NUTRITIVE PRODUCT WITH ANIMAL ENSILAGE AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE NUTRITIVE PRODUCT

Abstract

The invention relates to a mixture for making a cooking-extruded extrudate, the mixture including an aqueous animal ensilage and a vegetable material, andthe aqueous animal ensilage including a water-soluble protein fraction, a water-insoluble protein fraction and fat;the mixture including from 12.5% by weight or more of ensilage dry matter to 42% by weight or less of ensilage dry matter; andthe mixture including at least 15% by weight of water and less than 34% by weight of water. The invention also relates to a method of making a cooking-extruded extrudate from the mixture. The invention further relates to a use of the cooking-extruded extrudate.

Claims

1-31. (canceled)

32. A mixture for making a cooking-extruded extrudate, the mixture including an aqueous animal ensilage and a vegetable material, characterized in that the aqueous animal ensilage includes an aqueous protein fraction, a water-insoluble protein fraction and fat; the mixture includes from 12.5% by weight or more of ensilage dry matter to 42% by weight or less of ensilage dry matter; and the mixture includes at least 15% by weight of water and less than 34% by weight of water.

33. The mixture according to claim 32, wherein the mixture includes more than 12.5% by weight of animal ensilage dry matter and less than 35% by weight of ensilage dry matter.

34. The mixture according to claim 32, wherein the vegetable material includes a starchy material selected from a group consisting of cereals, legumes, tubers and bananas.

35. The mixture according to claim 34, wherein the starchy material includes legume-starch-containing material.

36. The mixture according to claim 35, wherein the legume-starch-containing material includes starch-enriched legume-starch-containing material.

37. The mixture according to claim 32, wherein the vegetable material includes a protein-containing material selected from a group consisting of cereals and legumes.

38. The mixture according to claim 37, wherein the protein-containing material includes legume-protein-containing material.

39. The mixture according to claim 38, wherein the legume-protein-containing material includes protein-enriched legume-protein-containing material.

40. The mixture according to claim 32, wherein the vegetable material comprises a hull-fibre material produced from a group consisting of cereals and legumes.

41. The mixture according to claim 40, wherein the hull-fibre material includes hull fibre from legumes.

42. The mixture according to claim 41, wherein the hull-fibre material includes enriched hull fibre from legumes.

43. The mixture according to claim 32, wherein the mixture includes more than 36% by weight of vegetable dry matter and less than 67.5% by weight of vegetable dry matter.

44. A method of making a cooking-extruded extrudate, characterized in that the method includes: mixing aqueous animal ensilage which includes a water-soluble protein fraction, a water-insoluble protein fraction and fat, with vegetable material so that an animal ensilage dry matter constitutes an amount of from 12.5% by weight to 42% by weight inclusive of the entire mixture, and the mixture contains at least 15% by weight of water and less than 34% by weight of water; extruding the mixture in an extruder barrel; and passing the mixture in the extruder barrel through a die plate at the end portion of the extruder barrel to form an extrudate.

45. The method according to claim 44, wherein the method further includes: mixing the aqueous animal ensilage with vegetable material in a preconditioner; adding steam to the mixture in the preconditioner so that the mixture will have a temperature of between 90 C. and 98 C. out of the preconditioner; and carrying the mixture from the preconditioner to the extruder barrel.

46. The method according to claim 44, wherein the method includes selecting a fat-reduced aqueous animal ensilage.

47. The method according to claim 45, wherein the method includes selecting a fat-reduced aqueous animal ensilage.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0053] Use of Enriched Starch from Peas

[0054] Starchy material in the form of pellets was provided. According to the manufacturer's data sheet, the starchy material had the following composition: protein: 14-17%, starch: 53-59%, fat: 1-4%, food fibre: 1.5-3%, ash: 1-3%, other carbohydrates: 4.5-17.5%, water 9.5-12.5%. The raw material for the starch was peas (Pisum sativum). The percentages are stated as per cent by weight of the product as is, also called wet basis. The vegetable dry-matter content was 87.5-90.5%. The starchy material was enriched with respect to starch by means of the air-classification method.

Ensilage

[0055] Concentrated aqueous animal ensilage of fish was provided. The animal ensilage had the following composition: protein: 35%, fat: 4%, ash: 6%, formic acid: 4%. The ensilage dry-matter content was 50%. The percentages are stated as per cent by weight of the product as is, also called wet basis. According to the manufacturer's product data sheet, the protein had a protein digestibility of 91% measured in minks. The mineral content was: calcium: 0.7%, phosphorous: 0.8%, sodium: 0.5% and potassium: 0.6%.

[0056] Starchy material and aqueous ensilage were carried separately into a so-called pre-conditioner and mixed in the preconditioner together with steam, so that the mixture had a temperature of between 90 C. and 98 C. out of the preconditioner. The mixture was carried into an extruder barrel in a manner known per se. Per 100 kg of mixture the mixture was composed of 60 kg pea-starch-containing material and 40 kg ensilage of fish. The mixture was processed in a so-called cooking-extruder of the single-screw type. Before steam was added, the mixture contained approximately 20% ensilage dry matter, approximately 54% vegetable dry matter and approximately 26% water. The extruder has a capacity of 8 tonnes of extrudate per hour.

[0057] The mixture in the extruder barrel of the cooking-extruder was heated to a temperature of between 110 C. and 130 C. The pressure in the extruder barrel depends on the mixture, the screw configuration and the open area of the die plate, among other things, and will typically be between 15 and 30 bar. The die plate was provided with a plurality of holes with a diameter of 5 mm. The mixture expanded a lot after having passed the die plate, and the extrudate had a diameter of more than 10 mm.

[0058] The extrudate was cut with a rotating knife into pellets. The pellets were dried at about 80 C. for 60 minutes on a belt dryer divided into zones.

[0059] The finished dried extrudate had a moisture content of between 7 and 9% by weight.

[0060] An analysis of one production batch showed that the finished dried pellets showed the following nutritional composition: protein: 24.7%, fat: 2.8%, ash 3.6%. The moisture content was 7.0% water.

[0061] The example also shows that it is possible to make a product with an adequate protein composition and with a low fat content. The product is well suited as a reward feed for pets and for horses. The product is also well suited as an intermediate product for making an animal feed.

[0062] After drying, the product may be packed in a package size which is suitable for selling in a shop to the consumer market. This can be done for a product of the pet-reward-feed type. As an alternative, after drying, the product may be packed in for example 20-kg bags or in so-called big bags which can hold for example 500 kg, 750 kg or 1000 kg. This may be done for a product that is to be used as an ingredient in the production of animal feeds. In an alternative method, the product may be granulated in a manner known per se before being packed into bags or big bags.

EXAMPLE 2

[0063] Use of Enriched Protein from Peas

[0064] Protein-enriched material in the form of pellets was provided. According to the manufacturer's data sheet, the protein-enriched material had the following composition: protein: 53-57%, starch: 2.5-7%, fat: approximately 2%, food fibre: 1.7-5%, ash: 5.5-7.5%, other carbohydrates: 3.5-22.6%. The water content was 10-12%. The dry-matter content was 88-90%. The raw material for the protein-enriched material was peas (Pisum sativum). The percentages are stated as per cent by weight of the product as is. The protein-enriched material was enriched with respect to protein by means of the air-classification method.

[0065] The animal ensilage was the same as that used in example 1.

[0066] Protein-enriched material and aqueous ensilage were introduced separately into a so-called preconditioner and mixed in the preconditioner together with steam, so that the mixture had a temperature of between 90 C. and 98 C. out of the preconditioner. The mixture was carried into an extruder barrel in a manner known per se. Per 100 kg of mixture the mixture was composed of 60 kg protein-enriched material and 40 kg aqueous ensilage of fish. The mixture was processed in the same extruder as that of example 1. Before the addition of steam, the mixture contained approximately 20% ensilage dry matter, approximately 54% vegetable dry matter and approximately 26% water.

[0067] The mixture in the extruder barrel of the cooking-extruder was heated to a temperature of between 110 C. and 130 C. The pressure in the extruder barrel depends on the mixture, the screw configuration and the light opening of the die plate, among other things, and will typically be between 15 and 30 bar. The die plate was provided with a plurality of holes with a diameter of 5 mm. The mixture expanded a lot after having passed the die plate, and the extrudate had a diameter of more than 10 mm.

[0068] The extrudate was cut with a rotating knife into pellets. The pellets were dried at about 80 C. for 60 minutes on a belt dryer divided into zones.

[0069] The finished dried extrudate had a moisture content of between 9 and 13% by weight.

[0070] An analysis of one production batch showed that the finished dried pellets showed the following nutritional composition: protein: 47.9%, fat: 3.85%, ash: 6%, fibre: 2%.

[0071] The moisture content was 13.0% water.

[0072] Example 2 also shows that it is possible to make a product with an adequate protein composition and with a low fat content. The product is well suited as a reward feed for pets and for horses. The product is also well suited as an intermediate product for making an animal feed.

[0073] After drying, the product may be packed in a package size which is suitable for selling in a shop to the consumer market. This can be done for a product of the pet-reward-feed type. As an alternative, after drying, the product may be packed in, for example, 20-kg bags or in so-called big bags which can hold for example 500 kg, 750 kg or 1000 kg. This may be done for a product that is to be used as an ingredient in the production of animal feeds. In an alternative method, the product may be granulated in a manner known per se before being packed into bags or big bags.

EXAMPLE 3

Use of Enriched Hull Fibre From Peas

[0074] Enriched hull fibre in the form of flakes was provided. According to the manufacturer's data sheet, the enriched hull-fibre material had the following composition: dietary fibre: approximately 80-90%, protein: approximately 3-6%, starch: approximately 4-5%, fat: approximately 0.5-1%, ash: approximately 3%, oligopolysaccharides: approximately 4-5%. The water content was approximately 10%. The raw material for the hull fibre was peas (Pisum sativum). The percentages are stated as per cent by weight of the product as is. The enriched hull-fibre material was enriched by means of the air-classification method. The insoluble fibre fraction consists of cellulose (65-70%), hemicelluloses (5%), lignin (<1%). The soluble fibres are represented mainly by pectin and pectin substances like homogalacturonans, rhamnogalacturonan I, rhamnogalacturonan II and xylogalacturonans. The amount of soluble fibre may vary between 16 and 21%.

[0075] The animal ensilage was the same as that used in example 1.

[0076] Enriched hull-fibre material and ensilage were carried separately into a so-called pre-conditioner and mixed in the preconditioner together with steam, so that the mixture had a temperature of between 90 C. and 98 C. out of the preconditioner. The mixture was carried into an extruder barrel in a manner known per se. Per 100 kg of mixture the mixture was composed of 60 kg enriched hull-fibre material and 40 kg ensilage of fish. The mixture was processed in a so-called cooking-extruder of the single-screw type.

[0077] The mixture in the extruder barrel of the cooking-extruder was heated to a temperature of between 110 C. and 130 C. The pressure in the extruder barrel depends on the mixture, the screw configuration and the light opening of the die plate, among other things, and will typically be between 15 and 30 bar. The die plate was provided with a plurality of holes with a diameter of 5 mm. The mixture expanded a lot after having passed the die plate, and the extrudate had a diameter of more than 10 mm.

[0078] The extrudate was cut with a rotating knife into pellets. The pellets were dried at about 80 C. for 60 minutes on a belt dryer divided into zones. The finished dried extrudate had a moisture content of between 7 and 9% by weight.

[0079] An analysis of one production batch showed that the finished dried pellets showed the following nutritional composition: fibre: 36.5%, protein: 17.8%, fat: 2.8%, ash: 4.3%,. The moisture content was 6.0% water.

[0080] Example 3 also shows that it is possible to make a product with an adequate product composition and with a low fat content. The product is well suited as a reward feed for pets and for horses. The product is also well suited as an intermediate product for making an animal feed.

[0081] After drying, the product may be packed in a package size which is suitable for selling in a shop to the consumer market. This can be done for a product of the pet-reward-feed type. As an alternative, after drying, the product may be packed, in for example, 20-kg bags or in so-called big bags which can hold for example 500 kg, 750 kg or 1000 kg. This may be done for a product that is to be used as an ingredient in the production of animal feeds. In an alternative method, the product may be granulated in a manner known per se before being packed into bags or big bags

[0082] It should be noted that all the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate the invention, but do not limit it, and persons skilled in the art will be able to form many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the attached claims. The use of the verb to comprise and its various forms does not exclude the presence of elements or steps that are not mentioned in the claims. The indefinite article a or an before an element does not exclude the presence of more such elements.

[0083] The fact that some features are specified in mutually different dependent claims, does not indicate that a combination of these features cannot be used with advantage.