METHOD FOR PREPARING PET FOOD AND PET FOOD OBTAINED THEREFROM

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, and the pet food obtained thereby.

Description

Description of Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to German Patent Application No. 102020114073.8, filed May 26, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Technical Field]

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, and the pet food obtained thereby. [Background technology]

[0003] One of the favorite pet foods for dogs is white meat, such as chicken, typically with gravy.

[0004] However, white meats such as chicken do not provide all of the essential vitamins and minerals needed to provide a complete, balanced nutritional profile for pets. To overcome this deficiency, gravy systems have been developed in which all of the necessary vitamins and minerals required by dogs are provided in the appropriate amount of gravy. Typically, the form of minerals used in these standards is sulfate. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The prior art method for preparing individualized pet food involves first filling a container with white meat, then pouring gravy on top in a specified ratio. The filled container is then sealed and sterilized. However, a drawback is that upon completion of the sterilization process, the white meat turns gray, which makes the product appear to consumers as being of poor quality due to its gray color. It is believed that the gray color is substantially due to the use of copper sulfate as one of the minerals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, a method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy is disclosed.

[0007] In one aspect, the method may include the steps of: a) uniformly mixing white meat and gravy in a mass ratio of 50:50 to 98:2; b) filling the mixture obtained in step a) into containers; and c) sealing and sterilizing the filled containers. Various embodiments of this method may alternatively or additionally include the following features: in this method, no copper sulfate is added; and the gravy includes water, a thickener, a flavoring, additional minerals, and vitamins.

[0008] In another aspect, the method may include adding a chelating agent to the pet food, filling the pet food into a container, and sealing and sterilizing the filled container. Various embodiments of this method may alternatively or additionally include the following features: the chelating agent is an ingredient of the gravy; the chelating agent is added by rolling the white meat in an aqueous solution of the chelating agent before adding the gravy to the white meat; the chelating agent is at least one selected from sodium citrate, sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP), potassium citrate, potassium tripolyphosphate, or tetrapotassium pyrophosphate; in this method, no copper sulfate is added; and the gravy includes water, a thickener, a flavoring, additional minerals, and vitamins.

[0009] In another aspect, the method may include adding a copper compound other than copper sulfate to the pet food, filling the pet food into a container, and sealing and sterilizing the filled container. Various embodiments of this method may alternatively or additionally include the following features: the copper compound is at least one selected from saturated copper protein compounds, copper carbonate, copper chloride, copper-enriched yeast cells, and a chelated form of copper, such as copper salts of lactic acid, malic acid, or citric acid; the copper compound other than copper sulfate is a component of a gravy; no copper sulfate is added in this method; and the gravy includes water, a thickener, a flavoring, additional minerals, and vitamins.

[0010] Pet foods obtained by the methods and features described in this Summary section, as well as in the Detailed Description section below, are also within the scope of this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy that prevents grey discoloration of the white meat, and the pet food obtained thereby.

[0012] In a first alternative, the object is to provide a method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, comprising: a) uniformly mixing white meat and gravy in a mass ratio of 50:50 to 98:2; b) filling the mixture obtained in step a) into a container; and c) sealing and sterilizing the filled containers; This is achieved by a method comprising:

[0013] In a second alternative, the object is to provide a method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, the method comprising: a) adding a chelating agent to the pet food; b) filling the pet food into containers; and c) sealing and sterilizing the filled containers; This is achieved by a method comprising:

[0014] In a third alternative, the object is to provide a method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, comprising: a) adding a copper compound other than copper sulfate to the pet food; b) filling the pet food into containers; and c) sealing and sterilizing the filled containers; This is achieved by a method comprising:

[0015] Further according to the present invention there is provided a pet food obtainable by any of the methods of the present invention.

[0016] Further embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0017] Surprisingly, it has been found that with either alternative approach, the gray discoloration of white meat typically observed in the prior art can be substantially prevented due to the mineral supplementation necessary to make the white meat product complete and balanced for dogs.

[0018] Consumers are well aware of the difference between red meat, on the one hand, and white meat, on the other hand, which can be distinguished based on the amount of myoglobin. Red meat contains significantly more myoglobin than white meat. The term "white meat," as used in the present invention, should be understood to include poultry meats such as chicken, duck, turkey, and pheasant; lamb, goat, rabbit, veal, and the like; and white fish meats such as cod, haddock, trout, carp, and salmon.

[0019] In one embodiment, the white meat is light muscle meat. An example of light muscle meat is cooked / steamed chicken breast.

[0020] The term "homogeneously mixed" should be understood to mean that the white meat and gravy are mixed in such a way that a homogeneous mixture is obtained, i.e., the liquid phase is uniformly distributed on and between the white meat pieces. Instead, the mixture has the form of a slurry. Homogeneous mixing results in a uniform consistency of the gravy (liquid) phase on the surface of the meat pieces.

[0021] The uniform mixing quality of a given batch mixer can be measured, for example, by filling the mixer with 700 kg of thawed chicken breast as the white meat and 300 kg of gravy, utilizing 50–90% of the mixing volume. The mixture is then mixed until the gravy is evenly distributed around the meat mass. For example, in a square mixer, a pattern of 4–10 mixer surface locations is defined: each corner and each midpoint of any side near the inner wall of the mixer. A 100 g sample is then set aside from each location as a reference sample. A tracer (100 g / 1000 kg), e.g., CuSO4·5H2O, is then added to the mixer. The mixing operation is then initiated at a fixed mixer speed, and the mixing time is recorded. Every 2–5 minutes, the mixer is stopped and 100 g samples are set aside from 4–10 defined locations on the mixer surface, labeled with the mixing time and location. Mixing is then continued, and the sampling procedure is repeated every 2-5 minutes. All samples (annotated with time and position in the mixer) are ashed at 400°C and analyzed for tracer concentration, e.g., by atomic absorption (AA) spectroscopy, to ensure that the reference sample contains no or only very low concentrations of the added tracer.

[0022] The results of tracers by location and time are analyzed in such a way that for each mixing time, the mean value (x) of tracers found, the standard deviation (s) of samples at different locations is calculated and the coefficient of variation (v) expressed in [%] is calculated as x × s × 100. The mixing time is considered as the mixing time for the selected mixer and the applied mixing conditions once the coefficient of variation reaches a specified value, i.e., 5% or less. The sample taken from the mixer after a specified mixing time under the specified mixing conditions is considered to be homogeneous.

[0023] In the second option, the chelating agent is present in the final prepared pet food in one embodiment in an amount of 0.1 to 0.5% by weight, based on the total weight of the pet food.

[0024] All options involve filling containers with pet food, then sealing and sterilizing the filled containers.

[0025] Further embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0026] Standard means may be used for filling the container with the pet food. In alternative 1, a homogenous mixture of white meat and gravy is filled into the container as a "one shot," but the white meat and gravy may be filled into the container in alternatives 2 and 3 sequentially, for example, by filling the container with the white meat first and then the gravy.

[0027] Additionally, for the process of sealing and sterilizing the container, standard methods known in the art can be selected along with appropriate pressure and temperature ranges to provide sufficient sterilization to the filled and sealed container.

[0028] In one embodiment, the three options can be combined. For example, in one embodiment, a chelating agent and / or a copper compound other than copper sulfate may be added to a homogenous mixture of white meat and gravy.

[0029] Pet foods according to the present invention typically do not contain any one of copper amino acid complexes, copper amino acid chelates, copper glycine complexes, copper proteinaceous compounds, menadione sodium bisulfate complexes, and disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate. [Example]

[0030] Hereinafter, the functions and effects of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples of the present invention. However, these examples are provided to explain the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0031] Preparation of chicken Frozen chicken breasts were thawed, then cooked and cut into appropriately sized pieces.

[0032] Preparation of gravy The gravy was prepared by adding about 40 g of tapioca starch and 2.2 g of xanthan gum to 957.8 g of water and stirring it in. Further additives such as minerals and vitamins may be added as desired.

[0033] Example 1 - Preparation of pet food by homogeneously mixing chicken and gravy Based on the total weight of the pet food, 70% by weight of the chicken meat prepared as described above and 30% by weight of the gravy prepared as described above are mixed uniformly, and the mixture is filled into a container, which is then sealed and sterilized.

[0034] After inspecting the sterilized pet food, only a very slight gray color is visible on the surface of the chicken pieces.

[0035] Example 2 - Addition of a chelating agent Chicken meat prepared as described above is rolled in an aqueous solution containing sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) as a chelating agent. STPP is used in an amount such that 0.3% by weight of STPP is found in the final prepared pet food. After rolling, the chicken is left to stand for 15 minutes to allow the solution to penetrate better into the meat. The meat should completely absorb the solution.

[0036] The prepared chicken meat is filled into containers, which are then filled with the gravy prepared as described above in a chicken meat:gravy ratio of 70:30 by weight. The filled containers are again sealed and sterilized.

[0037] After inspecting the filled container, no grey discoloration is detected.

[0038] Example 3 - Addition of copper compounds other than copper sulfate The container is filled with the chicken meat prepared as described above. Then, the container is filled with the gravy prepared as described above. A copper protein compound is added to the gravy. The mass ratio of chicken meat to gravy is 70:30, and the copper protein compound is added so that the total amount of the copper protein compound in the pet food is 0.05 mass% based on the total mass of the pet food.

[0039] The filled containers are sealed and sterilized.

[0040] After inspecting the pet food in the filled container, no gray discoloration is detectable. Even more surprisingly, it has been found that pet food prepared according to the method of the present invention does not affect fecal quality.

[0041] The features disclosed in the foregoing description and in the claims may, both separately and in any combination thereof, be material for realizing the invention in diverse forms thereof. Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. Embodiment 1 1. A method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, comprising: a) uniformly mixing the white meat and the gravy in a mass ratio of 50:50 to 98:2; b) filling the mixture obtained in step a) into a container; and c) sealing and sterilizing the filled containers; A method comprising: Embodiment 2 1. A method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, comprising: a) adding a chelating agent to the pet food; b) filling the pet food into a container; and c) sealing and sterilizing the filled containers; A method comprising: Embodiment 3 3. The method of embodiment 2, wherein the chelating agent is an ingredient in the gravy. Embodiment 4 3. The method of embodiment 2, wherein the chelating agent is added by rolling the white meat in an aqueous solution of the chelating agent before adding the gravy to the white meat. Embodiment 5 5. The method of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the chelating agent is at least one selected from sodium citrate, sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP), potassium citrate, potassium tripolyphosphate, or tetrapotassium pyrophosphate. Embodiment 6 1. A method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, comprising: a) adding a copper compound other than copper sulfate to the pet food; b) filling the pet food into a container; and c) sealing and sterilizing the filled containers; A method comprising: Embodiment 7 7. The method of embodiment 6, wherein the copper compound is at least one selected from saturated copper protein compounds, copper carbonate, copper chloride, copper-enriched yeast cells, and chelated forms of copper such as copper salts of lactic acid, malic acid, or citric acid. Embodiment 8 8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the copper compound other than copper sulfate is an ingredient of the gravy. Embodiment 9 9. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein no copper sulfate is added in the method. Embodiment 10 10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the gravy comprises water, a thickener, flavorings, additional minerals and vitamins. Embodiment 11 11. A pet food obtainable by the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 10.

Claims

1. 1. A method for preparing a pet food comprising white meat and gravy, wherein the white meat is inhibited from gray discoloration, comprising: a) uniformly mixing the white meat with a gravy containing water, a thickener, a flavoring, additional minerals and vitamins in a mass ratio of 50:50 to 98:2, wherein the gravy comprises adding a chelating agent, the chelating agent being sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP); b) filling the mixture obtained in step a) into a container; and c) sealing and sterilizing the filled containers; A method comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein no copper sulfate is added in the method.

3. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein step a) further comprises adding a copper compound other than copper sulfate.