examples 33 wt.%. or less, in some examples 32 wt.%. or less, in some examples 31 wt.%. or less, in some examples 30% of the mass. or less, in some examples 29 wt.%. or less, in some examples 28 wt.%. or less, in some examples 27 wt.%. or less, in some examples 26 wt.%. or less, in some examples 25 wt.%. or less, in some examples 20 wt.%. or less, in some examples 19 wt.%. or less, in some examples 18 wt.%. or less, in some examples 17 wt.%. or less, in some examples 16 wt.%. or less, in some examples 15 wt.%. or less, in some examples 14 wt.%. or less, in some examples 13 wt.%. or less, in some examples 12 wt.%. or less, in some examples 11 wt.%. or less, in some examples approximately 10% by weight. partially hydrolyzed collagen.

In some examples, the edible chewable product for animals contains from 10 to 60% by weight. partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the pet chew contains from 11 to 55 wt%, in some examples from 12 to 50 wt%, in some examples from 13 to 45 wt%, in some examples from 14 to 44 wt%. in some examples from 15 to 43 wt%, in some examples from 16 to 42 wt%, in some examples from 17 to 41 wt%, in some examples from 18 to 40 wt%, in some examples from 19 to 40 wt%. 39% by weight, in some examples from 20 to 38% by weight, in some examples from 25 to 37% by weight, in some examples from 26 to 36% by weight, in some examples from 27 to 35% by weight, in in some examples from 28 to 34 wt%, in some examples from 29 to 33 wt%, in some examples from 30 to 32 wt%, in some examples from 31 to 32 wt%. partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the edible pet chew contains from 10 to 25 wt%, in some examples from 10 to 15 wt%, in some examples from 15 to 20 wt%, in some examples from 25 to 45 wt%. in some examples from 25 to 35 wt.%, in some examples from 35 to 45 wt.%. partially hydrolyzed collagen.

The edible animal chew product may contain alkyl succinate modified starch. Alkyl succinate-modified starch can be defined as starch having an alkyl succinate covalently bound to it. Starch alkyl succinate can be defined as a starch in which at least some of the hydroxyl groups of the starch are reacted with an alkyl succinate or an alkyl succinate precursor such as an alkyl succinate anhydride such that the succinate group of the alkyl succinate is attached to the oxygen atom of the hydroxyl group. It has been found that although native collagen (ie, extracted collagen, but not hydrolyzed or disentangled) can produce animal chew products with high mechanical viscosity, there is a disadvantage to its use, especially in extruded products. In extruded products, the starting materials are typically passed through a heated extruder. However, natural collagen melts at a relatively low temperature, and the final viscosity of the extruded composition is low; this, in turn, makes it difficult to extrude the composition. Likewise, some of the natural collagen may contain a relatively high amount of fat, which may also result in a low viscosity of the composition in a heated extruder. However, the present invention has found that the addition of alkyl succinate-modified starch to a composition containing collagen, whether natural or partially hydrolyzed, increases the viscosity of the composition, allowing for more efficient extrusion. On the other hand, as shown in the Examples below, embodiments of compositions containing partially hydrolyzed collagen and alkyl succinate-modified starch have been found to have improved properties in at least one of the following properties: hardness, shear strength, ductility, tensile strength and mechanical viscosity.

In some examples, the alkyl succinate is a C ₄ -C ₁₂ alkyl succinate. In some examples, the alkyl succinate is a C ₅ -C ₁₁ alkyl succinate, in some examples a C ₆ -C ₁₀ alkyl succinate, in some examples a C ₇ -C ₉ alkyl succinate, in some examples a C ₈ alkyl succinate.

In some examples, the succinate is a metal succinate. In some examples, the metal is selected from Group 1 metals, Group 2 metals, and Group 3 metals, or combinations thereof. In some examples, the metal succinate is selected from sodium succinate, potassium succinate, magnesium succinate, calcium succinate and aluminum succinate, or a combination thereof.

Optionally, the alkyl succinate-modified starch is selected from sodium octenyl starch succinate, calcium octenyl starch succinate, potassium octenyl starch succinate, aluminum octenyl starch succinate, and any combination thereof. Alkyl succinate-modified starch is commercially available, for example, products sold under the trade names Clearam® and Cleargum® by Roquette®.

In some examples, the alkyl succinate-modified starch acts as an emulsifier. In some examples, the alkyl succinate-modified starch binds fats in an edible animal chew product composition, reducing the destructive effects of fat during processing. In some examples, the alkyl succinate-modified starch allows water and steam to be uniformly distributed within the animal chew product composition during processing.

In some examples, the modified starch is prepared by modifying a starch selected from corn starch, potato starch (optionally high viscosity potato starch), tapioca starch, or combinations thereof.

In some examples, alkyl succinate-modified starch is produced by chemically adding alkyl succinate groups to hydrolyzed dextrin. In some examples, the alkyl succinate-modified starch is a liquid-cooked alkyl succinate-modified starch. Alkylsuccinate-modified liquid-cooked starch introduces little viscosity during processing with heat and hydration.

The edible chewable product for animals may contain 1% wt. or more alkyl succinate modified starch. The edible chewable product for animals may contain 2 wt.%. or more, in some examples 3% wt. or more, in some examples 4% wt. or more, in some examples 5% wt. or more, in some examples 6% wt. or more, in some examples 7% wt. or more, in some examples 8% by weight. or more, in some examples 9% by weight. or more, in some examples 10% by weight. or more, in some examples 11 wt.%. or more, in some examples 12 wt.%. or more, in some examples 13 wt.%. or more, in some examples 14 wt.%. or more, in some examples 15 wt.%. or more, in some examples 16 wt.%. or more, in some examples 17 wt.%. or more, in some examples 18 wt.%. or more, in some examples 19 wt.%. or more, in some examples 20% of the mass. or more, in some examples 21 wt.%. or more, in some examples 22 wt.%. or more, in some examples 23 wt.%. or more, in some examples 24 wt.%. or more, in some examples approximately 25% of the mass. alkyl succinate modified starch.

The edible chewable product for animals may contain 25 wt.%. or less, in some examples 24 wt.%. or less, in some examples 23 wt.%. or less, in some examples 22 wt.%. or less, in some examples 21 wt.%. or less, in some examples 20 wt.%. or less, in some examples 19 wt.%. or less, in some examples 18 wt.%. or less, in some examples 17 wt.%. or less, in some examples 16 wt.%. or less, in some examples 15 wt.%. or less, in some examples 14 wt.%. or less, in some examples 13 wt.%. or less, in some examples 12 wt.%. or less, in some examples 10 wt.%. or less, in some examples 9% by weight. or less, in some examples 8% by weight. or less, in some examples 7% wt. or less, in some examples 6% wt. or less, in some examples 5% wt. or less, in some examples 4% wt. or less, in some examples 3% wt. or less, in some examples 2% wt. or less, in some examples approximately 1% by weight. alkyl succinate modified starch.

The edible pet chew may contain from 1 to 25 wt%, in some examples from 2 to 24 wt%, in some examples from 3 to 23 wt%, in some examples from 4 to 22 wt%, in some in examples from 5 to 21% by weight, in some examples from 6 to 20% by weight, in some examples from 7 to 19% by weight, in some examples from 8 to 18% by weight, in some examples from 9 to 17% wt., in some examples from 10 to 16 wt.%, in some examples from 11 to 15 wt.%, in some examples from 12 to 14 wt.%, in some examples from 12 to 13 wt.%, in some examples from 13 to 15% wt. alkyl succinate modified starch. The edible chewable product for animals may contain from 1 to 10% by weight, in some examples from 10 to 20% by weight. alkyl succinate modified starch.

The edible pet chew may contain partially hydrolyzed collagen, some of which is water soluble and some of which is water insoluble. The water solubility of partially hydrolyzed collagen can be determined by dispersing some partially hydrolyzed collagen in water at a concentration of 1-2% by weight, swelling the partially hydrolyzed collagen for 15 minutes at 25°C, then increasing the water temperature to 60°C, and then allowing it to stand for 30 min at 60°C. The mixture of water and partially hydrolyzed collagen is then centrifuged at 8000 rpm at 40°C for 7 minutes. The mixture is then filtered using a single pass 0.2 μm filter at 40°C. Centrifugation and filtration serve to remove water-insoluble collagen from the mixture. The mixture is then analyzed to determine the amount of protein (ie, partially hydrolyzed collagen) remaining in the mixture, which will be the amount of water-soluble protein (ie, partially hydrolyzed collagen) in the mixture. The amount of protein remaining in the mixture (in g/ ^cm3 ) divided by the amount of protein initially added to the water (in g/ ^cm3 ) gives the amount in % wt. water-soluble partially hydrolyzed collagen. The amount of protein remaining in the mixture can be determined using a suitable method, for example the biuret method, which uses tartrate as a reagent in an alkaline solution of copper sulfate, and in which the concentration of protein in the mixture is determined using a UV/visible colorimetric test spectroscopy at 546 nm at 25°C using a plastic or glass cuvette with a 1 cm optical path length, and absorbance measured relative to a calibration curve, which can be obtained using stock solutions of a standardized protein (e.g. BSA) (commercially available, e.g. from Sigma Aldrich or Merck, e.g. from Merck under serial number 1.10307.0500).

The edible chewable product for animals may contain 5% by weight. or more of the water-soluble partially hydrolyzed collagen component. In some examples, the edible chewable product for animals contains 6 wt.%. or more, in some examples 7% wt. or more, in some examples 8% by weight. or more, in some examples 9% by weight. or more, in some examples 10% by weight. or more, in some examples 11 wt.%. or more, in some examples 12 wt.%. or more, in some examples 13 wt.%. or more, in some examples 14 wt.%. or more, in some examples 15 wt.%. or more, in some examples 16 wt.%. or more, in some examples 17 wt.%. or more, in some examples 18 wt.%. or more, in some 19% wt. or more, in some examples 20% of the mass. or more, in some examples 21 wt.%. or more, in some examples 22 wt.%. or more, in some examples 23 wt.%. or more, in some examples 24 wt.%. or more, in some examples 25 wt.%. or more, in some examples 26% of the mass. or more, in some examples 27% of the mass. or more, in some examples 28 wt.%. or more, in some examples 29 wt.%. or more, in some examples approximately 30% of the mass. water-soluble component of partially hydrolyzed collagen.

The edible chewable product for animals may contain 30% wt. or less of the water-soluble component of partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the edible chewable product for animals contains 29 wt.%. or less, in some examples 28 wt.%. or less, in some examples 27 wt.%. or less, in some examples 26 wt.%. or less, in some examples 25 wt.%. or less, in some examples 24 wt.%. or less, in some examples 23 wt.%. or less, in some examples 22 wt.%. or less, in some examples 21 wt.%. or less, in some examples 20 wt.%. or less, in some examples 19 wt.%. or less, in some examples 18 wt.%. or less, in some examples 17 wt.%. or less, in some examples 16 wt.%. or less, in some examples 15 wt.%. or less, in some examples 14 wt.%. or less, in some examples 13 wt.%. or less, in some examples 12 wt.%. or less, in some examples 11 wt.%. or less, in some examples 10 wt.%. or less, in some examples 9% by weight. or less, in some examples 8% by weight. or less, in some examples 7% wt. or less, in some examples 6% wt. or less, in some examples approximately 5% by weight. or less.

The edible pet chew may contain from 5 to 30 wt%, in some examples from 6 to 29 wt%, in some examples from 7 to 28 wt%, in some examples from 8 to 27 wt%, in some in examples from 9 to 26% by weight, in some examples from 10 to 25% by weight, in some examples from 11 to 24% by weight, in some examples from 12 to 23% by weight, in some examples from 13 to 22% wt., in some examples from 14 to 21 wt.%, in some examples from 15 to 20 wt.%, in some examples from 16 to 19 wt.%, in some examples from 17 to 18 wt.%. water-soluble component of partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the edible chewable product for animals may contain from 5 to 10% by weight, in some examples from 10 to 15% by weight, in some examples from 15 to 20% by weight. water-soluble component of partially hydrolyzed collagen.

It should be noted that the properties of partially hydrolyzed collagen differ from the properties of a mixture obtained by mixing natural collagen (which is essentially insoluble in water) with gelatin (which is soluble in water). In particular, the tensile viscosity of an edible animal chew product prepared using partially hydrolyzed collagen is higher than that obtained using a mixture formed by mixing an equivalent amount of suitable collagen and gelatin.

The partially hydrolyzed collagen may comprise a mixture of 30:70 to 70:30 (wt:wt) of a water-soluble component and a water-insoluble component. In some examples, the partially hydrolyzed collagen may comprise a mixture of 35:65 to 65:35 (wt:wt), in some examples a mixture of 40:60 to 60:40 (wt:wt), in some examples a mixture of 45:55 to 55:45 (wt:wt), in some examples approximately a 50:50 (wt:wt) mixture of a water-soluble component and a water-insoluble component.

The edible pet chew may contain (i) partially hydrolyzed collagen and (ii) additional natural collagen. In some examples, all of the collagen in the pet chew product may be partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the additional natural collagen may be 1% by weight. or more edible pet chew. In some examples, the additional natural collagen may be 2% by weight. or more, in some examples 3% wt. or more, in some examples 4% wt. or more, in some examples 5% wt. or more, in some examples 10% by weight. or more, in some examples 15 wt.%. or more, in some examples 16 wt.%. or more, in some examples 17 wt.%. or more, in some examples 18 wt.%. or more, in some examples 19 wt.%. or more, in some examples 20% of the mass. or more, in some examples 21 wt.%. or more, in some examples 22 wt.%. or more, in some examples 23 wt.%. or more, in some examples 24 wt.%. or more, in some examples 25 wt.%. or more, in some examples 26% of the mass. or more, in some examples 27% of the mass. or more, in some examples 28 wt.%. or more, in some examples 29 wt.%. or more, in some examples approximately 30% of the mass. edible chewable product for animals. In some examples, additional natural collagen may constitute 30% by weight. or less, in some examples 29 wt.%. or less, in some examples 28 wt.%. or less, in some examples 27 wt.%. or less, in some examples 26 wt.%. or less, in some examples 25 wt.%. or less, in some examples 24 wt.%. or less, in some examples 23 wt.%. or less, in some examples 22 wt.%. or less, in some examples 21 wt.%. or less, in some examples 20 wt.%. or less, in some examples 19 wt.%. or less, in some examples 18 wt.%. or less, in some examples 17 wt.%. or less, in some examples 16 wt.%. or less, in some examples 15 wt.%. or less, in some examples 10 wt.%. or less, in some examples 5% wt. or less, in some examples 4% wt. or less, in some examples 3% wt. or less, in some examples 2% wt. or less, in some examples approximately 1% by weight. edible chewable product for animals. In some examples, the additional natural collagen may be from 1 to 30 wt%, in some examples from 2 to 29 wt%, in some examples from 3 to 28 wt%, in some examples from 4 to 27 wt%, in in some examples from 5 to 26 wt%, in some examples from 10 to 25 wt%, in some examples from 15 to 24 wt%, in some examples from 16 to 23 wt%, in some examples from 17 to 22 % wt., in some examples from 18 to 21% wt., in some examples from 19 to 20% wt. edible chewable product for animals. In some examples, the additional natural collagen is from 1 to 5% by weight, in some examples from 15 to 25% by weight, in some examples from 20 to 30% by weight. edible chewable product for animals. "Additional natural collagen" may be collagen having a low fat content, for example, a fat content of 8% by weight. or less, preferably 7% wt. or less, preferably 6% wt. or less, preferably 5% wt. or less and/or high protein content, e.g. protein content of at least 800 g/kg extract (g/kg), optionally at least 850 g/kg, optionally at least 875 g/kg , optionally at least 900 g/kg (eg when measured according to ISO 5983:1998). Natural collagen, as used in this invention, indicates that the collagen may have been extracted, but has not been hydrolyzed or disentangled, such that the majority (e.g., at least 90 wt.%, e.g., at least 95 % wt.) or all collagen is present in the form of fibrils containing tropocollagen triple helices, and there is little or no unraveling of fibrils or triple helices and little or no shortening of protein chains (eg, due to hydrolysis). A natural collagen extract, for example a low fat extract, can be purchased commercially, such as the product sold under the trade name Valocoll, which is a natural porcine collagen extract available from Sonac/Darling Ingredients.

In some examples, the edible pet chew contains a mixture of (i) partially hydrolyzed collagen and (ii) additional natural collagen, in which from 10 to 100 wt%. of the total amount of collagen is partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the edible pet chew product contains (i) partially hydrolyzed collagen and (ii) additional natural collagen, wherein from 10 to 30 wt%, in some examples from 15 to 27 wt%, in some examples from 20 to 27 wt%. 26% by weight, in some examples from 21 to 25% by weight, in some examples from 22 to 24% by weight, in some examples from 23 to 24% by weight. of the total amount of collagen is partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the edible pet chew contains (i) partially hydrolyzed collagen and (ii) additional natural collagen, which is from 55 to 75 wt%, in some examples from 60 to 70 wt%, in some examples from 61 to 75 wt%. 69% by weight, in some examples from 62 to 69% by weight, in some examples from 63 to 68% by weight, in some examples from 64 to 68% by weight, in some examples from 65 to 67% by weight, in in some examples from 66 to 67% of the mass. of the total amount of collagen is partially hydrolyzed collagen. In some examples, the pet chew contains (i) partially hydrolyzed collagen and (ii) additional natural collagen, wherein the relative wt. (i):(ii) is from 80:20 to 20:80, optionally from 70:30 to 30:70, optionally from 60:40 to 40:60, optionally from 45:55 to 55:45, optionally about 50 :50. The "additional natural collagen" may be a collagen extract having a low fat content, for example, a fat content of 8% by weight. or less, preferably 7% wt. or less, preferably 6% wt. or less, preferably 5% wt. or less, and/or high protein content, for example, a protein content of at least 800 g per kg of extract (g/kg), optionally at least 850 g/kg, optionally at least 875 g/ kg, optionally at least 900 g/kg (eg when measured according to ISO 5983:1998). Optionally, the additional natural collagen may have a fat content of from 8 to 30% by weight, optionally from 8 to 20% by weight.

Collagen is typically obtained in the form of an extract, and the extract is usually a mixture of collagen compound and impurities such as fat. Preferably, the collagen used in the composition or method has a low fat content. Preferably, the fat content of the collagen used in the composition or method is 8% by weight. or less, preferably 7% wt. or less, preferably 6% wt. or less, preferably 5% wt. or less (for example, when measured according to ISO 5983). The "collagen used in the composition or method" may be partially hydrolyzed collagen and/or any other collagen used in the composition/method, such as "supplemental natural collagen", which may be a collagen extract having a low fat content, for example , fat content 8% wt. or less, preferably 7% wt. or less, preferably 6% wt. or less, preferably 5% wt. or less, and/or high protein content, for example, a protein content of at least 800 g per kg of extract (g/kg), optionally at least 850 g/kg, optionally at least 875 g/ kg, optionally at least 900 g/kg (eg when measured according to ISO 5983:1998).

In some examples, the pet chew contains unmodified starch. In some examples, the unmodified starch may be derived from corn, wheat, modified wheat, tapioca, sorghum, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, oats, beets, barley, soybeans, other grains or grains, and mixtures thereof. The unmodified starch may be corn starch or potato starch. The potato starch may be a high viscosity potato starch. Tapioca starch, pea starch, mixtures thereof, or mixtures of tapioca starch and/or pea starch and any of the above types of starch may also be used. The starch used may be a single type of starch or, on the other hand, may contain a mixture of starches. Pure or substantially pure starches can be used if desired. The type(s) of starch(s) used can be characterized by starch profiles having all possible proportions of amylopectin, intermediates and amylose. The specific source(s) of starch used is/are not critical. In general, the source(s) are selected based on cost and taste preferences. The unmodified starch may contain corn starch, which when incorporated into an edible animal chew product, produces animal chew products with higher strength characteristics than other starches, such as potato starch.

The edible chewable product for animals may contain 5% by weight. or more unmodified starch. The edible chewable product for animals may contain 7% wt. or more, in some examples 10% by weight. or more, in some examples 11 wt.%. or more, in some examples 12 wt.%. or more, in some examples 13 wt.%. or more, in some examples 14 wt.%. or more, in some examples 15 wt.%. or more, in some examples 17 wt.%. or more, in some examples 20% of the mass. or more, in some examples 21 wt.%. or more, in some examples 22 wt.%. or more, in some examples 23 wt.%. or more, in some examples 24 wt.%. or more, in some examples 25 wt.%. or more, in some examples 27% of the mass. or more, in some examples 30% of the mass. or more, in some examples 33 wt.%. or more, in some examples 35% of the mass. or more, in some examples 36 wt.%. or more, in some examples 37 wt.%. or more, in some examples 38 wt.%. or more, in some examples 39% of the mass. or more, in some examples 40 wt%. or more, in some examples 45 wt.%. or more, in some examples approximately 50% of the mass. unmodified starch.

The edible chewable product for animals may contain 50% wt. or less unmodified starch. The edible chewable product for animals may contain 45% wt. or less, in some examples 40 wt.%. or less, in some examples 39% of the mass. or less, in some examples 38 wt.%. or less, in some examples 37 wt.%. or less, in some examples 36 wt.%. or less, in some examples 35% of the mass. or less, in some examples 33 wt%. or less, in some examples 30% of the mass. or less, in some examples 27 wt.%. or less, in some examples 25 wt.%. or less, in some examples 24 wt.%. or less, in some examples 23 wt.%. or less, in some examples 22 wt.%. or less, in some examples 21 wt.%. or less, in some examples 20 wt.%. or less, in some examples 17 wt.%. or less, in some examples 15 wt.%. or less, in some examples 14 wt.%. or less, in some examples 13 wt.%. or less, in some examples 12 wt.%. or less, in some examples 11 wt.%. or less, in some examples 10 wt.%. or less, in some examples 7% wt. or less, in some examples approximately 5% of the mass. unmodified starch.

An edible chewable product for animals may contain from 5 to 50 wt%. unmodified starch. The edible pet chew may contain from 7 to 45 wt%, in some examples from 10 to 40 wt%, in some examples from 11 to 39 wt%, in some examples from 12 to 38 wt%, in some in some examples from 13 to 37 wt%, in some examples from 14 to 36 wt%, in some examples from 15 to 35 wt%, in some examples from 17 to 33 wt%, in some examples from 20 to 30% wt., in some examples from 21 to 27% wt., in some examples from 22 to 25% wt., in some examples from 23 to 24% wt. unmodified starch. The edible chewable product for animals may contain from 5 to 20% by weight, in some examples from 17 to 27% by weight, in some examples from 30 to 40% by weight. unmodified starch.

"Unmodified starch" indicates that the starch does not have any chemical moieties covalently attached to it, for example, it does not contain an alkyl succinate associated with it. However, "unmodified starch" may be gelatinized or ungelatinized starch. Gelatinized starch is produced by heating starch in water, for example, if an edible chewable product for animals is produced using extrusion in which a composition containing starch and water is heated. At least a portion of the unmodified starch may be gelatinized unmodified starch. The term "gelatinized unmodified starch" as used herein means unmodified starch that has been produced in the presence of water such that its natural granular structure has been destroyed, the crystalline regions of the unmodified starch have been melted and the starch has been converted into a water-soluble form of amylose molecules. It is important to note that the effect of this processing is to convert natural unmodified starch, which is essentially indigestible, into a digestible form.

The edible pet chew may contain a plasticizer. The plasticizer may be water or contain water. The plasticizer may contain water and another plasticizer. The plasticizer or additional plasticizer may contain a polyol, citric acid ester or urea. Suitable polyols include glycol, diethylene glycol, alkylene glycols, polyalkylene glycols, sorbitol, glycerol, glycerol monoesters, and the like. The plasticizer may contain glycerin, water, or a mixture of both. Glycerin and/or glycol can function as both a plasticizer and a humectant.

The edible pet chew may contain a humectant. The humectant may contain sucrose, sodium chloride, sorbitol, glycerin, starch hydrolysate, glucose, maltose, lactose, gums, galactose, citric acid, alanine, glycine, high fructose corn syrup, tartaric acid, malic acid, xylose, PEG 400, PEG 600, propylene glycol, aminobutyric acid, mannitol, mannose or lactulose. In some examples, the humectant may be selected from propylene glycol, glycerin, and starch hydrolysate, as well as combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, at least 60% of the mass. The animal chew product consists of partially hydrolyzed collagen and/or alkyl succinate modified starch and optionally a component selected from natural collagen, a plasticizer (excluding water) and unmodified starch. In one embodiment, at least 70 wt%, optionally at least 75 wt%, optionally at least 80 wt%, optionally at least 85 wt%, optionally at least 90% of the mass. The animal chew product consists of partially hydrolyzed collagen and/or alkyl succinate modified starch and optionally a component selected from natural collagen, a plasticizer (excluding water) and unmodified starch. The remaining percentages by weight (%wt) may be components other than those listed in this paragraph, and these components may be selected from, for example, water, salt, flavorings, palatants, meat powder, e.g. liver powder, vitamins, minerals , flour and preservatives.

In one embodiment, at least 70% of the mass. The animal chew product consists of partially hydrolyzed collagen and/or alkyl succinate modified starch, a plasticizer (excluding water) and optionally unmodified starch and/or natural collagen. In one embodiment, at least 70% of the mass. chewable product for animals consists of partially hydrolyzed collagen, alkyl succinate modified starch, plasticizer (excluding water) unmodified starch and natural collagen. In one embodiment, at least 75 wt%, optionally at least 80 wt%, optionally at least 85 wt%, optionally at least 90 wt%. The animal chew product consists of partially hydrolyzed collagen and/or alkyl succinate modified starch, a plasticizer (excluding water) and optionally unmodified starch and/or natural collagen. The remaining percentages by weight (%wt) may be components other than those listed in this paragraph, and these components may be selected from, for example, water, salt, flavorings, palatants, meat powder, e.g. liver powder, vitamins, minerals , flour and preservatives.

Preferably, the edible chewable product for animals contains less than 10% by weight. fat, optionally less than 8% of the mass. fat, optionally less than 7% of the mass. fat, optionally less than 6% of the mass. fat, optionally less than 5% of the mass. fat, optionally less than 4% of the mass. fat, optionally less than 3% of the mass. fat This has been found to provide a chewable product that can be easily molded and optionally expanded, eg extruded, and has the desired chew characteristics.

The pet chew may be an elongated pet chew. The elongated pet chew may have a length that extends along the longest dimension of the pet chew, and a cross section perpendicular to the length, and the cross-sectional shape may be constant along the length of the pet chew. The cross-sectional shape of the animal chew product may be any regular or irregular shape. The cross-sectional shape may be selected from round, oval or n-sided regular shape, and n is optionally selected from 3 to 8, optionally 4, 5, 6 or 7. The regular shape, for example, can be selected from triangle, square, rectangle, hexagon, heptagon and octagon.

The elongated pet chew may have an internal porous structure (e.g., it is an expanded, e.g., thermally expanded pet chew in the form of a hard foam) and/or has a cross-sectional area (i.e., a cross-sectional area perpendicular to its length ), at least 900 mm ² , optionally at least 1000 mm ² , optionally at least 2000 mm ² , optionally at least 2000 mm ² , optionally at least 3000 mm ² , optionally at least 3500 mm ² , optionally at least 3700 mm ² , optionally at least 4000 mm ² . The elongated pet chew may have an internal porous structure (e.g., it is an expanded, e.g., thermally expanded pet chew in the form of a hard foam) and/or has a cross-sectional area (i.e., a cross-sectional area perpendicular to its length ) from 900 to 5500 ^mm2 , optionally from 1000 to 5500 ^mm2 , optionally from 2000 to 5500 ^mm2 , optionally from 3000 to 5500 ^mm2 , optionally from 4000 to 5500 ^mm2 .

The elongated edible pet chew may have at least one channel extending at least partially, not necessarily completely, through the pet chew along the length of the pet chew (i.e., the longest dimension of the chew).

The edible pet chew may have an internal porous structure. The edible pet chew may be in the form of a hard foam. The internal porous structure may be in the form of pores, which may be open or closed pores, which may be formed, for example, by the expansion of gases within the product and/or the passage of gases through the pet chew product during molding and prior to curing, e.g. during extrusion molding. The gases may be selected from steam, air, nitrogen and a supercritical fluid, which may be selected from nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The edible pet chew may be a thermally expanded pet chew or an aerated pet chew.

The edible pet chew product (or the material from which it is made) may have a tensile viscosity of at least 200 MPa, optionally at least 300 MPa, optionally at least 400 MPa. The edible pet chew product (or the material from which it is made) may have a tensile viscosity of 200 to 800 MPa, optionally 200 to 700 MPa, optionally 200 to 600 MPa, optionally 250 to 600 MPa. Tensile toughness can be determined by plotting stress (in MPa) versus strain (in %) up to the point of failure and determining the area under the curve (from 0% strain to the point of failure stress), which gives the value of tensile toughness in MPa.

A general method for determining mechanical viscosity may be as follows:

(i) cut a standard tensile test piece from the animal chew material using an ISO 527-2 die (Zwick Roell; see, for example, FIG. 9C);

(ii) prepare a tensile test stand having upper and lower jaws, and place the tensile test piece into the lower jaws of the tensile test stand (e.g., as shown in FIG. 9D) so that the entire arm of the test piece is exposed ), and secure to hold the product (e.g., sufficiently to prevent the product from slipping during testing, but not so tightly that the product breaks);

(iii) position the top arms of the tensile test bench so that they align with the test piece (again so that the entire arm of the test piece is exposed). Clamp to hold product as with bottom clamps.

(iv) minimize any tension or slack in the test specimen;

(v) move the upper and lower jaws apart using a texture analyzer (TA) at a speed of 1 mm/sec and record the resistance force using a sensor at the point of failure of the test specimen (tensile test specimen).

The following equipment and devices can be used (see FIG. 9):

(i) Stable Micro Systems TA-HD.plus;

(ii) Tensile Test Bench (A/HDT) - Maximum load 500 kg;

(iii) Secateurs (required only for testing a commercially available edible animal chew);

(iv) Tensile test cutter (ISO 527-2 standard; length 75 mm, width 10 mm, center 5 mm) - Zwick Roell;

(v) 100 or 500 kg force sensor.

The water content of the pet chew product may be from about 5 to 20% by weight, optionally from about 8 to 16% by weight, optionally from about 10 to 15% by weight, optionally from about 11 to 14% by weight. relative to the total mass of the chewing product.

In an embodiment, the edible animal chew product of the present invention exhibits a cohesiveness, measured by texture profile analysis (as described in the invention), of 0.55 or greater. Preferably, the cohesiveness is 0.57 or greater, optionally 0.60 or greater, optionally 0.62 or greater, optionally 0.65 or greater, optionally 0.68 or greater. The higher the cohesiveness value, the greater the tendency of the chewing product to retain its structure when chewed; this may help improve the cleaning properties of the chewing product.

The density of the edible animal chew product may be 1.5 g/cm ³ or less, optionally 1.2 g/cm ³ or less, optionally 1 g/cm ³ or less. In other embodiments, the density of the animal chewable product is 0.95 g/ ^cc or less, or 0.90 g/ ^cc or less, or 0.80 g/cc ^or less. Preferably the density is less than 0.80 g/cm ³ , optionally 0.75 g/cm ³ or less. The density of the edible animal chew product may be in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 g/cm ³ , optionally 0.5 to 1.2 g/cm ³ , optionally 0.5 to 1 g/cm ³ , optional from 0.6 to 0.9 g/ ^cm3 , optionally from 0.6 to 0.8 g/ ^cm3 , optionally from 0.7 to 0.9 g/ ^cm3 , optionally from 0.7 to 0.8 g/cm ³ .

"Water activity" can be an indicator of the energy status of water in a system, represented by the ratio between the partial pressure of water in the feed and the partial pressure of pure water. This indicator indicates how tightly water is bound, structurally or chemically, within a substance. It is measured by equilibrating the liquid phase (in the sample) with the vapor phase (in the headspace) and measuring the relative humidity of that space. The water activity (Aw) of the animal chew product may be from about 0.40 to 0.85, optionally from about 0.50 to 0.85, more preferably from about 0.50 to 0.80, and more preferably from about 0. 60 to 0.76, even more preferably from about 0.60 to 0.70.

In some examples, the pet chew is a thermally expanded pet chew. In some examples, thermal expansion imparts an aerated structure to the edible chew product.

In some examples, the animal is a canid. In some examples, the canid animal is a dog.

In one aspect, a method of producing an edible chewable product for animals is also provided, which method includes:

A. preparing an edible chewable product composition containing:

partially hydrolyzed collagen; and/or

alkyl succinate modified starch;

b. heating the edible chewable product composition to obtain a flowable edible chewable product composition;

c. extruding a flowable edible chewing product composition to produce an extrudate;

d. cooling and solidifying the extrudate to form an edible chewable product for animals.

Extrusion can be carried out in an extruder. The flowable edible chew product mixture may exit the extruder at a temperature above the melting point of the collagen. The flowable edible chew product mixture may leave the extruder at such a temperature that steam is generated from the water within the composition. The flowable edible chew product mixture may leave the extruder at a temperature of 100°C or more and/or preferably at a temperature of 150°C or less. By extruding the composition so that it exits the extruder at a temperature of 100° C. or more, steam will be generated at normal atmospheric pressure (eg, approximately 100 kPa). The steam then causes the product to expand, for example, forming a porous structure within the pet chew, or in other words, a foamed chew that becomes a hard foam when the composition hardens upon cooling. This often results in a chewable product having a density of 1.0 g/cc or ^less .

Optionally, the composition may leave the extruder at a temperature of from about 105 to 130°C, preferably at least from 110 to 125°C, and preferably from 115 to 125°C, optionally from 118 to 123°C, optionally at about 120°C . Such temperature ranges have been found to result in expanded animal chewable products with desirable chewing characteristics, including strength. This process can be called thermal expansion of the chewing product.

In some cases, if the chew product is not to be expanded (at least by thermal means), the flowable edible chew product mixture may leave the extruder at a temperature less than 100°C, for example, at a temperature between 40 and 90°C, optionally between 50 and 70°C. Preferably, even when the fluid edible gum mixture does not leave the extruder at a temperature of 100°C or more, it is preferable that the fluid edible chew mixture is heated to a temperature inside the extruder of at least 90°C, optionally from 90 to 120°C, optionally at least 100°C, optionally from 100 to 120°C, optionally from 100 to 110°C.

In an embodiment, the edible chew mixture is formed in a cylindrical extruder.

In an embodiment, the temperature of the barrel in a cylindrical extruder increases in the direction of extrusion; this is particularly advantageous in the production of expanded chewable products, that is, chewable products having an internal porous structure.

The extruder may be a single screw extruder or a twin screw extruder.

The screw may rotate at a speed of 80 to 300 rpm, optionally at a speed of 80 to 200 rpm, optionally at a speed of 80 to 180 rpm, optionally at a speed of 80 to 160 rpm.

The specific mechanical energy (SME) applied by the extruder may be from 60 to 120 kW/kg, optionally from 80 to 120 kW/kg, optionally from 90 to 115 kW/kg, optionally from 95 to 115 kW/kg.

In an embodiment, the extrusion is the extrusion of a supercritical fluid to cause the fluid edible chew mixture to expand so that upon cooling the edible chew has an internal porous structure. The supercritical fluid may be selected from nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

One aspect also provides an edible chewable product for animals produced by the method described in the invention.

Preferably, the components of the edible chew mixture are introduced into a cooker extruder, preferably a twin screw cooker extruder, and in the cooker extruder, while the edible chew mixture is extruded, the mixture is subjected to heat to form a flowable edible chew mixture and shearing to homogenize and thoroughly mix the components, and the flowable edible chew mixture product exits the extruder, optionally expanding so that the mixture develops an internal porous structure, the edible chew mixture is then allowed to cool and harden to form an edible animal chew.

An embodiment also provides an edible chewable product for animals consisting of a mixture of:

(i) natural collagen extract;

(ii) partially hydrolyzed collagen.

Natural collagen extract and partially hydrolyzed collagen may be as described herein.

The natural collagen extract may have a fat content of 40% by weight. or less, optionally 30% of the mass. or less, optionally from 8 to 20 wt.%, optionally 8 wt.%. or less, and/or a protein content of at least 800 g per kg of extract. Optionally, components (i) and (ii) are present in a ratio (wt:wt) of 20:80 to 80:20. Optionally, the pet chew product is substantially free of modified starch. Optionally, components (i) and (ii) constitute at least 30% of the mass. composition, optionally at least 50% of the mass. composition, optionally at least 80% of the mass. composition, and optionally at least some of the remaining wt%. The edible chewing product contains a component selected from unmodified starch, a plasticizer and alkyl succinate modified starch. Optionally, the unmodified starch contains corn starch.

An embodiment also provides an edible animal chew product comprising partially hydrolyzed collagen and alkyl succinate modified starch. The pet chew product may further contain unmodified starch. Partially hydrolyzed collagen, alkyl succinate modified starch and unmodified starch may be as described herein. An embodiment also provides an edible animal chew product comprising partially hydrolyzed collagen and alkyl succinate-modified starch, unmodified starch, and a protein extract, such as a natural collagen extract, which may be a protein extracted from animal skin, such as porcine skin protein. . An embodiment also provides an edible animal chew product that contains an unmodified starch, which may be corn starch, partially hydrolyzed collagen, an alkyl succinate (e.g., octenyl succinate) modified starch, a protein extract, such as a natural collagen extract, which may be a protein , extracted from animal skin, for example, pig skin protein, and optionally other ingredients which may be selected from salt, flavoring agents, vitamins, minerals, emulsifiers and flour. In an embodiment, an edible animal chew product is provided that contains 45 to 55 parts by weight of unmodified starch, which may be corn starch, 25 to 35 parts by weight of partially hydrolyzed collagen, modified with an alkyl succinate (e.g. , octenyl succinate) starch in an amount from 5 to 15 parts by weight, a protein extract, for example, an extract of natural collagen, which may be a protein extracted from animal skin, for example, porcine skin protein, in an amount from 5 to 15 parts by weight ., and other ingredients in an amount of from 0 to 10 parts by weight, and other ingredients can be selected from salt, flavoring additives, vitamins, minerals, emulsifiers and flour.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that additional embodiments or implementations are possible without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure or the scope of the claims that follow. This detailed description and, in particular, the specific details of the exemplary embodiments and implementations disclosed herein are given primarily for clarity of understanding, and no unnecessary limitations should be implied from the description as modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading of this document and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention(s).

EXAMPLES

The following illustrates examples of compositions, methods and other aspects described in the invention. Therefore, these examples should not be considered as limitations of the present invention and are provided only to show how to implement embodiments of an edible chewable product for animals and to illustrate embodiments of the method.

Example 1 - animal skin protein as a source of collagen

Edible animal chews produced by combining porcine skin protein (PSP) with sodium octenyl starch succinate (NaOSS) in a ratio of 80:20 are produced using a digester extruder. A number of control samples are prepared from: 1) 100% pork skin protein; 2) 98.5% wt. pork skin protein and 1.5% wt. standard emulsifier (diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM)); 3) 80% wt. pork skin protein and 20% wt. wheat flour (PM (WF)); 4) 78.5% wt. pork skin protein, 20% wt. wheat flour and 1.5% wt. DATEM. Control samples are marked as follows:

Test sample name Control sample composition Powder sample 1 20% wt. NaOSS, 80% wt. BSK Powder sample 2 20% wt. PM, 1.5% wt. DATEM, 78.5% wt. BSK Powder sample 3 20% wt. PM, 80% wt. BSK Powder sample 4 98.5% wt. BSC, 1.5% wt. DATEM Powder sample 5 100% wt. BSK

These control sample compositions are extruded under the following conditions.

Table 1

Extrusion conditions

Powders Water Glycerol Steam Specific mechanical energy (SME) Auger speed kg/hour kg/hour kg/hour kg/hour W/kg rpm Powder sample 1 100 13 15 13 60 225 Powder sample 2 100 13 15 13 55 400 Powder sample 3 100 13 15 13 57 400 Powder sample 4 100 14 15 13 39 300 Powder sample 5 100 13 15 13 41 300

In all cases, the vacuum is set to -0.6 bar on the gauge, with the barrel temperature control of the seven barrel sections (B1-B7) of the extruder set as follows:

Nozzle Cylinder temperature B1 Uncontrollable B2 150°C B3 150°C B4 Uncontrollable B5 130°C B6 110°C B7 90°C

The tensile viscosity for the porcine skin protein and sodium octenyl starch succinate chewing product was compared with the tensile viscosity of control samples (see FIG. 1A). As shown in FIG. 1A, the tensile viscosity of an edible animal chew containing porcine skin protein and sodium octenyl starch succinate is significantly higher than the tensile viscosity of the control samples. Depending on the control sample used as comparison, the improvement in performance ranges from 80 to 200%. The reason for this improvement in tensile viscosity is believed to be due to the apparent and large increase in the ratio of MEE (mechanical energy delivered by the extruder) to revolutions per minute (rpm) observed for samples containing sodium starch octenyl succinate (see FIG. 1B).

Example 2 - Partially Hydrolyzed Collagen

Edible chewable animal products are prepared by combining partially hydrolyzed collagen, corn starch, high viscosity potato starch (VP starch) and sodium octenyl starch succinate in varying proportions (including combinations in which at least one ingredient is omitted) and processing the mixture in a cooking extruder . The proportions of each ingredient used are given in Table 2. Although formulations containing more than 80 wt.% can be extruded. partially hydrolyzed collagen, in practice this results in excessive viscosity in the extruder and has not been studied.

table 2

(Partially hydrolyzed collagen is as described in the invention and contains approximately 50% by weight water-insoluble component and 50% by weight water-soluble component)

Mixture designation Experience number Corn starch
(%) Partially hydrolyzed collagen NaOSS BB potato starch % wt. % wt. % wt. % wt. N1 6 50 0 0 50 N2 10 20 80 0 0 N3 12 50 40 10 0 N4 9 50 0 10 40 N5 3 10 80 10 0 N6 4 0 50 0 50 N7 13 40 0 10 50 N8 8 0 40 10 50 N9 7 0 80 3.3 16.7 N10 16 0 80 6.7 13.3 N11 eleven 50 33.3 0 16.7 N12 15 50 46.7 3.3 0 N13 17 25 40 10 25 N14 2 22.5 22.5 5 50 N15 1 24.5 45.5 5.5 24.5 N16 14 24.5 45.5 5.5 24.5 N17 5 24.5 45.5 5.5 24.5

Two edible animal chews were prepared for each mixture, one product was extruded under thermal expansion (without applying a vacuum) and one product was extruded without thermal expansion for texture studies. Expansion conditions are given in Tables 3 and 4.

Table 3

Thermal expansion extrusion

N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8 N9 Powders (kg/hour) 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 Water (kg/hour) 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 Glycerin (kg/hour) 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 EPP (bar) 14.0 67.0 36.0 10.0 56.0 47.0 10.6 28.0 60.0 B2 (°C) 103.0 83.0 104.0 102.0 97.0 98.0 99.0 99.0 96.0 B3 (°C) 107.0 98.0 101.0 99.0 97.0 102.0 98.0 97.0 104.0 B5 (°C) 110.0 114.0 109.0 111.0 112.0 110.0 110.0 108.0 112.0 B6 (°C) 119.0 121.0 120.0 119.0 121.0 118.0 119.0 119.0 121.0 B7 (°C) 119.0 120.0 120.0 119.0 121.0 117.0 119.0 119.0 121.0 VME (kW/kg) 111.0 108.0 117.0 108.0 110.0 110.0 108.0 115.0 108.0 rpm 230.0 130.0 200.0 208.0 210.0 150.0 213.0 185.0 165.0

N10 N11 N12 N13 N14 N15 N16 N17 Powders (kg/hour) 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 Water (kg/hour) 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 Glycerin (kg/hour) 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 EPP (bar) 55.0 36.0 43.4 39.0 21.0 36.6 37.2 39.0 B2 (°C) 95.0 108.0 99.0 100.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 102.0 B3 (°C) 101.0 99.0 99.0 102.0 97.0 107.0 99.0 100.0 B5 (°C) 108.0 107.0 109.0 68.0 111.0 112.0 109.0 109.0 B6 (°C) 119.0 119.0 121.0 119.0 119.0 117.0 119.0 119.0 B7 (°C) 120.0 119.0 122.0 118.0 118.0 119.0 119.0 118.0 VME (kW/kg) 109.0 112.0 114.0 115.0 115.0 111.0 115.0 113.0 rpm 200.0 165.0 170.0 195.0 215.0 203.0 145.0 180.0

Table 4

No extension

N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8 N9 Powders (kg/hour) 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 Water (kg/hour) 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 Glycerin (kg/hour) 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 B2 (°C) 112 102 105 109 104 113 114 120 101 B3 (°C) 116 106 104 107 106 102 110 107 106 B5 (°C) 83 101 88 85 95 94 88 89 96 B6 (°C) 66 67 66 67 68 66 67 66 65 B7 (°C) 56 62 57 57 58 57 56 58 58 Vacuum (bar) 0.31 0.33 0.31 0.31 0.3 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.3 rpm 155 90 138 140 125 95 140 155 90 VME (kW/kg) 95 110 92 100 95 95 99 95 101 N10 N11 N12 N13 N14 N15 N16 N17 Powders (kg/hour) 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 Water (kg/hour) 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 Glycerin (kg/hour) 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 B2 (°C) 108 114 108 112 97 110 110 109 B3 (°C) 101 119 116 116 112 113 113 111 B5 (°C) 96 96 93 91 99 90 90 89 B6 (°C) 65 67 66 65 78 67 67 66 B7 (°C) 58 59 58 58 71 57 57 57 Vacuum (bar) 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.3 0.32 0.31 0.31 0.3 rpm 95 115 95 140 172 100 100 140 VME (kW/kg) 100 98 100 93 95 100 100 95

Tensile strength, ductility, mechanical viscosity, shear strength, hardness, expanded cross-section, hot expanded strength, and water activity were determined for each edible animal chew product prepared above. The results are presented in Table 5. Test procedures are described later.

Table 5

Mixture designation Tensile Strength
MPa Plasticity % Mechanical viscosity
MPa Shear force kg Hardness N1 2.27 67.21 112.83 12.72810 2,454 N2 2.51 310.13 484.77 55.9138 1,808 N3 1.4 278.52 288.05 29.127 1.862 N4 2.2 58.96 94.39 13.4621 2,368 N5 3.06 399.01 681.43 65.7718 1,749 N6 1.68 224.73 251.51 45.5163 1.663 N7 2.15 63.59 99.88 13.7588 2.2 N8 1.5 247.79 282.38 29.1715 1.619 N9 3.17 386.4 702.24 78.4549 1,998 N10 2.93 378.57 664.71 68.2958 1,808 N11 1.95 186.71 256.59 29.6097 1.93 N12 1.94 214.89 303.24 36.2693 2,254 N13 1.6 273.93 318.07 32.0543 1,797 N14 1.26 119.11 123.48 18.1328 2.255 N15 1.72 187.89 239.6 29.0367 1.954 N16 1.73 202.55 250.99 35,293 1.928 N17 1.85 254.17 337.84 33,287 2,003 Mixture designation Extended cross section
mm ² Strength in hot expanded state
% Water activity
1 N1 992 16 0.755 N2 3385 87 0.682 N3 4077 69 0.702 N4 1032 14 0.71 N5 3046 81 0.692 N6 4170 75 0.694 N7 1092 19 0.665 N8 6293 73 0.691 N9 3332 81 0.66 N10 3785 77 0.679 N11 5111 73 0.69 N12 3956 80 0.707 N13 4801 73 0.672 N14 4520 63 0.698 N15 4222 83 0.664 N16 4990 79 0.685 N17 4798 72 0.684

Expansion characteristics

The behavior of partially hydrolyzed collagen formulations during thermal expansion was studied. To do this, the extruder is reconfigured with a nozzle with a hollow cylinder. All other aspects of the extruder configuration remain equivalent. Thermal expansion of a material into a hollow cylindrical shape has been found to provide a useful yardstick for comparing expansion capacity, as this shape is prone to sagging, which creates a useful "worst case" scenario. This is due to the void in the middle of the form. The outer wall of the hollow cylinder nozzle is perfectly round.

Definition of “hot expanded strength”

The product is placed on a laboratory bench to cool after extrusion and thermal expansion. On the table, the product will sag and warp if the material does not have sufficient strength when it is hot. It is essential to minimize this effect to obtain a viable product in the desired shape. After cooling, two characteristic expansion parameters can be measured using simple geometry. This is called hot expansion strength (%), which is essentially the ratio of the height (H) and width (W) at the cut surface of an extruded cylindrical product. For a product that does not sag, these two parameters will be the same and the heated expanded strength will be 100%. For a product that is fully compressed, the width (W) will be much greater than the height (H), giving a hot expanded strength that tends to 0%. Mathematically, this is defined by equation 1.

Hot expanded strength (%) = (1)

Definition of "extended cross section"

The key advantage of thermal expansion is that the product volume can be much greater for a given mass (low density). Larger chews are harder to eat and last longer, increasing the stimulus for the animal. For this reason, the size to which the material can be expanded is an important parameter. The comparison is made by measuring the cross-sectional area of the chewing product, which can be approximated to an elliptical shape after sagging. Mathematically, this is determined by equation 2.

Expanded cross section (mm ² ) = Π HW (Ellipse area) (2)

FIG. 2 shows how the heated expansion strength (%) changes when the proportions of corn starch, potato starch BB and partially hydrolyzed collagen are changed without inclusion (FIG. 2A) and with inclusion of 10 wt%. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate (FIG. 2B). (The triangular contour plots shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and the plots in the other figures were generated using Umetrics' MODDE software.) In both cases, the predominant trend is an increase in heated strength with increased inclusion of partially hydrolyzed collagen. Two less noticeable trends can be observed. First, in both graphs, corn starch contributes more to heat strength development than BB potato starch, especially at higher inclusions of partially hydrolyzed collagen. Secondly, slightly higher hot strength is possible when hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate is not included in this formulation (although this effect is negligible).

FIG. 3 shows how the expanded cross-section (mm ² ) changes when the proportions of corn starch, potato starch BB and partially hydrolyzed collagen without inclusion (FIG. 3A) and with inclusion of 10 wt.% are changed. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate (FIG. 3B). The prevailing trend is that the expanded cross-section (mm ² ) increases with increasing inclusion of partially hydrolyzed collagen until a maximum point, after which the inclusion of additional partially hydrolyzed collagen results in a decrease in the expanded cross-section. The highest expanded cross-section in this study was achieved in the formulation containing 10 wt%. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate, from 30 to 50% wt. BB potato starch and from 35 to 60% wt. partially hydrolyzed collagen in the absence of corn starch.

Extended product appearance

The appearance of products extruded by thermal expansion is compared. In general, very low levels of partially hydrolyzed collagen (N1, N4 and N7) result in completely collapsed products, while very high levels of partially hydrolyzed collagen (N2, N5, N9 and N10) result in a dull brown product with fine bubbles and a bready appearance. appearance. Structures with larger bubbles are found in the case of products with higher values of the expanded cross-sectional parameter, which tend to be in the middle range of inclusion of partially hydrolyzed collagen (N3, N6, N8, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N16 and N17).

Tensile properties

The prevailing trend in the tensile properties of extruded products is that tensile strength (FIG. 4), ductility and mechanical viscosity all increase with increasing inclusion of partially hydrolyzed collagen. Corn starch provides higher tensile strength than BB potato starch. Slightly denser textures are obtained with the inclusion of 10% wt. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate. A description of the texture analysis methods used to obtain this data is presented below.

Hardness and Shear Strength

Shear strength (FIG. 5) increases significantly with increasing inclusion of partially hydrolyzed collagen. Hardness (FIG. 6), measured by the "cone probe" method, generally decreases with increased inclusion of partially hydrolyzed collagen. This shows the benefit of using partially hydrolyzed collagen in dog chew formulations as the material is less easily broken down by chewing (shear resistance) while being less likely to cause tooth decay (softer texture). As this feature improves, security improves. These trends are generally the same as with the inclusion of 10% wt. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate, and without its inclusion. A description of the texture analysis methods used to obtain this data is presented below.

Example 3

Several other edible animal chews are formulated containing partially hydrolyzed collagen and sodium octenyl starch succinate with various additional components, which may include concentrated collagen extract, unmodified starch (corn starch and/or BB potato starch), plasticizers (water and/or glycerin), and various flavorings and other additives. The formulations are given in Table 6. Various tests were carried out on these formulations, the results of which are presented in Table 7.

Table 6

Thermal expansion Chewing skin Mark I
[wt%] Chewing skin Mark II, option A
[wt%] Chewing skin Mark II, option B
[wt%] Chewing skin Mark II, option C
[wt%] Partially hydrolyzed bovine collagen 30-40 10-30 10-30 10-30 Natural Porcine Collagen Extract - 1-5 - - Pork skin protein - - 1-5 1-5 Glycerol 10-20 10-20 10-20 10-20 Water 10-15 10-15 10-15 10-15 Corn starch 10-15 35-40 35-40 35-40 BB starch 5-15 - - - OSA starch 5-10 1-5 1-5 - Modified OSA starch - - - 1-5 Other additives (including salt, flavoring, vitamins, minerals, emulsifier, flour) 1-10 1-10 1-10 1-10 Gas expansion Chewing skin Mark II,
option A
[wt%] Chewing skin Mark II, option B
[wt%] Chewing skin Mark II, option A
[wt%] Chewing skin Mark II option B
[wt%] Partially hydrolyzed bovine collagen 20-30 20-30 20-30 20-30 Natural Porcine Collagen Extract 20-30 20-30 - - Drinde 1015/SF - - 20-30 20-30 Glycerol 10-20 10-20 10-20 10-20 Water 10-20 5-12 5-12 5-12 OSA starch 10-15 - - - Modified OSA starch - 10-15 10-15 10 -20 Other additives (including salt, flavoring, vitamins, minerals, emulsifier, flour) 1-10 1-10 1-10 1-10 Collagen peptides or hydrolyzed wheat gluten - 1-10 1-10 1-10

A prototype grade II chewing skin is molded using the following production settings [kg/hour]:

Flow (scf)
[kg/hour] Gas type Glycerol Water Powder mixture 0.0151 N ₂ 22.10 18.00 98.10

"Partially hydrolyzed collagen" contains approximately 50% wt. water-insoluble component and 50% of the mass. water-soluble component) and is obtained from starting materials from cattle by mechanical and thermal processing as described in this invention. It is supplied in powder form.

"OSA" indicates sodium starch octenyl succinate supplied in solid form.

BB (HV) starch means high viscosity potato starch.

"Natural Pork Collagen Extract" is concentrated collagen extracted from natural food grade pork bones. It contains at least 920 g/kg protein (according to ISO 5983:1998) and at most 40 g/kg fat. It is supplied in the form of solid particles.

"Pork skin protein" is pork skin protein that contains 10-15% fat and comes in solid form. It can be obtained commercially, for example under the trade name Drinde 1015/SF, and is available from Essentia Protein Solutions.

Table 7

Brand
I Mark II Commercially Available Product 3 ('CAP3') PCT/GB14/050964 Rawhide roll Commercially available product 4 Hardness [kg] 127,264 218.16 174.25 138.8 114.05 618.188 96,761 Tension [kg/mm ² ] 0.113 0.314 0.177 0.164 0.121 0.580 0.065 IRS 0.607 0.306 0.52 0.516 0.587 0.418 0.465 RRS 0.895 0.702 0.771 0.758 0.809 0.568 0.811 Cohesiveness 0.719 0.565 0.657 0.643 0.632 0.354 0.422 Elastic deformation 0.265 0.143 0.232 0.209 0.205 0.175 0.129 Density [g/cm ³ ] 0.718 0.728 0.644 0.628 0.601 0.527 0.660

IRS indicates instantly restored elasticity; RRS stands for delayed recovery elasticity; Cohesiveness thus indicates how well a product withstands a second deformation compared to how it behaves under a first deformation; elastic deformation is a measure of how much work the sample does in an attempt to maintain its original shape; IRS, RRS, cohesiveness and elastic deformation can be measured in accordance with the methods described in WO 2014/155113 or US 2016/100553.

Example 4

A study was conducted to compare a selection of three collagen sources, namely porcine skin protein, partially hydrolyzed collagen and concentrated collagen extract. A control sample is prepared using a commercially available edible animal chew product formulation (designated CAP2 in the figures) for comparison against existing technology. Because hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate (OSA) is required to aid in pork skin protein processing, all powder formulations are standardized to contain 80% wt. appropriate source of collagen and 20% wt. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate. Each formulation is processed in a digester extruder under the process conditions shown in Table 8. These conditions produce extruded materials that serve as test samples to compare the texture properties provided by each collagen source.

Table 8

Control (Commercially available edible, chewable product CAP2) 80% wt. pork skin protein and
20% wt. OSA starch 80% wt. partially hydrolyzed. collagen and 20% wt. OSA starch 80% wt. conc. collagen and 20% wt. OSA starch 80% wt. partially hydrolyzed. collagen and 20% wt. hydrolyzed. corn starch Powders [kg/hour] 100 100 95 95 95 Water [kg/hour] 13 10 18 18 18 Glycerin [kg/hour] 15 17 22 22 22 Steam [kg/hour] 13 13 0 0 0 EPP [bar] thirty 20 93 5 83 B2 [°C] 110 110 125 108 110 B3 [°C] 110 110 101 108 108 B5 [°C] 90 90 94 87 87 B6 [°C] 80 80 67 65 65 B7 [°C] 70 70 60 58 58 VME [kW/kg] 65 65 86 35 85 rpm 175 190 175 300 170 Vacuum [bar] 0.4 0.4 0.26 0.28 0.26

Hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate is often more expensive than many natural starches. A separate formulation containing 80 wt.% is extruded. partially hydrolyzed collagen and 20% wt. cheaper unmodified hydrolyzed corn starch to highlight the economic benefits brought by the relative versatility of partially hydrolyzed collagen. For these formulations, the tensile viscosity is determined. The results of the texture analysis are presented in Table 9.

Table 9

Recipe Tensile ductility [%] Tensile viscosity [MPa] Tensile strength [MPa] Control (Commercially Available Edible Animal Chew, CAP2) 37.95 102.06 3.41 80% wt. pork skin protein and 20% wt. OSA starch 517.00 503.00 2.40 80% wt. partially hydrolyzed collagen and 20% wt. OSA starch 512.76 627.60 2.64 80% wt. concentrated pork collagen extract and 20% wt. OSA starch 424.76 592.91 2.29 80% partially hydrolyzed collagen and 20% hydrolyzed corn starch - 692.30 - Recipe Shear strength [kg] Hardness according to conical probe [kg] Control (Commercially Available Edible Animal Chew, CAP2) 10.67 3.73 80% wt. pork skin protein and 20% wt. OSA starch 20.16 1.87 80% wt. partially hydrolyzed collagen and 20% wt. OSA starch 30.89 1.06 80% wt. concentrated pork collagen extract and 20% wt. OSA starch 20.84 1.09 80% partially hydrolyzed collagen and 20% hydrolyzed corn starch - -

The results presented in Table 9 show the following.

All collagen-based formulations were significantly superior to the control formulation (a commercially available edible pet chew) in mechanical viscosity. This shows the advantage of using collagen compared to materials that are used to make a commercially available edible animal chew product. From normalized powder formulations containing 80% wt. appropriate source of collagen and 20% wt. hydrolyzed sodium octenyl starch succinate, formulations containing partially hydrolyzed collagen produced the stiffest texture, followed by formulations containing concentrated collagen extract and pork skin protein. Recipe containing 80% wt. partially hydrolyzed collagen and 20% wt. unmodified hydrolyzed corn starch (eg Glucidex 2), the harshest of all the samples evaluated. When considering this information together with the compatibility with thermal expansion that partially hydrolyzed collagen introduces, the commercial viability of this formulation is clear.

Table 9 also shows that the most shear stable (chewing motion time) and softest (motion safety) sample in the study was also obtained using partially hydrolyzed collagen.

Example 5 - Chewiness and Palatability Tests

Tests to determine the length of time that an edible pet chew product remains intact were determined using a group of dogs. The purpose of duration of effect testing is to measure the time it takes for a dog to consume a sample. These tests are carried out on samples intended for daily and weekly feeding rations.

For the daily feeding diet, samples are extruded into a shape that mimics the shape of a commercially available edible animal chew (labeled "CAP2" in the figures; samples are extruded through an approximately x-shaped die). These samples are then cut to the appropriate weight for the daily diet (approximately 16-40 g depending on the size of the dogs in the feeding group). This approach allows comparison of the results with existing data from commercially available edible animal chews (eg, CAP2).

For the "weekly" feeding diet, samples are extruded into a shape that mimics the shape of a commercially available edible animal chew (labeled "CAP3" in the figures; samples are extruded through an approximately x-shaped die). The low strength of the material when heated means that this mold collapses, resulting in a significantly flatter product. These samples are then cut to the appropriate weight for weekly feeding (approximately 70-160 g depending on the size of the dogs in the feeding group). This approach allows the results to be compared with existing data from larger format products that are currently commercially available.

Due to the discrepancy in product weight between the given samples and the comparison products, it is preferable to normalize the measured median time by dividing it by the sample/product weight to obtain chewing time per gram (measured in seconds per gram). This figure was found to be highly consistent between daily and weekly feeding trials and allows comparison with existing products.

The chewing time per gram of the daily diet of porcine skin protein samples is significantly higher than that of existing products; approximately two to three times greater than the commercially available products tested (see FIG. 7A; in FIG. 7A, the various commercially available products, i.e., animal chews, are designated "CAP1", "CAP2" and "CAP3" ). FIG. 7B shows the median chew duration (not per gram) recorded for weekly format pig skin samples as described herein (referred to as "Chew Pelt" in the figures) relative to chew durations for various sizes of other commercially available edible animal chews. The sizes of dogs used in each study are shown in parentheses. The filled bars on the right indicate the actual recorded data, and the shaded bars indicate the expected chew duration for samples cut to control weights of commercially available products (interpolated from the actual chew duration data). It is clear that weekly chewable products made from porcine skin protein have the potential to provide a step change in duration of action compared to existing products.

A palatability study was also undertaken to evaluate whether dogs showed a preference for eating a pig skin protein chew over a standard product. A commercially available chew (designated "CAP2" in the figures) is used as an example of a standard product since it is a starch-based chew containing palatants designed to make it attractive to the dog. Samples based on pig skin protein do not include additional palatants. The results show that dogs have a clear preference for porcine protein-based chews, with these chews being selected over the commercially available product in approximately 90% of cases.

Example 6 - Partially hydrolyzed collagen relative to a mixture of suitable collagen and gelatin (hydrolyzed collagen)

Edible pet chews are prepared from a mixture of concentrated extracts of natural collagen and gelatin and their tensile viscosity is determined. The measured tensile viscosity is compared to the viscosity of edible animal chews made from partially hydrolyzed collagen. The tensile viscosity is significantly higher for edible chewable products made from partially hydrolyzed collagen than for products prepared by simply mixing gelatin with a concentrated natural collagen extract (see FIG. 8). Additionally, alternative formulas that use a mixture of concentrated natural collagen extract and gelatin are destroyed by thermal expansion.

Texture testing techniques

The partially hydrolyzed collagen may contain a mixture of from 30:70 to 70:30 (wt:wt) of a water-soluble component and a water-insoluble component. In some examples, the partially hydrolyzed collagen may comprise a mixture of 35:65 to 65:35 (w:w), in some examples a mixture of 40:60 to 60:40 (w:w), in some examples a mixture of 45:55 to 55:45 (wt:wt), in some examples approximately a 50:50 (wt:wt) mixture of water-soluble component and water-insoluble component.

In this texture analysis methodology, products are separated into parts, obtaining information on their ductility, tensile strength and mechanical viscosity. This method is applicable to flat sheet (tape) extrudates that can be formed into standard tensile test specimens.

The following equipment and devices are used (see FIG. 9):

(vi) Stable Micro Systems TA-HD.plus;

(vii) Tensile Test Bench (A/HDT) - Maximum load 500 kg;

(viii) Secateurs (needed only for testing a commercially available edible chewable product);

(ix) Tensile test cutter (ISO 527-2 standard; length 75 mm, width 10 mm, center 5 mm) - Zwick Roell;

(x) Force sensor for 100 or 500 kg.

Sample preparation and testing:

(vi) Cut a standard tensile test piece from the extrudate using an ISO 527-2 die (Zwick Roell; see FIG. 9C).

(vii) Place the tensile test specimen in the lower grips of the tensile test stand (FIG. 9D; so that the entire arm of the test specimen is exposed) and secure sufficiently that it will not slip during testing, but not so tightly that so that the product is destroyed).

(viii) Position the top arms of the tensile test bench so that they align with the test specimen (again so that the entire arm of the test specimen is exposed). Fasten as described above.

(ix) Minimize any tension or slack in the test specimen.

(x) Pull apart the jaws using a Texture Analyzer (TA) at a speed of 1 mm/sec and record the resistance force using a sensor through the fracture point of the test piece.

Data analysis

FIG. 9F shows a basic plot of the force response curve from texture analysis plotted along the axis of stress (MPa) versus strain (%). The dimensions of the central point of destruction (width and depth) are taken into account in the graph. From this type of graph the following parameters can be determined:

Tensile strength (MPa) represents the maximum resisting force for the test specimen.

Ductility (%) represents elongation at break, that is, the ability to deform without breaking.

Mechanical viscosity (MPa) is the area under the curve and is a composite measure that takes into account both tensile strength and ductility.

The mechanical viscosity of an edible animal chew product is believed to be strongly correlated with chew time per gram in feeding tests.

Hardness testing using the conical probe method

This texture analysis method uses a 30° cone geometry and employs a "Stress Relaxation" technique in which a probe is pressed into the material/product 3mm and the force/stress on the probe is measured during a 30 second dwell period. This characterizes the hardness of the material (but can be used to characterize other parameters not considered in this study).

The following equipment and instruments are used:

(i) Stable Micro Systems TA-HD.plus;

(ii) Lower load tensile test bench;

(iii) 30° stainless steel cone (P/30CSS) - Maximum load 50 kg;

(iv) Probe Adapter (AD/100) - Maximum load 50 kg;

(v) 100 kg force sensor.

Sample preparation, testing and data analysis

(i) Ribbon-shaped extrudates are cut to a length of 40 mm, then clamped so that 10 mm of the extrudate extends upward (this length is long enough that the texture data is not affected by clamping, but short enough that bending is negligible).

(ii) The probe enters the product at a speed of 1 mm per second for a distance of 3 mm, then is held in this position for 30 sec before being withdrawn at a speed of 1 mm per second. The force response of the material is measured to produce a graph of the shape shown below. The hardness of the material (kg) can be determined by the maximum force as shown.

It has been found that a 6 mm probe can be an adequate criterion for hardness when analyzing samples made from porcine (or beef) skin protein. The 6 mm probe criterion was found to be a poor approximation for material hardness in partially hydrolyzed collagen samples, as it is a composite measure of shear strength and hardness. The high shear strength of partially hydrolyzed collagen samples distorts the results, so the 6 mm probe method is rejected and the cone probe method is used exclusively for these samples.

Shear Strength - Warner Brazler Stand

This texture analysis method uses a “ ˄ ” shaped blade (Warner Brazler blade) and a slotted head base plate to determine shear strength.

The following equipment and instruments are used for analysis on a strip 10 mm wide and 5 mm high or on a strip-shaped sample of unlimited length:

(i) Stable Micro Systems TA-HD.plus;

(ii) Heavy Duty Platform (HDP/90) - Maximum load 300 kg;

(iii) Warner Brazler blade - Maximum load 25 kg;

(vi) Probe Adapter (AD/100) - Maximum load 50 kg (custom made probes can be used which eliminate the use of a probe adapter and allow testing up to 250 kg);

(v) Support plate with 3mm slot;

(vi) 100 kg force sensor.

Sample preparation, testing and analysis data

The ribbon-shaped sample is placed in the instrument and a Warner Brazler blade is used to cut the sample. The maximum force (kg) required to shear the specimen gives the shear strength rating.

Description of feeding studies

Duration of chewing

The dog is given a chewable treat and a stopwatch is started. The countdown continues until the dog finishes eating the chew, and any pauses longer than 5 seconds are recorded. The pauses are then summed up and subtracted from the time on the stopwatch to arrive at “eating time.” Each dog in the group (approximately 10 dogs) is fed three times at the intervals specified in the product feeding guide (daily or weekly).

Taste appeal

Each dog in the group (approximately 30 dogs) is given a sample of each product to be compared. The produce is then cut into small pieces and placed inside boxes covered with a mesh lid so the product can be smelled but not seen. The dogs are then allowed to sniff each box before choosing which it prefers; the dog is then allowed to eat the selected sample. This is repeated eight times over two days, changing the order of the boxes to ensure an unbiased examination.

Example 7 - Additional Formulation

The following ingredients are combined as an additional formulation for an edible chewable product for animals, shown below in Table 10.

Table 10

Ingredient Parts (wt.) Corn starch 45-55 Partially hydrolyzed collagen 25-35 Modified OSA starch 5 -15 Pork skin protein 5-15 Other additives (including salt, flavoring, vitamins, minerals, emulsifier, flour) 1-10

This formulation has been found to be particularly effective as an edible chewable product for animals.

Claims (51)

1. An edible chewable product for animals containing: from 8 to 60% wt. partially hydrolyzed collagen; And from 1 to 25% wt. alkyl succinate-modified starch, wherein the animal chewable edible product has a tensile viscosity greater than 200 MPa. 2. The pet chew according to claim 1, wherein the alkyl succinate is a C ₄ -C ₁₂ alkyl succinate. 3. An edible animal chew according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the succinate is a metal succinate. 4. The edible animal chew product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the alkyl succinate-modified starch is selected from sodium octenyl starch succinate, calcium octenyl starch succinate, potassium octenyl starch succinate, aluminum octenyl starch succinate, and any combination thereof. 5. The edible pet chew product according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the edible pet chew product contains partially hydrolyzed collagen and wherein the partially hydrolyzed collagen has a Bloom gel strength of at least 300, when measured in accordance with the ISO 9665 standard. 6. The edible animal chew product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the partially hydrolyzed collagen has a molecular weight of at least 60 kDa, optionally at least 70 kDa, as measured using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). 7. The edible pet chew product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the partially hydrolyzed collagen, before being incorporated into the edible pet chew product, may be produced by a process comprising spinning the wet collagen product into a pulp form from a hide or skin at a temperature of 50° C or less, followed by drying the wet collagen product using a contact dryer having a surface temperature of 150°C or higher to obtain partially hydrolyzed collagen in powder form. 8. An edible pet chew according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the partially hydrolyzed collagen contains a mixture of 30:70 to 70:30 of a water-soluble component and a water-insoluble component. 9. The edible chewable product for animals according to any one of the previous paragraphs, further comprising high-purity natural collagen, in which the high-purity natural collagen contains less than 8% by weight. fat 10. An edible chewable product for animals according to any one of the previous paragraphs, in which the edible chewable product for animals contains from 15 to 45% wt. partially hydrolyzed collagen. 11. An edible chewable product for animals according to any of the previous paragraphs, in which the edible chewable product for animals contains from 20 to 40% wt. partially hydrolyzed collagen. 12. An edible chewable product for animals according to any of the previous paragraphs, in which the edible chewable product for animals contains from 1 to 20% wt. alkyl succinate modified starch. 13. The pet chew as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pet chew further comprises unmodified starch. 14. An edible chewable product for animals according to claim 13, in which the edible chewable product for animals contains 50% wt. or less unmodified starch. 15. Edible chewable product for animals according to any one of paragraphs. 13 or 14, in which the edible chewable product for animals contains 10% wt. or more unmodified starch. 16. Edible chewable product for animals according to any one of paragraphs. 13-15, in which the edible chewable product for animals contains 15% wt. or more unmodified starch. 17. Edible chewable product for animals according to any one of paragraphs. 13-16, in which the unmodified starch contains corn starch. 18. The pet chew as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pet chew contains a plasticizer. 19. The edible animal chew product of claim 18, wherein the plasticizer is selected from glycerin and water. 20. Edible chewable product for animals according to any one of paragraphs. 18, 19, in which the edible chewable product for animals contains from 15 to 45% wt. plasticizer. 21. An edible chewable product for animals according to any one of the previous paragraphs, in which the edible chewable product for animals contains less than 5% wt. fat 22. The pet chew as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pet chew is an elongated pet chew. 23. The edible pet chew product of claim 22, wherein the chew product is elongated along an axis and at least one channel extends through the chew product along the axis. 24. The pet chew as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pet chew is extruded. 25. The pet chew as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pet chew has an internal porous structure. 26. The pet chew of claim 25, wherein the pet chew is a thermally expanded pet chew. 27. The pet chew as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pet chew is aerated. 28. The edible animal chew product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the alkyl succinate-modified starch is sodium octenyl starch succinate. 29. The animal chewable product according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tensile viscosity of the animal chewable product is at least 300 MPa. 30. The edible pet chew product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the edible pet chew product contains additives selected from water, salt, flavorings, palatants, meat powder, emulsifiers, vitamins, minerals, flour and preservatives, where additives make up 10% wt. or less edible pet chew. 31. A method for producing an edible chewing product for animals according to any one of paragraphs. 1-30, and this method includes: A. preparing an edible chewable product composition containing: partially hydrolyzed collagen; And alkyl succinate modified starch; b. heating the edible chewable product composition to obtain a flowable edible chewable product composition; c. extruding a flowable edible chewing product composition to produce an extrudate; d. allowing the extrudate to cool and harden to form an edible chewable product for animals. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the flowable edible chewable product composition leaves the extruder at a temperature above the melting point of the partially hydrolyzed collagen. 33. The method of claim 31, wherein the temperature is 100° C. or greater such that the steam causes the fluid edible chew mixture to expand and form an internal porous structure in the finished edible pet chew. 34. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 31, 32, in which the temperature is 150°C or less. 35. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 31-34, in which the edible chewing product composition is produced in a cylindrical extruder. 36. The method according to claim 35, in which the temperature of the barrel in the cylindrical extruder increases in the direction of extrusion. 37. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 31-36, wherein the extruder is a single screw extruder or a twin screw extruder. 38. The method according to claim 36, in which the screw rotates at a speed of 80 to 300 rpm. 39. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 31-38, in which the specific mechanical energy (SME) applied by the extruder ranges from 60 to 120 kW/kg. 40. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 31-39, in which the extrusion is the extrusion of a supercritical fluid. 41. The method of claim 40, wherein the supercritical fluid is nitrogen or carbon dioxide. 42. Edible chewable product for animals according to any one of paragraphs. 1-30, in which the edible chewable product for animals is produced by the method according to any one of claims. 31-41.

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