FOOD PRODUCT OF MULTIPLE COMPONENTS AND METHODS TO MAKE AND USE THE SAMEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention This invention relates to food products and, more particularly, to dry food products with multiple components for pets and animals that significantly improve their appetizing taste.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART Semi-moist edible products are known in the art. Such products, for example, include those made by adding a mild component based on water to a dry component. The water-based component is typically stabilized by using a variety of gelatinous agents, sugars, salts, glycols, and / or by using heat. The Patent of the United States of America numberUS 4,190,679 discloses a double texture animal food product containing a soft moist fleshy portion containing 15 to 25 percent moisture with a water activity of 0.5 to 0.90. U.S. Patent No. 3,916,029 discloses a center-filled pet food having a semi-moist internal mold on the outside of a pasta crust. The inner mold has a wet content of 15 to 40 percent by weight and a water activity below about 0.85. Antifungal agents are required to prevent mold growth. U.S. Patent No. 3,922,353 refers to a center-filled product having a meat-based filler having a water activity greater than about 0.90 and a water content greater than about 50 percent by weight. weight. Pressure cooking, acidification and antifungals are required. U.S. Patent No. 4,006,266 relates to a two-component animal food product having a mild component made of water, sugar, protein adhesive, animal protein source, vegetable protein source, fat, and an agent that plasticida. The mild component has a humidity of between 11 to 14 percent and a water activity of 0.60 to 0.75, and is subject to elevated temperatures of 215 to 180 ° F. The foregoing patents of the United States of America are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. U.S. Patent No. 4,508,741 describes an animal food product having a double coating center. The center is made mainly of a floury material. U.S. Patent No. 4,847,098 discloses a dual texture food article having a relatively hard phase in contact with a relatively smooth phase. The soft phase is a low-fat water-in-oil emulsion made from a dispersed aqueous phase or syrup, at least one emulsifier, and a lower continuous oil phase. The ingredients for the soft portion include water, different grains and solids of meat, propylene glycol, and high fructose corn syrup to help control water activity. U.S. Patent No. 4,900,572 discloses a dual texture animal food product that is made by coextrusion. The interior component of soft texture is subject to heat and pressure and water is added for its expansion. U.S. Patent No. 4,795,655 is a double serving animal food product. One serving is softer than the other dry and hard portion. The soft portion contains egg solids, flour-, ground grain, sugar and 30 to 40 percent by weight water. The finished product is baked to ensure its stability. U.S. Patent No. 4,364,925 discloses a chewy double-textured dog food to provide a long-lasting bone that is molded into different shapes that may include baking to promote chewing. The cellulose fibers, collagen and protein are combined with a leather-derived binder to form a hard composition. The soft composition is not well defined. The foregoing patents of the United States of America are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. U.S. Patent No. 5,695,797 discloses a co-extruded animal food product in which the outer housing has a moisture content of between 20 percent and 40 percent and the filler represents between 30 percent and 40 percent of the total volume. The product requires a preservative such as a phosphoric acid, an additive to decrease the action of water, an anti-mold ingredient, and an antioxidant because the product of U.S. Patent No. 5,695,797 has a high moisture content. The foregoing Patent of the United States of North America is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,641,529 and 5,449,281 disclose various equipment for the preparation of coextruded products formed and of three-dimensional shapes. The foregoing Patents of the United States of America are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
U.S. Patent No. 4,273,788 discloses a bulk mixture of hard and soft animal food products. The hard animal food product is in the form of pieces and the soft food product is in the form of cords. Soft cords are described as semi-moist. Water is added to the soft composition before extrusion. The extruded composition is subject to elevated temperatures from about 215 to 280 ° F, which in this way lowers the moisture content to approximately 11 to 14 percent. The foregoing Patent of the United States of North America is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Patent No. 4,574,690 discloses an apparatus and a process for producing a co-extruded food product having a food filler material surrounded by a molded food material. U.S. Patent No. 4,025,260 discloses a food extrusion capable of producing a rolled food particle having a meat filler covered with dough. U.S. Patent No. 5,208,059 discloses an apparatus and method for producing double-textured food pieces. The food pieces have cavities filled with a pumped, heated food material. The foregoing Patents of the United States of America are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. U.S. Patent No. 5,194,283 discloses a product composed of cheese having a covered center. The center is relatively softer than the outer wrap layer. Both the outer layer and the inner core are cheeses and therefore both are high fat compositions. The inner center becomes softer than the outer layer by increasing the fat content of the inner cottage cheese center. The foregoing Patent of the United States of North America is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Patent No. 5,643,623 and International Patent Publication No. WO 96/39869 disclose a natural food product that contains a lipid-based center used to distribute mixtures of antioxidants such as alpha-carotene, zeta-carotene, phyto-flux , phytoene, vitamin C, vitamin E, or curcumin. Antioxidants are fat soluble and are incorporated within the lipid-based center. The above-mentioned United States of America Patent and International Patent Publication are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. It is desirable to provide an appetizing edible product without the use of water. As described above, conventional products use water to increase the flavor of animal or pet food products, which in this way creates animal or semi-moist pet food products. It would be very convenient to improve shelf stability and other characteristics by avoiding the use of high levels of water in animal or pet food products. Additionally, it would be convenient to provide an appetizing edible product that functions as an application system for various nutritional, functional or pharmaceutical ingredients. Typically, conventional products can not apply these ingredients because conventional products require significant heat processes and / or acidic conditions for their stability. Such severe conditions alter or destroy the nutritional, functional or pharmaceutical ingredients. In addition, it would be convenient to provide a product that avoids the need for elaborate packaging materials that are required to control humidity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a multi-component food product that is stable on the shelf having improved palatability and methods for making and using the same. The stable multi-component animal or pet food product on the shelf of the present invention can function as an application system of various nutritive ingredients, functional and / or pharmaceutical. The present invention also provides methods for making and using such application systems. A double-textured animal food product of the present invention comprises (i) a first component that contains at least one ingredient comprising a lipid, wherein the first component has a total moisture content of less than about 25 weight percent and where the first component does not contain an aqueous phase; and (ii) a second component containing at least one ingredient comprising a carbohydrate, fat, protein, or a combination thereof, wherein the second component has a total moisture content of less than about 25 weight percent; wherein the first component is in the form of at least a discrete portion of the second component, and the second component at least partially surrounds the discrete portions. A method for making a double-textured animal food product of the present invention comprises that a first component is coextruded into a second component to form an extrudate, wherein (a) the first component contains at least one lipid and less than 25 weight percent moisture, and (b) the second component contains less than 25 weight percent moisture and contains at least one carbohydrate, a fat, a protein, or a combination thereof, and wherein the first component is in the form of a discrete portion of the second component. A method for applying at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of nutritional, functional, and pharmaceutical compounds to the animal, in accordance with the present invention, comprises the step of feeding the animal with the double-textured animal food product of the present invention. . A method for increasing in vivo oxidative defense indices in an animal, in accordance with the present invention, comprises administering to the animal an animal food product of the present invention. A method for attenuating in vivo the exercise-mediated oxidative stress in an animal, in accordance with the present invention, comprises administering to the animal an animal food product of the present invention. In addition, the present invention provides a functional application system for ingredients that provide responses such as skin and coat augmentation, anti-inflammatory functions, enhanced immune response functions, antioxidant functions and / or parasite control functions. The present invention provides a functional application system for antibiotics and / or prebiotics and / or probiotics for the maintenance of gastrointestinal health functions. The present invention provides a double-component animal or pet food product from an edible interior component and an edible exterior component. The inner component is a mixture of lipids and solids that form a smooth mold with a creamy appearance. Since this soft mold is formed without the need to add water, it has a very low water content and very low water activity levels. Consequently, the soft lipid composition does not require rigorous sterilization techniques or antimicrobial / antifungal agents for its stabilization. The mild lipid composition also does not require any ingredient for moisture control. The outer component is based on cereal and preferably is harder than the inner portion. The external component may have an aligned fibrous texture 8 created by means of the extrusion process. The combination of two components and textures provides a convenient increase in taste over the same compositional ingredients made in a mono-component product. Thus, surprisingly, the present invention provides a significant improvement in taste by having a softer lipid-based center surrounded by a harder bark material. In addition, the present invention allows the use of simple packing techniques because, because the inner lipid mold that is surrounded by the cereal-based rind, the lipid material is surprisingly protected from twisting through the rind. In accordance with the above, there is no twisting of lipids in the packaging material for the double component product of the present invention. Typically, the high lipid content of the dry food for pets or animals is twisted in the packaging material which in this way causes undesirable grease spots. The fact that the lipids are concentrated in the inner mold and that they are surrounded by an outer shell component allows the inner mold to have a higher content of lipids without twisting, than an unprotected lipid material of the prior art. Therefore, the present invention provides a food component which has a high concentration of lipids which is desirable, but which still uses simple packaging techniques, without the need for specialized and expensive packaging techniques generally associated with high-content products. lipids. The prior art products are not able to function as an application system for the various nutritional, functional, or pharmaceutical additive ingredients because the prior art requires significant heat processes and / or acidic conditions for their stability. Such severe conditions can alter or destroy such an additive. The present invention, however, does not use such severe conditions. In addition, in the prior art moisture should be controlled in order to prevent spoilage of the inherent nutritional ingredients from spoiling them. However, as mentioned above, the more elaborate techniques and material that are required for moisture control in the prior art are no longer required for the present invention. The objects, advantages and additional features of the various aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of their preferred embodiments, which description is given together with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of an animal or pet food product of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of an animal or pet food product of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of an animal or pet food product of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of an animal or pet food product of the present invention. Figure 5 is a perspective view of an animal or pet food product of the present invention. Figure 6A is a cross-sectional perspective view of an animal or pet food product of the present invention. Figure 6B is a schematic sectional view, along the lines of section A of Figure 6A of an animal or pet food product of the present invention. Figure 7 is a graphical representation of the relationship between consumption and time comparing the taste of a double texture modality of the present invention with the taste of the products of two monotextures where the vertical axis represents consumption (in grams) ) and the horizontal axis represents the time (in minutes).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a shelf-stable multi-component double-textured animal or pet food product that contains a softer lipid-based portion connected to a crust or portion of harder mold material having palatability significantly improved, compared to animal or pet food products that have a single texture. The present invention provides enhanced palatability and in addition the food is nutritionally complete in accordance with American Feed Controls Officials (AFCO) standards. One aspect of the invention provides a double texture edible product having a softer portion containing lipids and a harder portion with a cereal base. The softer component is preferably a mixture of lipids and solids that form a mold of smooth creamy appearance. Since this soft mold has a minimum water content and very low levels of water activity, it does not require severe sterilization techniques for its preservation, additional ingredients for moisture control, or antimicrobial / antifungal agents for stabilization. Studies of the shelf life environment indicate that the product of the present invention is stable, while maintaining a superior nutritional performance, even after one year. The cereal-based component is preferably harder than the lipid-containing component. According to one embodiment, the lipid-containing component forms an outer shell that surrounds the soft component that has the shape of an inner portion.
Referring to Figure 1, an animal or pet food product 10 includes an outer portion 12 surrounding an inner portion 11. Although the ends of the food product 10 may optionally have an inner portion 11 exposed, it is preferred that the inner portion 11 be covered at the ends by means of an outer portion 12. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an extruded bark product includes an inner creamy material that is pumped into the die plate of the bark extruder and is evenly distributed within the plates. extruded strings. Then, the extruded filled strings are crimped and cut to form a figure known in the food industry for pet or pet food as "pillow" figures. The extrusion can utilize, without requiring the use of water, any convenient extrusion process and apparatus such as, for example, those currently in use which to date have required the use of water to form animal or semi-animal food products. wet. In other examples, the material of the crust that is extruded can include up to 25 percent of water added to the ingredient of the paste, before extrusion, to improve the extrusion. However, the soft portion of the center that is co-extruded at the center of the extruded rope does not contain any water aggregate. The amount of water added to the outer shell material does not require extreme heat to remove the water due to the geometry of the extruded product. The water in this invention is found only in the crust which is relatively thin compared to the general thickness of the product. As a result, the water has a shorter path length to the surface, and can be removed under relatively cooler temperatures and during shorter periods of heat, compared to the relatively longer path length for water in the prior art of the product. It has water through the product which requires higher temperatures and longer periods of heat. In this way, the ingredients of the present invention are not subject to extreme heat deteriorating conditions. Referring to Figure 6A, an animal or pet food product 60 has an outer portion 62. With reference to Figure 6B, a cross section of the food product 60, an outer portion 62 surrounds the inner portion 61. Optionally, the outer portion 62 has an aligned "fibrous" texture 69 created by an extrusion process. Other embodiments include a product in which the soft component is partially surrounded by a mold comprising the cereal based component. In this way, the soft portion is still partially protected by the portion of the cereal-based mold. In addition, the soft component is in the form of discrete portions within the product in such a way that the "double texture" is maintained. It is understood that the unexpectedly improved food performance of the double texture aspect of the present invention is maintained by such partially enclosed modes, while the stability and non-twist aspects would be lower than the fully enclosed modes. Referring to Figure 2, an animal or pet food product 20 includes a layer of a softer first component 21 sandwiched between a second harder component 22. Referring to Figure 3, an animal or pet food product 30 includes a strip of a softer first component 31 on a second harder component 32. Referring to Figure 4, an animal or pet food product 40 includes discrete pieces of a softer first component 41 within a second harder component 42. Referring to Figure 5, an animal or pet food product 50 includes a softer first component 51 blended with a second harder component 52 to form discrete ridges within a veined product. The discrete striae can be random or determined previously in distribution or in quantity. It should be appreciated that the food products illustrated in the figures may be presented in any size and shape that is convenient, including individual pieces the size of a bite and other sizes of food products conventionally made in boxes, rectangles, round, oval, spherical, elliptical, in donuts or in other forms. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art to determine the appropriate size and shape for any particular animal application. The softer interior portion or component is a lipid-based composition having a total moisture content of less than about 25 weight percent, more conveniently less than about 20 weight percent, more conveniently less than about 15 weight percent. percent by weight of moisture, even more conveniently less than about 12 weight percent, even more conveniently less than 10 weight percent, still more preferably less than 8 percent by weight, and much more preferably less than 6 percent by weight. The softer inner portion or component includes lipids such as, for example, monodi, or saturated or unsaturated, long or medium chain triacylglycerols. Other ingredients may be included such as, for example, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and combinations thereof. The additional ingredients may be, for example, nutritional compounds, non-nutritive compounds, or a combination thereof. Examples of the nutritional compounds that may be included in the softer interior portion or component include mineral supplements, vitamins B, and mixtures thereof. Non-nutritive compounds include, for example, herbal compounds, plant extracts or mixtures thereof. In addition, the inner portion or component may include one or more antioxidant ingredients that may be nutritious or non-nutritive. Examples of nutritive antioxidants include carotenoids provitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and mixtures thereof. Examples of the carotenoids of provitamin A include all trans and cis beta-carotenes, all trans and cis-alphacarotenes, and all trans and cis-ga acarotides *. Examples of the non-nutritive antioxidants include the non-provitamin A carotenes, anti-inflammatory agents, and mixtures thereof. Examples of the non-provitamin A carotenes are the zetacarotins, translipepnes, cislicopenes, phytofluene, phytoene, and curcumin. Examples of anti-inflammatory agents include a fatty acid, a turmeric extract such as curcumin, and mixtures thereof. It is desirable that the softer inner portion or component have a water activity, aw, less than about 0.65, more convenient than the aw is less than about 0.50, even more convenient than the aw is less than about 0.40, and much more convenient that the aw is less than about 0.35. It is convenient for the above that the lipid content of the softer inner portion or component is greater than about 10 weight percent, more convenient than the lipid content is greater than about 15 weight percent, even more convenient that the lipid content is greater than about 20 weight percent, and much more convenient that the lipid content is greater than about 30 weight percent. It is suitable for the inner portion or component comprising about 40 to 90 weight percent solids and about 10 to 60 weight percent lipids; more convenient for the inner portion or component comprising about 50 to 80 weight percent solids and about 20 to 50 weight percent lipids; and even more convenient for the inner portion or component comprising about 55 to 65 weight percent solids and about 45 to 35 weight percent lipids, with the sum of the weight percentage of solids and lipids, in all cases , that does not exceed 100 percent in weight. It is much more preferable for the inner portion or component comprising about 60 weight percent solids and 40 weight percent lipids. The softer interior portion or component may include an additive such as nutritive compounds, functional compounds, pharmaceutical compounds, and mixtures thereof. Such additives can be effective additives to improve the skin of the pet or the properties of its fur, so that they are anti-inflammatory, so that they are antioxidants, to improve their breath, to improve the functions of immune response, to fight parasites, or to combat microbes In addition, such additives may be, for example, anti-inflammatories, and anti-oxidants, anti-parasitic, a refresher for the encouragement, an improvement for the skin, a humectant, or a mixture of the above. The softer inner portion or component is in proportion of about 5 to about 50 weight percent of the total product. The hardest outer portion or component is a composition having a low total moisture content of less than about 25 weight percent.
The hardest outer portion or component is a composition that includes carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and combinations thereof. One aspect of the invention provides a shelf-stable double texture food product that functions as an application system for various functional, nutritive, and / or pharmaceutical ingredients. Preferably, the soft component serves as an application system for functional ingredients, especially those that are sensitive to heat, light, and oxygen. Since the soft component is at least partially, and preferably completely, encapsulated by the shell / mold portion, the functional ingredients are substantially protected from heat, light and oxygen. Therefore, an aspect of the invention provides a stable double-textured animal or pet food product on the shelf that functions as an application system for various functional, nutritive, and / or pharmaceutical ingredients. Preferably, the soft component serves as an application system for functional ingredients, especially those that are sensitive to heat, light, and oxygen. Since the soft component is at least partially, and preferably completely, encapsulated by the shell / mold portion, the functional ingredients are substantially protected from heat, light and oxygen. Therefore, an aspect of the invention provides a stable animal or pet food product on the multi-component shelf in which various functional, nutritional and pharmaceutical ingredients can be added and protected in the inner mold of the heat center, the light, and oxygen. In addition, some functional ingredients can emit bad odors or colors when mixed through a product. The partial or total encapsulation substantially overcomes the above problems. Additionally, the functional ingredients, which are generally soluble in fat, by being contained in the lipid-based material are more easily absorbed in the digestive tract. In accordance with the above, the latter can be administered more effectively. Another aspect of the invention provides a product by means of which the inner lipid mold is surrounded by the cereal-based crust that protects the lipid material against twisting, thus allowing the use of simple packing techniques. The present invention provides a functional application system for the improvement of skin and fur. For example, the functional ingredient in sunflower or safflower oil, linoleic acid, can be mixed in the core filling material with lipid base at determined levels of 4 to 8 grams / 400 K calories. It is difficult to add either sunflower or safflower oil to a conventional dry animal or pet food product because the added linoleic acid alters the extrusion parameters, which in this way causes undesirable changes in texture, increased manufacturing costs, and Increase in packaging material costs to minimize and prevent twisting. In contrast, it is very simple to incorporate linoleic acid into the lipid template portion of the present invention. Other ingredients such as, for example, sulfur amino acids that can be added as part of the solids in the lipid moiety portion. Since these amino acids are sensitive to heat, incorporation into the center fill, rather than passing them through elevated temperatures of the conventional extrusion process, prevents degradation.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a functional application system for anti-inflammatory functions. For example, curcumin can be added to the central filling material. Since this ingredient is yellow-colored, the addition of this ingredient to the outer crust, makes the product an undesirable color. The addition of this ingredient in the central filling material hides the yellow color raised. Additionally, anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical ingredients can be incorporated into the central filling material to control inflammation. Still other aspects of the present invention provide a functional application system for improving respiratory functions. Ingredients such as rosemary seed oil, clove, and parsley can be added to the core filling material. Since these ingredients have strong flavors and aromas, mixing them in a central filling material dampens the flavor and aroma of these functional ingredients, and also allows for their increased stability. The present invention also provides a functional application system for improved immune response functions. For example, oil of herb of ass or echinacea can be added to the material of central filling, avoiding by means of the same its degradation, and improving its stability. Another aspect of the present invention provides a functional application system for antioxidant functions. "There are different ingredients that can function as antioxidants, for example, (i) vitamin E, which is soluble in lipids, thus incorporated easily and conveniently in the portion of lipid matrix, and (ii) carotenoids that are orange-colored, and are labile to heat, light, and oxygen, thus conveniently incorporated within the central lipid matrix portion surrounded by an outer shell material. The present invention also provides a functional application system for parasite control functions.Pharmaceutical ingredients are currently incorporated into tablets.These tablets are often difficult to administer.There is an increasing desire on the part of consumers to incorporate these ingredients. in food product for pets or animals, for ease of administration Pharmaceutical ingredients such as, for example, those effective against heartworm, intestinal worms, fleas, and / or ticks, can be incorporated into the central lipid matrix portion of the present invention for administration. Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a functional application system for antibiotics and / or prebiotics and / or probiotics for the maintenance of healthy gastrointestinal functions. Different antibiotics can be incorporated into the central lipid matrix portion. Prebiotics such as insulin or fruit oligosaccharide (FOS) can be incorporated as part of the combined solids by mixing with the lipids. Probiotics, such as lactobacillus or bifidobacterium, can be added lyophilized to the lipid, and have higher survival rates than by incorporation in conventional food products for pets or animals, because the severe sterilization process of the conventional feed for puppies is not required. or animals. The lyophilized cells can thus remain dormant in the lipid matrix of the present invention, and remain protected until the cells reach the Gl tract, where cells can proliferate conveniently. The double textured animal food product of the present invention can be of any convenient size, suitable for a particular pet type application. One of ordinary skill in the art knows what sizes are appropriate for a particular type of pet such as, for example, cat puppies, cats, old cats, small dogs, medium-sized dogs, large dogs, and old dogs. In one example, double texture animal food product of the present invention has a larger dimension, less than about 20 millimeters, and a second larger dimension, less than about 15 millimeters. In another example, the largest dimension varies from about 8 to about 10 millimeters, and the second largest dimension varies from about 8 to about 10 millimeters. Another has a larger dimension ranging from about 10 to about 12 millimeters, and a larger second dimension varies from about 14 to about 16 millimeters. Another has a larger dimension of less than about 30 millimeters, and a second larger dimension of less than about 30 millimeters. The double-textured animal food product of the present invention, in another example, is in the form of a substantially rectilinear box having a first dimension ranging from about 7 to about 15 millimeters, a second dimension ranging from about 7 to about 15 millimeters, and a third dimension that varies from approximately 3 to approximately 10 millimeters. In another example, the box shape has a first dimension ranging from about 15 millimeters to about 30 millimeters, a second dimension ranging from about 15 millimeters to about 30 millimeters, and a third dimension ranging from about 5 millimeters to about 15 millimeters. millimeters The double textured animal food product of the present invention can be formed to have any convenient individual weight suitable for application to the particular pet type. For example, in an example for cats, the product weighs from about 0.1 to about 10 grams per piece. The present invention includes mixing pieces of different weights for one application, as well as pieces of uniform weights.
Examples The following examples are illustrative of some products, and methods for making such double texture products, which fall within the scope of the present invention. The examples in no way limiting the invention should not be considered. One of ordinary skill in the art can make numerous changes and modifications with respect to the invention, without undue experimentation. In general, specific processes, such as mixing, grinding, cooking, heating, extrusion, or bark formation, which are used to make the pet or animal food products of the present invention, are well known in the industry. In addition, safety procedures that are required to produce a suitable pet or animal food product are also well known in the art and are followed in practicing the present invention. When a digest is used, safe digest conditions are also well known, such as maintaining a pH between about 1.0 to about 5.0. In general, the harder bark ingredients are combined, uniformly, in the presence of a magnet before grinding, during grinding a demouldler is used, and the ground product is tested with a metal detector to remove any parts of potentially harmful and unhealthy metal. The mill and the sieve must be capable of producing, for a product directed to felines, for example, an average particle size of about 200D to about 300D. Other animals would require different particle sizes, well known in the field. The sifter can be any convenient sifter such as, for example, a vibrating bed / vibrator screen. For one of ordinary experience in the pet or animal feed industry, it is also well known to safely handle the milder core ingredients such as, for example, tallow, lard, digest, meat mixture, and vegetable oil. Storage conditions such as, for example, keeping tanks at a temperature between about 45 ° C to about 75 ° C are well known. The tallow is generally metered preferably from the tempered crude application system from about 55 ° C to about 65 ° C. Preferably, the sebum is filtered through the US Standard 18 Mesh filter (maximum opening of 1,000 microns). The procedures for sebum are well known in the industry, with the object of producing a suitable healthy pet or animal food product. In general, it is recommended that the dry component of the food of the internal cream matrix be first added to the mixer, followed by the tallow and other fat and oily ingredients. Optionally, an emulsifier can be added to the tallow before mixing. As is known in the art, particles originating from air, dust, and splashes should be minimized in order to produce a suitable healthy pet or animal food product. The creamy material should be added and mixed until the dry ingredients are well mixed and covered with grease and oily ingredients, so that no dry material is observed. The absolute viscosity is preferably below about 25,000 cP in the temperature range from about 32 ° C to about 50 ° C. The cream tanks should conveniently be clear and agitated surfaces, keeping the product at a temperature of from about 40 ° C to about 50 ° C. The agitators must be suitably dimensioned to prevent the entry of air through the formation of the vortex. The mixing speed must be conveniently controlled to prevent the entry of air through the formation of the whirlpool.
General procedures should be followed to avoid contamination by Salmonella and other microorganisms. These procedures include, for example, keeping the systems sealed at positive pressure with filtered air and treated with ultraviolet rays. Any convenient method can be used to form the cream, to form the outer shell material, to load the materials into an extruder, and to coextrude the outer and inner materials. Those methods are well known to one of ordinary skill in the art, for the purpose of using the compositions of the present invention to produce the product of the present invention. For one of ordinary skill in the art, the appropriate rheological properties, necessary for the particular convenient extruder being used, should be evident. The use of mills, sieves, filters, temperature control devices, safety equipment, controllers, etc. is well known in the art. For one of ordinary skill in the art it should be apparent that the mild composition of the internal component of the present invention does not require the addition of water for processing. The internal component of the present invention, however, must be maintained at a sufficiently high temperature, such that the mixture is sufficiently soft, and at a sufficiently low temperature, such that the mixture is sufficiently rigid, to allow its processing effective in the convenient extrusion equipment. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that in order to prevent the particles from damaging the equipment, or being a danger to the consumer, those particles must be removed by any convenient method such as, for example, by filtering, sifting, exclusion magnetic, and sedimentation. Although any convenient extruder may be used, in one example, an extruder configured with a coextrusion die configuration was used in a twin screw extruder. In one configuration, product streams to the extruder included mixed feed, potable water, steam injection, inclusion of pumpable meat, optionally tallow, and a corn oil additive assisted by extrusion to form the crust. pre-conditioner to prepare the feed for extrusion.In this case, although a small amount of water was added to the ingredients of the bark to aid processing, the water was easily removed by vaporization in an extrusion head, or by of drying at low temperature at about 220 ° F to about 250 ° F (about 100 ° C to about 116 ° C) for about 20 minutes Drying can be done in two stages, about 10 minutes "about 220 ° F (100 ° C) ° C), followed by approximately 10 minutes at approximately 250 ° F (116 ° C). The internal lipid-based portion had good heat insulating properties, thereby protecting the ingredients included from deterioration by the mild drying conditions. The extruded cord containing the softer inner lipid material, surrounded by the harder outer bark material, can be divided into convenient sized pieces that are closed at the ends, to have the innermost soft lipid material completely enclosed by the hardest external material. The division can be by any convenient process such as, for example, by the use of a folder. These folders are well known in the art. Condensation should be avoided over the product stream, and the process equipment should be sanitized chemically or by steam. Other sanitary measures well known to one skilled in the art should be followed to provide a healthy food product for pets or animals. Feeding performance is usually expressed in grams, representing the average intake per cat per feed. If the performance of the feeding is performed over a period of days, the grams represent the average intake per cat per day. The preference of the food is usually expressed as a percentage, representing the average percentage of animals that preferred one food over the others. For one of ordinary skill in the art, test procedures for determining feeding performance and feeding preference are well known. In the following example, the term "Chix" refers to a common product for pet foods.
This is a ground flour made from clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered chickens, and is manufactured by many well-known suppliers to one in the industry.
Examples IA, IB, Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 2: Example IA was a double-textured pet or animal food product of the present invention, made with a crust composed of the ingredients shown in Table 1, and filled with the ingredients shown in Table 2:Table 1Table 2Example IB was similar to Example IA, but with the inclusion of optional beef meat, beef / liver and salmon mixtures. The inclusion of meat to the rind in 5 weight percent of the total product was added. Comparative Example 1 was made by mixing all the ingredients, in the same amounts that were used to make Example 1, into a food product for pets or animals of a single texture. Comparative Example 2 was only the cortex. Referring to Figure 7, the feeding performance for Example IA is shown, by means of a feed curve 71. The feeding performance of Comparative Example 1 of the prior art is shown by means of a feed curve 72 for a single-textured food product, which contained in total the same ingredients as those that were used in Example IA. Feeding performance of only the shell component of the present invention, Comparative Example 2, is shown by means of a feed curve 73. Example IA and Comparative Example 1 were subjected to a shelf life test / Feeding Performance. Example IA showed feed yields of 88 grams of intake after 14 weeks of shelf storage, 75 grams of intake after 32 weeks of storage, and 78 grams of intake after 59 weeks of storage. In comparison, Comparative Example 1 of the conventional single-textured product showed feed yields of 65 grams taken after 14 weeks of shelf storage, 65 grams of intake after 32 weeks of storage, and 62 grams of intake after 59 weeks of storage. The data shows the improved feeding performance for the double-textured Example A of the present invention, when compared to a single component product containing all the same ingredients (Comparative Example 1), or when compared to the outer shell only (Comparative Example 2). The present invention was not only more appetizing, but the present invention maintained its increased palatability through a storage period of more than one year.
Example 2: A food product for pets or double-textured animals of the present invention was made with a crust composed of the ingredients shown in Table 3, and filled with the ingredients shown in Table 4:In extrusion, the filled crust comprised 62,000 weight percent batch food, 8,000 weight percent meat and 30,000 weight percent fill. Example 2 shows improved feed yields of 96 grams after 6 weeks, 71 grams after 26 weeks, and 88 grams after 57 weeks. The example2B was also made with the inclusion of optional meat, same as Example IB. Other feeds of feline preference demonstrated a greater 8 to 10 fold preference of the present invention over other dry products, including dry products that contain a high level of lipids. In a comparison test, a salmon-flavored example of the present invention was compared to a comparative example of a single texture, likewise of salmon flavor. The feed preference of the present invention was 90.1 percent, while the comparative example had a feed preference of 9.9 percent.
In another comparison, using a beef flavored example of the present invention, and a comparative example with beef flavor, the present invention showed a feed preference of 80.6 percent, as compared to 19.4 percent. cent for the comparative example. In yet another comparison, a 15-minute paired preference test showed, at 99% confidence, that the example of the present invention was preferred at 70.1 percent, while the comparison example was preferred at 29.9 percent. percent of cats. The feed yield was 41.8 grams for the example of the present invention, compared to 17.7 grams for the comparison example. These results for dry feed for pets or animals, especially for feline feeding behavior, are surprising and unexpected. The increased palatability resulting from the internal lipid-based matrix, in accordance with the present invention, provides an application system, as shown by the following examples, for a variety of nutritional, functional, and pharmaceutical ingredients - especially those that are (i) lipid solubles, (ii) are susceptible to degradation by heat, light or oxygen or (iii) are otherwise difficult to administer due to taste, color or odor.
The following examples show other embodiments of the present invention having an outer shell made with ingredients similar to those that were used in the previous Examples, and having milder internal lipid mixtures as indicated below.
Example 3: Example 3 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in table 5 below:Table 5Example 4: Example 4 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in table 6 below:Table 6Example 5: Example 5 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in table 7 below:Table 7Example 6: Example 6 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in table 8 below:Table 8Example 7: Example 7 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in table 9 below:Table 9Example 8: Example 8 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in table 10 below:Table 10Example 9: Example 9 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in table 11 below:Table 11Example 10: Example 10 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in Table 12 below:Example 11: Example 11 was made by making the internal filling with the ingredients shown in Table 13 below:Table 13In general, the approximate for the lipid core matrix of Examples 3-11 would be 36 weight percent protein, 6 weight percent ash, 42 weight percent fat, 10 weight percent carbohydrates, and 6 percent humidity. The approximate ones for the unprocessed batch feed that was used in the outer crust before extrusion is about 13 weight percent protein, 7 weight percent ash, 6 weight percent fat, 4 weight 100 weight percent fiber, 40 weight percent carbohydrate, and 10 weight percent moisture. Optionally fresh meat can be added to the batch feed to the extrusion. The protein / carbohydrate would be adjusted to accommodate the addition of meat, but nonetheless, the meat would raise the fat content. The final product would have a moisture content of less than about 12 weight percent and a water activity below 0.6. It is intended that the foregoing description of the invention be illustrative and not limiting. Different changes or modifications in the described modalities can occur for those skilled in the art. This can be done without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.