PET Food Processing - December 2019 - 23

FOOD SAFETY

TESTand verify
Increased vigilance, innovation,
more reliable technologies and
ever-improving QC measures
help pet food processors offer a
broad range of safer products.

By Jennifer Barnett Fox | petfoodprocessing@sosland.com

With dog and cat ownership on the rise throughout the
world and an increasingly globalized food chain, the importance of ongoing food safety and prevention of contamination or adulteration continues to grow. New technologies are helping manufacturers vet supply chains
and safeguard products.
Changing consumer expectations around pet food
are ushering in the need for a broader range of raw ingredients and the production of more specialized products for various health concerns, life stages and breeds.
The sheer number of additions makes it challenging for
manufacturers to keep up on the nutritional profile of
each ingredient and the naturally occurring variation
from batch-to-batch, while adjusting formulations to
meet the various nutritional profiles of a wide number
of finished products.
Creating products that pet owners trust requires pet
food manufacturers to stay up to date with a host of
quality control measures, including extensive in-house
testing and analysis. In-house testing for pet food applications may include pathogen testing, routine quality
control (QC) testing for moisture, water activity, color,
aroma, texture, particle size and adenosine triphosphate
(ATP) testing to verify surfaces and water sources are
clean. Additional tests may include protein, ash, fatty

acid profile, mycotoxin tests as well as peroxide value
(PV) testing. Some in-house labs may also do indicator
microbiology testing for physical contamination as well
as other final product defects for bad or missing seals.
"At the bare minimum is the ability to verify moisture
levels in final products for shelf stability and product
safety reasons," says Bob Schumann, director of product
management and marketing, Unity Scientific, Milford,
Massachusetts. "If this is the only testing a company
does, they must over-formulate to ensure label requirements are met. For most pet food manufacturers, it's
very cost effective to add in analyzers to verify the nutritional content of both finished products and ingredients." Moisture is always a concern in the finished product because it affects shelf life, palatability and cost of the
product sold. Frequent moisture analysis helps ensure
consistency of product and maximizes profits.
At C.J. Foods, Overland Park, Kansas, typical inhouse analysis for pet food applications includes protein, fat and moisture testing on inbound raw materials
and finished goods as they are processed and packaged.
The custom manufacturer of premium pet food (including grain-free, kibble with inclusions, high meat dog and
cat food, organic-certified and MSC-certified formulations) also measures water activity, primarily on finished

Testing equipment
suppliers are
working to make
systems more
user-friendly and
accuracy less
dependent on
the operator.
PerkinElmer Inc.

www.petfoodprocessing.net | December 2019 | PET FOOD PROCESSING

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PET Food Processing - December 2019

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