High-meat-content sheet-shaped pet baked food and method for preparing the same

Abstract

This invention discloses a high-meat-content flaked pet food and its preparation method, belonging to the field of pet food processing technology. The purpose of this invention is to solve the problem of existing technologies' difficulty in continuously and stably processing high-meat, high-viscosity dough into regular flaked products. The preparation method includes: mixing a mixture of raw materials to form a uniform dough; rolling the dough into thin sheets using a heavy-duty flaking machine with multiple rollers; cutting the sheets into flaked blanks of predetermined sizes; and finally, baking in stages to obtain the final product. This invention, through a forming technology of "heavy-duty rolling → shaping into blanks → synchronous fixed-length cutting," achieves continuous and large-scale production of high-meat-content flaked pet food. The product exhibits good uniformity in thickness, width, and length, neat edges, and excellent appearance. It effectively overcomes the problems of material sticking to rollers, sticking, and deformation, significantly improving production efficiency and reducing labor costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pet food processing technology, and more specifically to a high-meat-content flake pet baked food and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing sophistication of pet ownership, pet owners are demanding higher standards for the quality, form, and nutritional value of pet food. High-meat, naturally healthy baked pet food is gaining popularity due to its rich nutrition and palatability. Currently, most mainstream baked pet food is either extruded into pellet form or simply biscuit-shaped using molds.

[0003] However, existing technologies have significant shortcomings in preparing flake pet food with high meat content (especially a high proportion of fresh meat). First, dough high in meat, moisture, and fat is highly viscous and has poor extensibility, making it prone to sticking and deformation when using traditional extrusion or stamping techniques. This makes it difficult to stably and continuously produce regular, small flake products with uniform thickness and width. Second, manual or semi-automatic production methods are inefficient, unable to achieve large-scale, automated production, and result in poor product specification consistency, affecting appearance quality. Furthermore, the industry lacks integrated continuous production line solutions from high-meat raw material mixing to regular flake finished products, and inter-process transfers increase hygiene risks and labor costs.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a complete, continuous, and automated production method that can start from mixing high-meat-moisture raw materials to finally forming regular, small-scale baked products is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a high-meat-content flake pet food and its preparation method, which solves the problem in the prior art that it is difficult to process high-meat-content dough continuously and stably, so as to prepare regular flake pet food with uniform specifications.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A high-meat-content flake-shaped baked pet food, by weight percentage, comprises: 77% animal-based ingredients, 18% plant-based and binder-based ingredients, and 5% pet premix.

[0007] Preferably, the animal-derived raw materials include fresh chicken meat, chicken meal, and chicken fat; the plant-based and binding raw materials include sweet potato starch and cellulose; and the pet premix includes vitamins, minerals, and functional additives.

[0008] Preferably, the functional additive is one or more of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, amino acids, taurine, fructooligosaccharides, yucca powder, and rosemary extract.

[0009] Preferably, the raw material composition by weight percentage is: 60% fresh chicken meat, 8% chicken fat, 9% chicken meal, 2% cellulose, 16% sweet potato starch, 0.8% vitamins, 1.2% minerals, and 3% functional additives.

[0010] This invention also provides a method for preparing the high-meat-content flake pet food described above, comprising the following steps: (1) Mixing: Mix the mixture containing animal ingredients, plant and adhesive ingredients and pet premix at a speed of 22-23 rpm to form a uniform, fine and sticky dough; (2) Rolling and forming: The dough is rolled step by step through multiple rollers of a heavy-duty sheeting machine to form a continuous sheet; (3) Slitting and blanking: Cutting the rolled dough into blanks of a predetermined size; (4) Segmented baking: The sheet-like raw material is evenly spread in a multi-layer mesh belt baking oven and baked in a segmented temperature-controlled manner. After cooling, high meat content sheet-like baked pet food is obtained.

[0011] Preferably, the specific steps of step (1) include: The meat source from animal-based raw materials is made into minced meat and then broken up; Premix animal-based ingredients, plant-based and adhesive ingredients, and powder ingredients in pet premixes; The fats in animal-derived raw materials are preheated to 50-55℃ to become liquid fats; Premix the powdered ingredients and put them into the mixer. Turn on the mixer and slowly pour in the liquid oil after mixing for 2-3 minutes. Continue mixing until the ingredients are evenly mixed. Then slowly add water equal to 12% of the total weight of the ingredients. After mixing evenly, add the minced meat and continue mixing until the ingredients form a smooth, sticky dough with no visible dry powder particles or free oil. The total mixing time should be controlled between 12-18 minutes.

[0012] Preferably, the thickness of the sheet in step (2) is 2.2-2.8 mm.

[0013] Preferably, the segmented temperature-controlled baking in step (4) is carried out in a tunnel oven, specifically: three temperature zones of 140℃-140℃-140℃, with dwell times of 5min-6min-6min, and a constant temperature drying at 105℃ at the end.

[0014] The tunnel oven has three independent temperature-controlled sections connected end to end, each equipped with its own heating lamp. The first section uses first-specification heating lamps, the second section uses second-specification lamps, and the third section uses third-specification lamps. The different heating spectra and arrangement densities of these three types of lamps result in varying degrees of temperature uniformity within the oven cavity at a set temperature of 140℃. The first section primarily focuses on particle solidification, the second on in-depth dehydration and structural strengthening, and the third on homogenization, coloring, and flavor formation.

[0015] As can be seen from the above technical solution, compared with the prior art, the present invention discloses a high-meat-content flake pet food and its preparation method, which has the following beneficial effects: This invention employs a continuous forming technology of "heavy-duty calendering → shaping into flatbread → synchronous fixed-length cutting," successfully overcoming the technical challenge of processing high-meat, high-viscosity dough into regular flat sheets. By precisely controlling the calendering thickness and cutting dimensions, it is possible to mass-produce millimeter-level flat products with uniform thickness, width, and length. The products have neat edges and an appearance far superior to those produced by traditional handcrafting or general equipment.

[0016] Addressing the characteristics of high-meat, high-fat, and low-gluten doughs that are prone to sticking to rollers and cracking, this invention optimizes the entire process from mixing to forming. The high-speed mixing process ensures thorough emulsification of materials, enhancing the dough's plasticity; combined with food-grade anti-stick conveying and calendering components, it completely overcomes material adhesion problems, guaranteeing continuous and stable operation of the production line.

[0017] This invention provides a complete, continuous production line solution that organically connects processes such as mixing, calendering, slitting, and baking, eliminating the need for manual handling. This not only significantly improves production efficiency and reduces labor costs but also reduces the risk of product contamination and ensures the stability of product quality between batches. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] Example 1 Raw material formula (by weight percentage): 60% fresh chicken, 8% chicken fat, 9% chicken meal, 2% cellulose, 16% sweet potato starch, 0.8% vitamins, 1.2% minerals, and 3% functional additives.

[0020] Preparation steps: (1) Raw material pretreatment: mince fresh chicken meat and break it up for later use; put dry powder raw materials such as sweet potato starch, pet premix and chicken powder into the mixing chamber for later use; preheat chicken oil to 50-55℃ to make it liquid; (2) Mixing and stirring: Put the pre-treated dry powder ingredients (sweet potato starch, pet premix, chicken powder) into the mixer and start stirring; after stirring for 2-3 minutes, slowly pour in the preheated liquid chicken oil; continue stirring until the mixture is even, then slowly add 12% of the total weight of the ingredients in water, and finally add the minced chicken; the stirring speed is 22-23 rpm and the total stirring time is controlled at 12-18 minutes until the dough is even, delicate, sticky, and without visible dry powder particles or free oil. (3) Rolling and slitting: The mixed dough is continuously fed into a heavy-duty sheet composite rolling mill. The dough passes through multiple rollers in sequence. The gap between the rollers is adjusted from large to small step by step. Finally, the gap of the last set of rollers is adjusted to precisely roll the sheet to a thickness of 2.5±0.3mm, resulting in a smooth and uniform continuous sheet. The rolled dough sheet is then processed into sheet-shaped green blanks of the required size by a slicing device inside the equipment. (4) Segmented baking: The cut sheet-shaped raw material is evenly spread on the conveyor belt of the multi-layer mesh belt baking oven and sent into the tunnel oven for segmented baking. Specifically, the temperature is controlled in three zones: 140℃-140℃-140℃, and the dwell time is 5min-6min-6min in sequence. The end is dried at a constant temperature of 105℃.

[0021] After baking, cool to room temperature in a clean environment to obtain the finished high-meat-content flake pet baked food.

[0022] The product prepared in Example 1 was tested, and the process and results are as follows: Uniformity of appearance: Testing method: Use a standard sieve set (2.5 mesh upper sieve, 4 mesh lower sieve) to sieve, collect the sieved particles, weigh them, and calculate the breakage rate.

[0023] Judgment criteria: Breakage rate ≤18% (particles with more than 1 / 3 of the part broken, rolled-edge particles with a thickness >4mm, stacked particles, and irregularly shaped non-square particles are all considered unqualified).

[0024] Test results: The breakage rates of four consecutive batches were 16.8%, 17%, 9%, and 7%, respectively, which are lower than the control limit of 18%.

[0025] Particle size consistency: Testing method: Randomly select 100 finished product granules and measure the thickness of each granule (unit: mm) using a digital vernier caliper. Test results: The average particle thickness was 2.4 mm, the standard deviation was 0.28 mm, and the coefficient of variation (CV) was 11.7%. The thickness distribution was concentrated, indicating that the pressing and forming process had good control over the thickness.

[0026] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A high-meat-content flake-shaped baked pet food, characterized in that, By weight percentage, it includes: 77% animal-derived ingredients, 18% plant-based and adhesive ingredients, and 5% pet premix.

2. The high-meat-content flake pet food according to claim 1, characterized in that, The animal-based ingredients include fresh chicken, chicken meal, and chicken fat; the plant-based and binding ingredients include sweet potato starch and cellulose; and the pet premix includes vitamins, minerals, and functional additives.

3. The high-meat-content flake pet food according to claim 2, characterized in that, The raw material composition by weight percentage is as follows: 60% fresh chicken meat, 8% chicken fat, 9% chicken meal, 2% cellulose, 16% sweet potato starch, 0.8% vitamins, 1.2% minerals, and 3% functional additives.

4. The high-meat-content flake pet food according to claim 2, characterized in that, The functional additives are one or more of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, amino acids, taurine, fructooligosaccharides, yucca powder, and rosemary extract.

5. A method for preparing the high-meat-content flake pet food according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Mixing: Mix the mixture containing animal ingredients, plant and adhesive ingredients and pet premix at a speed of 22-23 rpm to form a uniform, fine and sticky dough; (2) Rolling and forming: The dough is rolled step by step through multiple rollers of a heavy-duty sheeting machine to form a continuous sheet; (3) Slitting and blanking: Cutting the rolled dough into blanks of a predetermined size; (4) Segmented baking: The sheet-like raw material is evenly spread in a multi-layer mesh belt baking oven and baked in a segmented temperature-controlled manner. After cooling, high meat content sheet-like baked pet food is obtained.

6. The method for preparing high-meat-content flake pet food according to claim 5, characterized in that, The specific steps of step (1) include: The meat source from animal-based raw materials is made into minced meat and then broken up; Premix animal-based ingredients, plant-based and adhesive ingredients, and powder ingredients in pet premixes; The fats in animal-derived raw materials are preheated to 50-55℃ to become liquid fats; Premix the powdered ingredients and put them into the mixer. Turn on the mixer and slowly pour in the liquid oil after mixing for 2-3 minutes. Continue mixing until the ingredients are evenly mixed. Then slowly add water equal to 12% of the total weight of the ingredients. After mixing evenly, add the minced meat and continue mixing until the ingredients form a smooth, sticky dough with no visible dry powder particles or free oil. The total mixing time should be controlled between 12-18 minutes.

7. The method for preparing high-meat-content flake pet food according to claim 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the sheet in step (2) is 2.2-2.8 mm.

8. The method for preparing high-meat-content flake pet food according to claim 5, characterized in that, The segmented temperature-controlled baking in step (4) uses a tunnel oven, specifically: three temperature zones of 140℃-140℃-140℃, with dwell times of 5min-6min-6min, and a constant temperature drying at 105℃ at the end.