PET Food Processing - June 2018 - 52

FORMULATION

Ground miscanthus
grass (M-Fiber) is a
fiber substitute for
tomato pomace,
beet pulp and powdered cellulose.
Renew Biomass

acids for the broad benefits they can deliver. Omegas
can be beneficial in treating flea allergy dermatitis, skin
conditions, arthritis, kidney disease, feline immune deficiency virus (FIV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and
cancer. New methods in both the human and pet arenas deliver the functionality of increased omega fatty
acids to foods by being inherent in the muscle meat,
milk and eggs. A new concept of delivering omegas 3
into pet foods comes from XFE Products, Des Moines,
Iowa. Managing director of XFE Products James Ball
says, "Our fully processed, proprietary, flax and canola
product is added as a supplement to the feed of hogs,
cows and chickens which enhances the omega 3 levels
200 to 400% in the resulting meat, milk and egg products." Nutritionist Dennis Nuttleman has worked with
XFE Products for the past 15 years and partnered with
Kansas State University to verify the omega 3 levels and
the quality of the resulting products. XFE Products and
Kansas State University shared product testing results in
the American Society of Animal Science, March 2017.

Processing partners
Specialty pet foods can be a challenge to process for
many reasons. Finding the right industry expert or
services can be key to producing a safe, consistent and
effective product. For low temperature, minimally processed or raw products, high pressure pasteurization
(HPP) reduces the risk of microbial growth. HPP is a
cold pasteurization technique which subjects finished
product, already sealed in its final package, to a high level of isostatic pressure (300-600MPa/43,500-87,000psi)
transmitted by water. This method of processing food
has been used in human foods for some time and is
now gaining popularity in pet foods. Pressures above

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400 MPa/58,000 psi at a cold (+4°C to 10°C) or ambient temperature inactivate vegetative flora such as yeast,
mold, bacteria, viruses and parasites that may be present in food. HPP not only improves food safety but also
extends shelf life and maintains the textural and nutritional properties of the food.
High-protein pet food and pet treat formulas can be
difficult to process efficiently and effectively in high volumes. Brands looking to meet the market demand for
high-protein products can benefit from working with
suppliers experienced in delivering meat inclusion at
exceptionally high levels. "As the consumer demand for
these specialty meat-add foods, supplements and treats
continue to require higher meat inclusion levels - upwards of 100% as a percent to the dry feed rate - we
have found a unique approach using the basis of our
original single-screw design that has been extremely
adaptable to these evolving product genres from high
fresh meat to limited ingredient to grain free," says Will
Henry, research and development at Extru-Tech, Inc.,
Sabetha, Kansas. "This helps our client-producers to
provide the high-protein product consumers want at a
manufacturing cost not achievable with most other processing methods."
For brands entering the specialty pet food and treat
market, a co-manufacturer can be an important partner
vested in the brand's success. Co-manufacturers such as
Ballard Manufacturing, Pro-Pet, C.J. Foods and Barrett
Ag invest in equipment and bulk ingredients and often
help formulate new products at no charge to help bring
a product to market. "Pet product brands use co-manufacturers because of the very high costs of equipment,
the mountain of regulatory requirements, the savings on
ingredients purchased in large quantities, the high cost

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