Methods of enhancing palatability and / or reducing sugars therein of wet pet food

Abstract

A method of preparing a wet grain formulated for application to pets includes incorporating into the wet grain at least one of spinach or tomato in an amount effective to enhance the palatability of the wet grain and / or to reduce added sugar in the wet grain. The method may comprise producing the wet grain as a gravy composition comprising masses, and may comprise one or more of the following steps: (i) producing the gravy by a method comprising adding spinach to one or more other ingredients of the gravy; (ii) producing the gravy by a process comprising adding tomatoes to one or more other ingredients of the gravy, and preferably also incorporating cysteine in free form into the gravy; and (iii) producing the masses by a method comprising adding both spinach and tomato to one or more other ingredients of the masses. The method can include producing the wet grain as a cake composition, preferably by incorporating both spinach and tomato into the cake composition.

Description

Background Art

[0001] There are many ways to enhance the palatability of edible compositions. Adding one or more ingredients that provide an attractive aroma or flavor can increase palatability. Ingredients that affect food quality such as aroma, flavor, texture, or mouthfeel can also affect palatability. For some compositions, increasing sweetness or increasing fat or salt content can enhance palatability for some animals. Flavor enhancers, such as glutamic acid or its salts and various nucleotide or ribonucleotide compounds, are also known in the art as palatability enhancers.

[0002] Existing solutions for palatability enhancement in wet food for cats, such as gravy compositions containing chunks, are typically based on Maillard reaction precursors. These precursors consist of carbonyl, nitrogen and sulfur compounds (such as amino acids, vitamins and reducing sugars) that can be incorporated into chunks and / or gravy. However, the high inclusion rate of these components may be viewed negatively by pet owners as these components are classified as unnatural or may be considered to have a potential negative impact on pet health. Summary of the invention

[0003] To the best of the inventors' knowledge, spinach has never been characterized as enhancing consumption or preference for pet foods containing it. Instead, spinach is a known astringent food. Oral astringency is considered a persistent sensation of wrinkling, contraction, roughness, and dryness in the oral cavity. Typically, this sensation limits consumption and preference. The key astringent compounds in spinach (Spinacia oleracea) are the various glycosides and glucuronides of flavanols, and the specific compounds involved are flavon-3-ol-O-glycosides.

[0004] Also in this regard, spinach is a known bitter food. Peptides, alkaloids, saponins, and oxalates are often used to explain its bitter taste; but growing temperature, fertilizer, and water stress can also significantly affect the perceived bitterness of spinach. Cats are known to generally accept the bitter taste of foods and react negatively to them.

[0005] Furthermore, spinach is known to contain thylakoids. Thylakoid membranes derived from green leaf chloroplasts affect appetite regulating hormones, inhibit food intake, lower blood lipids and cause weight loss in animals and human subjects. Studies support the hypothesis that thylakoids reduce hunger by increasing postprandial cholecystokinin and leptin and reducing serum ghrelin; this effect has also been shown in model animals. The desire for palatable foods has also been shown to be reduced.

[0006] These three qualities (astringency, bitterness and the presence of thylakoids) should lead to decreased food consumption and preference. Thus, the inventors surprisingly observed that the inclusion of spinach in a wet food for cats achieved higher consumption and preference than the control.

[0007] Thus, in some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a new way to enhance the palatability of a gravy wet cat food product containing chunks by adding dried spinach in powder form or flake form to the gravy and / or chunks. Additionally or alternatively, tomato powder may be added to the gravy and / or chunks. In experimental testing, increased palatability from spinach and / or tomatoes was observed in average percent consumption compared to controls and to competitive products.

[0008] Advantageously, some embodiments of the present disclosure use the addition of natural ingredients to enhance the palatability of wet food for cats without the addition of Maillard reaction precursors. In some embodiments, dried spinach flakes are added to the gravy of the gravy composition containing chunks, and the dried spinach flakes are prepared only with freshly harvested and selected leaves that have been washed with tap water, air-dried, and cut without the addition of any other substances, such as anti-caking compounds, colorants, flavorings, preservatives, antioxidants, and / or sugars.

[0009] In some embodiments, the method further comprises incorporating soy sauce in addition to at least one of tomato or spinach into the wet food for the cat.

[0010] Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a gravy" or "the gravy" includes a single gravy as well as two or more gravies.

[0012] The words "include / comprise" will be interpreted as inclusive rather than exclusive. Similarly, the terms "include / comprise" and "or" should be considered inclusive unless the context clearly prohibits this interpretation. However, the compositions disclosed herein may not contain any elements that are not explicitly disclosed. Therefore, the disclosure of embodiments using the term "include / comprise" includes the disclosure of embodiments "consisting essentially of the specified components" and the disclosure of embodiments "consisting of the specified components". Similarly, the methods disclosed herein may not contain any steps that are not specifically disclosed herein. Therefore, the disclosure of embodiments using the term "include / comprise" includes the disclosure of embodiments "consisting essentially of the specified steps" and the disclosure of embodiments "consisting of the specified steps". Any embodiment disclosed herein may be combined with any other embodiment disclosed herein, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0013] The terms "at least one of" and "and / or" used in the context of "at least one of X or Y" and "X and / or Y," respectively, should be interpreted as "X without Y" or "Y without X" or "both X and Y." As used herein, the terms "example" and "such as," especially when followed by a list of terms, are exemplary and illustrative only and should not be considered exclusive or comprehensive.

[0014] All percentages expressed herein are by weight percentage based on the total weight of the reference composition, unless otherwise indicated. As used herein, "approximately", "about" and "substantially" refer to a number within a certain numerical range, such as a range of -10% to +10% of the referenced number, preferably within a range of -5% to +5% of the referenced number, more preferably within a range of -1% to +1% of the referenced number, and most preferably within a range of -0.1% to +0.1% of the referenced number.

[0015] The terms "food," "food product," and "food composition" mean a product or composition that is intended for ingestion by an animal and that provides at least one nutrient to the animal. The terms "animal" or "pet" refer to any animal that can benefit from or enjoy the food compositions and food products provided by the present disclosure. For example, a pet can be an avian, bovine, canine, equine, feline, caprine, lupine, murine, ovine, or porcine animal. A pet can be any suitable animal, and the present disclosure is not limited to a particular pet animal. The term "companion animal" means a dog or a cat.

[0016] The term "pet food" means any composition formulated for consumption by a pet. A "dry" food composition has less than 10% moisture by weight and / or a water activity of less than 0.64, preferably both. A "semi-moist" food composition has 11% to 20% moisture by weight and / or a water activity of 0.64 to 0.75, preferably both. A "wet" food composition has more than 20% moisture by weight and / or a water activity of more than 0.75, preferably both.

[0017] The term "chunks" means a plurality of individual food bodies, preferably pieces of meat or reconstructed pieces of meat, which may have a pellet shape and simulate real meat chunks. Chunks may contain one or more of meat, meat by-products, grains or vegetable proteins. Non-limiting examples of chunks include: granules; pellets; pet food chunks, dehydrated meat, imitation meat products, vegetables, and combinations thereof; and pet snacks, such as jerky or vegetable jerky, rawhide and biscuits. The size of the chunks may vary depending on the animal that will consume the product, such as the type, age, health or size of the animal. For example, the size of chunks for cats is typically in the range of 3 mm to 30 mm on the longest side, preferably in the range of 8 mm to 20 mm. "Gravy" is a flowable edible composition, which preferably includes water and at least one of starch or gum, and preferably has the form of a gel or sol.

[0018] The terms "cake" and "mousse" are used interchangeably herein. A cake composition is a shaped or molded pet food mass that is preferably substantially homogeneous. The cake composition may have a structure that maintains the shape imparted to the cake composition by the packaging during and after removal from the packaging at ambient temperature and ambient pressure. For example, in some embodiments, a cake composition removed from a cylindrical can will have a cylindrical shape having a horizontal cross-section having substantially the same dimensions as the horizontal cross-section corresponding to the interior of the can.

[0019] The terms "cake containing chunks", "HsCC", "heat set chunk compound" and "pasta" are used interchangeably herein. These terms refer to a cake product to which chunks have been added.

[0020] The term "enhanced palatability" and similar terms mean that at least one of spinach or tomato as disclosed herein improves the palatability of a food composition relative to an identically formulated food composition lacking spinach / tomato. "Palatability" refers to a quality of an edible composition that is attractive or pleasing to an animal, particularly the senses of taste and smell. As used herein, whenever an animal exhibits, for example, a preference for one of two or more foods, the preferred food is more "palatable" and has a higher "palatability". For companion animals and other non-human animals, the relative palatability of one food compared to one or more other foods can be determined, for example, by side-by-side free choice comparisons, such as by relative consumption of the foods, or other appropriate preference metrics representing palatability.

[0021] The term "reduced sugars" and similar terms mean that at least one of spinach or tomato as disclosed herein reduces the amount of added sugars of the food composition relative to an identically formulated food composition lacking spinach / tomato, while maintaining at least about the same palatability. In some embodiments, a pet food composition with "reduced added sugars" has no greater than about 5.0% by weight added sugars, preferably no greater than about 2.0% by weight added sugars, more preferably no greater than about 1.0% by weight added sugars, and most preferably about zero added sugars, relative to any sugar in at least one of spinach and tomato.

[0022] The methods, compositions and other proposals disclosed herein are not limited to specific methods, protocols and reagents, as those skilled in the art will recognize that these specific methods, protocols and reagents may be varied. In addition, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and does not limit the scope of the disclosure or claimed.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms, professional terms and acronyms used herein have the meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs or in which these terms are used. Although any compositions, methods, articles or other means or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used, preferred devices, methods, articles or other means or materials are described herein.

[0024] Preferred embodiments provided by the present disclosure are described below. One aspect of the present disclosure is a method for enhancing the palatability of a wet pet food, such as a wet food for cats, e.g., a gravy composition or a cake composition containing chunks. The method comprises incorporating into the wet pet food at least one of spinach or tomato in an amount effective to increase the palatability of the pet food relative to a pet food that does not contain spinach and / or tomato but is otherwise similarly formulated. Additionally or alternatively, the method comprises incorporating into the wet pet food at least one of spinach or tomato in an amount effective to maintain at least about the same palatability of the wet pet food relative to a wet pet food that does not contain spinach and / or tomato and has a higher sugar content but is otherwise similarly formulated, while reducing the sugar content. In some embodiments, the method further comprises incorporating into the wet pet food soy sauce in addition to at least one of tomato or spinach.

[0025] A preferred embodiment of the wet pet food disclosed herein is a gravy composition containing chunks. In other embodiments, the pet food is a cake or pate composition.

[0026] Preferably, at least a portion of the spinach is added to the wet pet food (e.g., to chunks, gravy, and / or cake) as dried spinach flakes and / or dried spinach powder. The spinach flakes and / or spinach powder may consist essentially of, or consist of, the spinach and any residual moisture.

[0027] Preferably, at least a portion of the tomatoes is added to the wet pet food as a dried tomato powder (e.g., added to chunks, gravies, and / or cakes). The dried tomato powder may consist essentially of tomatoes, any residual moisture, and up to about 1.0% by weight of any glidant (such as potato starch), or may consist of spinach and any residual moisture tomatoes, any residual moisture, and up to about 1.0% by weight of any glidant (such as potato starch).

[0028] In some embodiments of the method (e.g., to enhance palatability), the initial pet food formulation comprises at least one Maillard reaction precursor; and the method comprises adjusting the initial pet food formulation to include or increase the amount of at least one of spinach or tomato without increasing the amount of at least one Maillard reaction precursor. In one embodiment, the adjusted pet food formulation has about the same amount of ingredients other than spinach and / or tomato relative to the initial wet pet food formulation. In another embodiment, the adjusted pet food formulation has less at least one Maillard reaction precursor and has about the same amount of ingredients other than spinach and / or tomato and at least one Maillard reaction precursor relative to the initial wet pet food formulation. In some embodiments, the wet food does not contain or is substantially free of any phosphate or polyphosphate. Preferably, the method also comprises producing pet food, such as cat food, such as wet food for cats, according to the adjusted formulation. The method may also include sealing the pet food in a container and steaming the sealed container.

[0029] In some embodiments of the method (e.g., to reduce sugar), the initial pet food formulation comprises sugar; the method comprises adjusting the initial pet food formulation to replace at least a portion of the sugar with at least one of spinach or tomato; and the adjusted pet food formulation has about the same amount of ingredients other than spinach and / or tomato and sugar relative to the initial wet pet food formulation. In some embodiments, the wet food does not include any added sugar relative to any sugar present in at least one of spinach or tomato. Preferably, the method further comprises producing a pet food, such as a cat food, such as a wet food for cats, according to the adjusted formulation. The method may also comprise sealing the pet food in a container and steaming the sealed container.

[0030] In some embodiments, the gravy composition containing chunks may be prepared by including dried spinach powder and / or dried spinach flakes in the gravy in a total amount of about 0.1 wt % to about 5.0 wt % of the gravy, preferably about 0.1 wt % to about 2.5 wt % of the gravy, more preferably about 0.2 wt % to about 2.0 wt % of the gravy, even more preferably about 0.5 wt % to about 1.5 wt % of the gravy, most preferably about 1.0 wt % of the gravy.

[0031] Additionally or alternatively, a gravy composition containing chunks may be prepared by including tomato powder in the chunks in an amount of about 0.1 wt % to about 5.0 wt % of the gravy, preferably about 0.1 wt % to about 4.0 wt % of the gravy each, more preferably about 0.2 wt % to about 3.0 wt % of the gravy each, even more preferably about 0.5 wt % to about 2.5 wt % of the gravy each, most preferably about 1.0 wt % to about 2.0 wt % of the gravy each.

[0032] Additionally or alternatively, a chunk-containing gravy composition may be prepared by including in the chunks both (i) at least one of dried spinach powder or dried spinach flakes and (ii) tomato powder, each in an amount of about 0.1% to about 5.0% by weight of the chunks, preferably each in an amount of about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of the chunks, more preferably each in an amount of about 0.2% to about 3.0% by weight of the chunks, even more preferably each in an amount of about 0.5% to about 2.5% by weight of the chunks, and most preferably each in an amount of about 1.0% to about 2.0% by weight of the chunks.

[0033] In some embodiments, a gravy composition containing chunks is prepared by including tomato powder and free form cysteine ​​in the gravy, for example including about 0.05 wt % to about 0.5 wt % free form cysteine ​​in the gravy, preferably including about 0.1 wt % free form cysteine ​​in the gravy, optionally with an amount of tomato powder in the gravy as previously disclosed herein.

[0034] In some embodiments, the cake composition may be prepared by including dried spinach powder and / or dried spinach flakes in a total amount of 1% in the cake. Additionally or alternatively, the cake composition may be prepared by including tomato powder in a total amount of 1% in the cake.

[0035] In some embodiments, the wet pet food composition has no more than about 2.0% by weight of a polyphosphate or monophosphate compound, preferably no more than about 1.0% by weight of a monophosphate or polyphosphate, more preferably no more than about 0.5% by weight of a monophosphate or polyphosphate, and most preferably about zero monophosphate or polyphosphate. Such monophosphate and polyphosphate compounds may include disodium diphosphate (or pyrophosphate), trisodium diphosphate (or pyrophosphate), tetrasodium diphosphate or tetrapotassium diphosphate (or pyrophosphate), disodium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, potassium polyphosphate, sodium polyphosphate, sodium triphosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, and pentasodium tripolyphosphate, as well as others known in the art.

[0036] The pet food disclosed herein can be any food formulated for consumption by a pet, such as a dog or cat. In one embodiment, the pet food provides complete nutrition as defined by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), and the complete nutrition depends on the type of animal (e.g., dog or cat) for which the composition is intended. In another embodiment, the composition can be a supplement. Such a supplement can be added to a food composition, or administered in conjunction with a food composition, or administered separately.

[0037] Pet food (e.g., gravy or cake containing chunks) comprising at least one of spinach or tomato can be filled and sealed into a package. Non-limiting examples of suitable packaging types include cans, bags, glass containers, and plastic containers. The packaging of pet food comprising at least one of spinach or tomato can include steaming the pet food in the package under conditions of time and temperature sufficient for commercial sterilization. Typically, steaming for about 5 minutes to 90 minutes at a temperature of about 100° C. to 150° C. will produce a commercially sterile product. In some embodiments, before steaming, the chunks or cakes can be mixed with one or more of gravy, gel, or condiments in the package.

[0038] In one embodiment, a suitable gravy can be prepared by heating a mixture of water, a hydrocolloid (e.g., starch or gum) and seasonings. Chunks and gravy can then be filled into a package in a desired ratio. The ratio of chunks to gravy is preferably about 30:70 to about 70:30, such as about 40:60 to about 60:40.

[0039] Additionally or alternatively, the composition can be processed by one or more of refrigeration, freezing, frying, drying, aseptic processing and / or another manner to make the product shelf-stable. The product can then be packaged into any of a variety of different packages.

[0040] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of providing nutrition to a pet is provided. The pet may be a companion animal, preferably a cat. The method comprises administering a wet pet food prepared by any one of the embodiments of the method disclosed herein. For example, the method may comprise removing the pet food disclosed herein from a package, and then administering the pet food to the pet.

[0041] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the tomatoes is tomato pomace.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the tomato is a spray-dried tomato powder. For example, fresh ripe tomatoes can be soaked in a bucket and then transported to a spray washing bucket; after washing, the tomatoes can be sorted and crushed in a chopper to obtain tomato pulp.

[0043] The tomato pulp may then be processed by "hot break" or "cold break". If "hot break" is used, the tomatoes are preferably heated at 85°C to 95°C or above 90°C before crushing, and the seeds and skins are removed before particle size refining. However, a preferred embodiment uses a "cold break" process, in which the tomato pulp is kept at a temperature of about 66°C to 77°C for less than 1 minute to obtain pectin.

[0044] The processed slurry provides a juice or paste, which can be concentrated by an evaporator and then provided to a feed tank to be pumped to a spray dryer, which can spray the juice or paste into a hot air stream (e.g., 140° C. to 150° C.) and then cool to form a dry powder. In some embodiments, the moisture content of the dried tomato powder is further reduced by a fluidized bed.

[0045] As mentioned above, a preferred embodiment of the pet food disclosed herein is a gravy composition containing chunks. In other embodiments, the pet food is a cake or pate composition.

[0046] In a gravy composition containing chunks, the chunks are preferably approximately uniformly distributed throughout the composition, and the gravy may be approximately uniformly distributed throughout the composition. For example, a gravy composition containing chunks may be substantially uniform, such that similarly sized portions of the composition have substantially the same volumetric amount of chunks and / or substantially the same volumetric amount of gravy. The chunks and gravy may be present throughout the composition; for example, although the chunks may be visually distinguishable from the gravy, in some embodiments, the composition does not have distinct layers.

[0047] In some embodiments, the chunks in the composition may be in the form of an emulsion of meat and / or vegetable protein cut into individual pieces. Non-limiting examples of meat emulsions for use in the chunks of the composition are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,993,445; 10,470,470; 7,736,686; 7,344,745; 6,767,573;

[0048] 6,692,787; 6,649,206; 6,436,463; 6,379,738; 5,567,466 and 4,781,939; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0208689A1; and PCT Application Nos. WO 2008085293 A2 and WO 2012057826A1; all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Other non-limiting examples of suitable chunks include chunks of real meat, such as skeletal tissue and non-skeletal muscle from mammals, poultry and fish (e.g., beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb, fish, or combinations thereof).

[0049] In some embodiments, the chunks in the composition may optionally include meat byproducts derived from slaughtered mammals, poultry or fish, such as unprovided clean parts other than meat. In some embodiments, the chunks may include any meat byproducts approved for use in animal food, such as mechanically deboned beef, chicken or fish; beef liver and pork liver; lungs; kidneys; etc. Therefore, as used herein, the term "meat" refers to non-dehydrated meat and / or meat byproducts, including frozen materials. The present disclosure is not limited to a particular meat or combination of meats, and any meat known to a skilled person for preparing a food composition may be used in the chunks.

[0050] In addition to any meat, the chunks may include other ingredients. For example, additives used in conventional ground meat products may be included in the chunks by mixing with the meat before and / or after emulsification. These additives include salt, spices, seasonings, sugars, etc., in amounts sufficient to provide a product with a desired flavor profile.

[0051] One or more dry protein materials may be added to the meat before and / or after emulsification to improve emulsion stability and binding, impart flavor, and / or reduce formulation costs. Non-limiting examples of suitable dry protein materials are wheat gluten, soy flour, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, egg white protein, skim milk powder, and combinations thereof. Including one or more dry protein materials in the emulsion may be advantageous because the dry protein materials enable the processor to use meat having a protein to fat ratio and a myosin to total protein ratio that would otherwise be marginally acceptable for use in preparing chunks.

[0052] However, in some embodiments, the chunks do not contain any meat. For example, plant proteins may be used in addition or alternatively to any meat, such as pea protein, corn protein (e.g., corn meal or corn gluten), wheat protein (e.g., wheat flour or wheat gluten), soy protein (e.g., soy flour, soy concentrate, or soy isolate), rice protein (e.g., rice flour or rice gluten), etc.

[0053] The gravy may also include dextrose and / or xylose, and may also include a colorant as desired. Ingredients to add flavor and / or aroma to the gravy may also be included as desired. The starch in the gravy may be native starch, modified starch, or a combination thereof; and suitable gums include locust bean gum, guar gum, and xanthan gum.

[0054] In various embodiments, the chunks and / or gravy may include additional ingredients known to those skilled in the art, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, nucleic acids, fillers, palatability enhancers, binders, flavors, stabilizers, emulsifiers, sweeteners, colorants, buffers, salts, coatings, seasonings, preservatives, etc. The additional ingredients may be included in the chunks by mixing with the meat before and / or after emulsification.

[0055] Non-limiting examples of supplemental vitamins include any of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K, including various salts, esters, or other derivatives of the foregoing. Non-limiting examples of minerals include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iron, chloride, boron, copper, zinc, magnesium, manganese, iodine, selenium, etc. Additional dietary supplements may also be included, such as any form of niacin, pantothenic acid, inulin, folic acid, biotin, amino acids, etc., and their salts and derivatives.

[0056] Stabilizers include substances that tend to increase the shelf life or structure of pet foods, such as preservatives, synergists and chelating agents, packaging gases, emulsifiers, thickeners, gelling agents and plasticizers. Examples of emulsifiers and / or thickeners include gelatin, cellulose ethers, starches, starch esters, starch ethers and modified starches.

[0057] Examples of suitable flavoring agents include yeast, tallow, rendered bone meal (e.g., poultry meal, beef meal, lamb meal, pork meal), flavor extracts or mixtures (e.g., roast beef), and the like. Suitable coloring agents that can be used in simulated meat chunks and / or gravy include FD&C colors such as Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, and the like; natural colors such as caramel color, annatto, chlorophyllin, cochineal, betanin, turmeric, saffron, paprika, lycopene, elderberry juice, pandan extract, butterfly pea flower color, and the like; titanium dioxide; iron oxides; and any suitable food coloring agents known to the skilled artisan. Suitable spices that can be used in simulated meat chunks and / or gravy include parsley, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil, thyme, chives, and the like.

[0058] The selection of additional ingredients and their amounts is known to those skilled in the art. The specific amount of each additional ingredient will depend on a variety of factors, such as the ingredients included in the composition; the species of the animal; the age, weight, general health, sex and diet of the animal; the consumption rate of the animal; the purpose for which the food composition is administered to the animal; etc. Therefore, the amounts of components and ingredients may vary widely and may deviate from the preferred proportions described herein.

[0059] In one embodiment, the chunks can be produced by emulsifying one or more of minced meat, dry protein material, water, and any additional ingredients. Optionally, the emulsion also includes flour so that the emulsion is a dough. Examples of suitable flours include wheat flour, amaranth flour, soy flour, white or brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, chestnut flour, chickpea flour, potato flour, corn flour, nut flour ground from oily nuts, pea flour, peanut flour, rye flour, tapioca flour, soy flour, and the like. The chunks are not limited to a particular flour, and any flour known to those skilled in the art for preparing dough can be used.

[0060] The emulsion can be formed using equipment commonly used in meat emulsification, such as mixers, blenders, grinders, silent cutting mincers, emulsion grinders, and the like. Other components of the mass can be added to the meat before and / or after the meat is emulsified. The emulsion can then be processed by a high-speed emulsion grinder in a second emulsion step, where the emulsion is thermally gelled by rapid heating. The heated emulsion can then be cooled. For example, the heated emulsion can be discharged from the grinder into a heat exchanger to reduce the temperature of the emulsion and solidify the emulsion into a striped meat-like structure.

[0061] The striped meat-like structure can be sliced ​​to produce simulated meat chunks. For example, a dicing machine, a rotary cutter knife, a water jet knife, a mesh knife, etc. can cut the product into pieces of a desired size. In one embodiment, portions of the striped meat-like structure can be processed differently to produce pieces of different sizes.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment, the gravy is prepared separately from the chunks. For example, the gravy may be mixed by standard methods well known in the art prior to mixing the gravy with the chunks. In one embodiment, the gravy may be formed by adding the non-aqueous components of the gravy to water during continuous mixing (such as by a high-speed mixer), and the gravy may be formed at ambient temperature. In another embodiment, the gravy may be formed by mixing the non-aqueous components of the gravy in a portion of the water at ambient temperature to form a slurry, heating another portion of the water, and then adding the slurry to the heated water during continuous stirring (such as by a stirrer).

[0063] In view of the foregoing disclosure, one embodiment provided herein is a method of preparing a wet food formulated for administration to a pet, the method comprising incorporating at least one of spinach or tomato into the wet food in an amount effective to enhance the palatability of the wet food and / or reduce sugars in the wet food.

[0064] In some embodiments, the method comprises producing a wet food as a gravy composition containing chunks. Incorporating at least one of spinach or tomato into the wet food may comprise at least one step selected from the group consisting of: (i) producing gravy by a method comprising adding spinach to one or more other ingredients of gravy; (ii) producing gravy by a method comprising adding tomato to one or more other ingredients of gravy, preferably further comprising incorporating free form cysteine ​​into the gravy; and (iii) producing chunks by a method comprising adding both spinach and tomato to one or more other ingredients of chunks. In some embodiments, the method comprises producing a wet food as a cake composition, preferably by incorporating both spinach and tomato into a cake composition.

[0065] In some embodiments, the method does not include adding sugars to the wet food other than any sugars present in at least one of spinach or tomatoes, and / or the wet food is free or substantially free of any added phosphates or polyphosphates, such as diphosphates, e.g., trisodium diphosphate.

[0066] In some embodiments, the method includes a wet food formulated for administration to a cat, preferably for complete nutrition of a cat.

[0067] In some embodiments, the method further comprises incorporating soy sauce into the wet food.

[0068] Another embodiment is a method of preparing a product comprising sealing wet food in a container and then cooking the sealed container.

[0069] Another embodiment is a method of providing nutrition to a pet, the method comprising administering to the pet a wet food prepared by any of the methods disclosed herein. The pet is preferably a cat. The pet may be suffering from or at risk of renal failure, and the wet food may be free or substantially free of any added phosphate or polyphosphate, such as diphosphate, e.g., trisodium diphosphate.

[0070] Example

[0071] The following non-limiting examples further support the compositions and methods disclosed herein. The formulations and results are shown in Tables 1 to 5. "GiG" refers to chunks having a grilled appearance and prepared by one or more of the methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,993,445 and 10,470,470, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, and include the commercial product FANCY (“FF”). “CiG” refers to chunks of real meat without artificial additives (except vitamins and minerals). “Cake” refers to mousse products. “HsCC” refers to meat paste products.

[0072] Example 1

[0073] Table 1 shows the use of Purina Formulations of control (no tomato powder in the gravy) and treated (spray dried tomato powder added to the gravy at 1 % by weight of the gravy) gravy compositions of Perle Les Filettines (85 g bag, chicken variety) containing GiG chunks.

[0074] Table 1

[0075]

[0076]

[0077] Additionally, the test formulations of Table 1 provided significantly enhanced palatability relative to the control formulation in three trials with preferences of 67%, 71.6% and 69.3% (p≤0.05). When tomato powder was added alone to chunks, palatability enhancement was limited and non-systematic and overall non-significant.

[0078] Example 2

[0079] Dehydrated spinach was tested in two forms: flakes or powder, and added to gravy at 1%.

[0080] Table 2

[0081]

[0082] Comparative Test 1 and Comparative Test 2 showed repeated significantly enhanced palatability of products containing spinach flakes or spinach powder compared to the gravy control containing chunks, with a preference of 68% for spinach flakes (Test 1) and 66% for spinach powder (Test 2) (p<0.05).

[0083] The addition of 4% spinach flakes in the chunks did not significantly positively affect palatability (p>0.05), but as shown in Table 3, the combination of 1% and 2% spinach flakes and tomato powder in the chunks increased palatability compared to the control (Purina Perle Les Filettines, 85 g bag, chicken variety) significantly enhanced palatability. Surprisingly, tomato powder did not affect palatability when added to the chunks at only 4% (results were not statistically significant), but combining spinach flakes and tomato powder produced an enhancement in palatability (statistically significant, p<0.05). When both tomato powder and spinach flakes were added at 1%, it also showed an improvement relative to the competitor product ( Enhanced palatability of mini meat slices, 85 g bag (France) (CiG)). These results show that the combination of the two ingredients produces an effect when added to the chunks.

[0084] Table 3

[0085]

[0086] Example 3

[0087] Tomato powder at 1% gravy in gravy cat food with chunks and tomato and spinach (0.5% each) in HSCC cat food were used as sugar substitutes (Table 4), resulting in enhanced preference compared to a benchmark product (HSCC with 78% moisture, 12% protein, 5.5% fat, 2.7% ash, 0.05% crude fiber) without added sugar.

[0088] Table 4

[0089] form describe Mean % consumption vs. control with added sugars <![CDATA[ G JZ ]]> Baseline with no added sugars - Day 1 48 <![CDATA[ G JZ ]]> Baseline with no added sugars - Day 5 40 <![CDATA[ G JZ ]]> 1% tomato in gravy (Day 1) 55 <![CDATA[ G JZ ]]> 1% tomato in gravy (Day 5) 57

[0090]

[0091]

[0092] A synergistic preference effect in gravy containing chunks was observed when tomato powder (1%) and cysteine ​​(0.1%) were combined in the gravy as shown in Table 5. The control contained no added sugar.

[0093] Table 5

[0094] form describe Test and Control No Added Sugar CIG 1% tomato in gravy (first test) 57.5 No Added Sugar CIG 0.1% cysteine ​​in gravy 55 No Added Sugar CIG Gravy with 1% tomato, 0.1% cysteine 67.5

[0095] It should be understood that various changes and modifications made to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. These changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter of the present invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. Therefore, such changes and modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of preparing a wet food formulated for administration to a pet, the method comprising incorporating at least one of spinach or tomato into the wet food in an amount effective to enhance the palatability of the wet food and / or reduce added sugars in the wet food.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising producing the wet food as a gravy composition containing chunks.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein incorporating the at least one of spinach or tomato into the wet food comprises producing the gravy by a process comprising adding spinach to one or more other ingredients of the gravy.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein incorporating the at least one of spinach or tomato into the wet food comprises producing the gravy by a process comprising adding tomato to one or more other ingredients of the gravy.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method of producing the gravy further comprises incorporating free form cysteine ​​into the gravy.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein incorporating the at least one of spinach or tomato into the wet food comprises producing the chunks by a process comprising adding both spinach and tomato to one or more other ingredients of the chunks.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising producing the wet food as a cake composition.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein producing the wet food as the cake composition comprises incorporating both spinach and tomato into the cake composition.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method does not include adding sugars to the wet food other than any sugars present in the at least one of spinach or tomatoes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wet food is formulated for administration to cats.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising incorporating soy sauce into the wet food.

12. A method of preparing a product, the method comprising sealing the wet food according to claim 1 in a container, and then steaming the sealed container.

13. A method of providing nutrition to a pet, the method comprising administering to the pet a wet food prepared by the method according to claim 1.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pet is a cat.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the pet has or is at risk for renal failure and the wet food is free or substantially free of added phosphates or polyphosphates.

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