PET FOOD PRODUCT

Abstract

The present invention relates to a composition comprising a mixture of blood and intestines. The invention also relates to a meat like chunk comprising such a composition and a moist pet food comprising such a meat like chunk. The invention also relates to methods of making the composition, the meat like chunk and a moist pet food, or a dry pet food.

Claims

1-4. (canceled)

5. A meat like chunk comprising a mixture of blood and intestines.

6. The meat like chunk of claim 5, wherein the mixture of blood and intestines makes up from 5% to 90% by weight of the meat like chunk.

7. The meat like chunk of claim 5, wherein the meat like chunk comprises at least one additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of grain gluten, cereal, other protein gels, minerals, vitamins and meat.

8. A moist pet food wherein the moist pet food product contains from 50 to 90% moisture and comprises a meat like chunk comprising a mixture of blood and intestines.

9. The moist pet food of claim 8, wherein the moist pet food product contains gravy or jelly material.

10. (canceled)

11. A method of making a meat like chunk comprising a mixture of blood and intestines, wherein the method comprises: i) combining blood and intestines, ii) optionally cooling the blood and/or the intestines to a temperature below 10? C., iii) mixing together the blood and the intestines, optionally including one or more additional ingredients; and iv) forming a meat like chunk, wherein the one or more additional ingredients are selected from the group consisting of grain gluten, cereal, other protein gels, minerals, vitamins and meat.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the blood and intestines are mixed in advance of or at the same time of adding additional ingredients of the meat-like chunk.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises combining the meat like chunk with gravy, jelly, meat or meat batter.

14-15. (canceled)

16. The meat like chunk of claim 5, wherein the blood and the intestines are poultry blood and poultry intestines.

17. The meat like chunk of claim 5, wherein the blood is present in the mixture of blood and intestines in the ranges of 20% to 80% and/or the intestines is present in the mixture of blood and intestines in the ranges of 80% to 20% on a wet weight basis.

18. The meat like chunk of claim 5, wherein the intestines and blood are present in the mixture of blood and intestines in a ratio from 4:1 to 1:4.

19. The moist pet food of claim 8, wherein the blood and the intestines are poultry blood and poultry intestines.

20. The moist pet food of claim 8, wherein the blood is present in the mixture of blood and intestines in the ranges of 20% to 80% and/or the intestines is present in the mixture of blood and intestines in the ranges of 80% to 20% on a wet weight basis.

21. The moist pet food of claim 8, wherein the intestines and blood are present in the mixture of blood and intestines in a ratio from 4:1 to 1:4.

Description

[0047] The present invention is represented by figures, in which:

[0048] FIG. 1 Shows graphical representation of results from a water holding and fat holding capacity test of the homogenised mixture of blood and intestines versus intestine alone or beef spleen alone.

[0049] FIG. 2 Shows graphical representation of results from a microbial test of the homogenised mixture of blood and intestines versus intestine alone.

[0050] The present invention will now be described with reference to the following non-limiting examples:

EXAMPLES

Experiment 1

Production of a Homogenised Blood Intestine Composition

[0051] Blood and intestines were collected from chickens and cooled to 5? C. within 30 minutes of collection.

[0052] The blood and intestines were stored at <7? C. for maximum 72 hours. The blood and intestines were placed in an homogenizing equipment at a blood to intestines ratio of 2:1. The mixture was homogenised using an emulsifying pump to produce an homogenised mixture of blood and intestines, after which titanium dioxide was added at a concentration up to 1.7% of the emulsion. The blood content was ? of the emulsion.

Composition Properties

[0053] The homogenised mixture of blood and intestine and intestine alone and blood alone were tested for their water holding and fat holding capacity. Homogenised samples (10 to 15) of raw material are weighed (to obtain mean mass valueM1) in test tubes and mixed with phosphate buffer (for water holding capacity) or sunflower oil (for fat holding capacity) at 1/1 ratio. Then test tubes are heated in a water bath for 6 minutes at 95? C. and centrifuged for 15 minutes at 4000 rpm. Supernatant was removed, precipitate was extracted from the test tube and weighed (to obtain mean mass valueM2). Fat or water holding capacity was calculated as a difference between M2 and M1.

[0054] FIG. 1 shows that the homogenised mixture of blood and intestines was able to retain fat and water better than intestine alone or a beef spleen alone (intestines alone have a negative water holding capacity).

Microbial Analysis

[0055] The homogenised mixture of blood and intestines was tested for microbial contamination by removing sample aliquots from the mixture and running a standard microbial test on the samples. The samples were tested for the presence of Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Yeast and Total Viable Count (total amount of aerobic/anaerobic microorganisms).

[0056] FIG. 2 shows that the bacterial growth rate does not change with the addition of blood to intestines, compared to samples of intestine alone.

Experiment 2

[0057] The homogenised mixture described in Experiment 1 together with meat and meat by-products, vegetables, cereals, vitamins, minerals and essential components (e.g. taurine or omega-6 sources) necessary to produce a nutritionally complete pet food was cooked into chunks using a steam tunnel.

[0058] A palatability test was performed and an improvement in the palatability of the moist pet food with chicken containing the homogenised intestine and blood mixture (DEV) compared to the standard moist pet food with chicken in gravy (STD) was observed.

Experiment 3

[0059] Using the same method outlined in Experiment 1 and 2 to produce the chunk containing the homogenised intestine and blood mixture, the mixture was added to pet food and made into a moist pet food chunk with beef in gravy.

[0060] A palatability test was performed and no significant difference in palatability between standard moist pet food with beef (STD) and the moist pet food with beef containing the homogenised mixture of blood and intestines (DEV) was observed.

Experiment 4

[0061] Using the same method outlined in Experiment 1 and 2 to produce the chunk containing the homogenised intestine and blood mixture, the mixture was added to pet food and made into moist pet food with chicken in jelly.

[0062] A palatability test was performed and an improvement in the palatability in the moist pet food with chicken containing the homogenised intestine and blood mixture (DEV) compared to the standard moist pet food with chicken in jelly (STD) was observed.

Experiment 5

[0063] Using the same method as outlined in Experiment 1 and 2 to produce the chunk containing the blood intestine mixture, the mixture was added to pet food in gravy.

[0064] A palatability test was performed and an improvement in the palatability in the moist pet food containing the homogenised intestine and blood mixture (DEV) compared to the standard moist pet food in gravy (STD) was observed.

Experiment 6

[0065] Using the same method as outlined in Experiment 1 and 2 to produce the chunk containing the blood intestine mixture, the mixture was added to pet food in jelly.

[0066] A palatability test was performed and an improvement in the palatability in the moist pet food containing the homogenised intestine and blood mixture (DEV) compared to the standard moist pet food in jelly (STD) was observed.

Experiment 7

[0067] Using the same method as outlined in Experiment 1 and 2 to produce the chunk containing the blood intestine mixture, the mixture was added to a dog pet food in jelly.

[0068] A palatability test was performed and moist pet food containing the blood and intestine homogenised mixture was compared to a standard reference recipe and was found to have the same or an improved texture after the steam tunnel step and after 2 weeks of maturation according to standard Texture Profile Analysis. An improvement in the palatability in the moist pet food containing the homogenised intestine and blood mixture (DEV) compared to the standard recipe alone (STD) was observed.

[0069] In summary the intestine and blood mix showed improved or the same texture and palatability as the standard pet food alone.