Dry pet food and its manufacturing method

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel dry pet food that has an improved powder retention rate on the surface of the pet food. [Solution] The present invention, which solves the above problem, is a dry pet food (1) that includes dry pet food base granules (3) having powdery and granular ingredients (2) adhered to the surface, and the dry pet food base granules (3) have grooves on the surface.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dry pet food and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a method of increasing the palatability of pet food has been known in which a powdered palatable substance is sprinkled on pet food granules to adhere to the granules. For example, there is an example in which the raw materials for pet food are extruded and expanded using an extruder to form numerous vacuoles on the surface, increasing the surface area of ​​the pet food granules and improving the amount of powdered palatable substance that adheres to the pet food granules (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-160808 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In view of the above prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel dry pet food that has an improved powder retention rate on the surface of the pet food. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention that solves the above problems includes the following [1] to [7].

[0006] [1] A dry pet food base granule having a powdery material attached to its surface, The dry pet food base granules have grooves on the surface, Dry pet food.

[0007] [2] The dry pet food base granules have a corrugated surface formed on the surface by protrusions and the grooves adjacent to the protrusions, The protrusions are larger than the gaps of the grooves, The average height difference between the peaks of the protrusions and the valley bottoms of the grooves is 0.025 mm to 0.6 mm. [1] The dry pet food described in [1].

[0008] [3] The dry pet food base granules have a residual rate of powdery or granular materials of 60% or more as measured by the following measurement method: [1] or [2]: (Measurement method) (1) Prepare 100 g of dry pet food base granules with 12 g of powdered granular material attached. (2) Next, a tray is placed on the lowest level of the electromagnetic sieve shaker, and one mesh with a diameter of 210 mm and openings of 0.71 mm is stacked on top of the tray. (3) The dry pet food base granules are placed in the mesh, the lid is placed on the mesh, and the mesh is vibrated at a vibration amplitude of 1 mm for 3 minutes. (4) After the vibration, the weight of the powdered or granular material that has fallen into the tray is measured, and the remaining percentage of the powdered or granular material is calculated based on the following formula. Survival rate (%)={(12-W) / 12}×100 (Wherein, W represents the weight (g) of the powdery or granular material that fell into the tray.)

[0009] [4] The dry pet food base granules are generally rectangular in plan view, The dry pet food base granules have a top surface and a bottom surface, a corrugated surface formed on the top surface and the bottom surface by a protrusion portion and the groove portion adjacent to the protrusion portion; and the top surface and the bottom surface each have two or more of the groove portions, The groove portion extends linearly in the width direction. [1] The dry pet food according to any one of [1] to [3].

[0010] [5] dry pet food base granules, The dry pet food base granules have grooves on the surface, Dry pet food.

[0011] [6] A molding step of supplying the raw materials to an extruder and extruding the dry pet food base granules while forming grooves on the surface; An adhering step of adhering a powdery granular material to the surface of the dry pet food base granules; obtained by a manufacturing method comprising: Dry pet food.

[0012] [7] A molding process in which the raw materials are fed into an extruder and the dry pet food base material granules are extruded while forming grooves on the surface; An adhering step of adhering a powdery granular material to the surface of the dry pet food base granules, A method for producing dry pet food. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, a novel dry pet food having an improved powder retention rate on the surface of the pet food, and a method for producing the same are provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of dry pet food according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a photograph of the dry pet food according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view (bottom view) of a dry pet food base granule according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view (rear view) of the dry pet food base granule according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of a dry pet food base granule according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view AA of a dry pet food base granule according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dry pet food base granule according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of the manufacturing process of the dry pet food according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a dry pet food according to Comparative Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a graph showing the measurement results of the retention rate of powdery and granular ingredients on the surface of dry pet food according to Test Example 3. [Figure 11] 1 is a graph showing the retention capacity of powdery and granular ingredients on the surface of the dry pet food according to Test Example 3. [Figure 12] 10 is a graph showing the measurement results of the retention rate of powdery and granular ingredients on the surface of dry pet food according to vibration time in <Test Example 3>. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] As used herein, the term "pet" refers to an animal kept by a human, and is typically a pet animal kept by an owner, such as a dog or a cat. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the "pet" is preferably a dog or a cat, more preferably a cat.

[0016] In this specification, "pet food" means food for pets. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the "pet food" is preferably dog ​​food and cat food, more preferably cat food.

[0017] In this specification, "dry pet food" means pet food with a moisture content of 12% by mass or less.

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the dry pet food 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0019] <Dry pet food> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, dry pet food 1 includes powdery and granular ingredients 2 and dry pet food base granules 3 to which the powdery and granular ingredients 2 adhere.

[0020] (1) Powdery and granular materials As used herein, the term "particulate powder material" refers to a material that is solid at room temperature and is used by adhering to, coating, or mixing with the surface of dry pet food base granules. Its form may be various, including, but not limited to, powder, granules, flakes, and fine particles, depending on the purpose and the properties of the material. Depending on the purpose, one or more of the powder material may be selected from palatable materials, nutritionally enriched materials, functional materials, and quality-improved materials.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the powdery or granular material 2 is in the form of a powder or fine particles.

[0022] The upper limit of the average particle size of the powdery or granular material is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 2000 μm or less, preferably 1500 μm or less, more preferably 1200 μm or less, and more preferably It is preferably 1000 μm or less, and more preferably 900 μm or less.

[0023] The lower limit of the average particle size of the powdery or granular material is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 1 μm or more, preferably 10 μm or more, more preferably 50 μm or more, more preferably 100 μm or more, and even more preferably 200 μm or more.

[0024] In this specification, the term "average particle size" refers to the particle size at 50% of the cumulative value in the particle size distribution determined by a laser diffraction / scattering method.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the "powdered or granular material" is preferably a palatable material. In this specification, the term "palatable ingredient" refers to an ingredient that is highly palatable to pets and that increases the intake of pet food containing the palatable ingredient compared to pet food that does not contain the palatable ingredient. In the present invention, the palatable ingredient preferably contains a palatable component.

[0026] In this specification, the term "palatability component" refers to a component that enhances palatability for pets. The palatability component can be selected from one or more of the following depending on the purpose: ground dried fish such as bonito flakes, mackerel flakes, and soda flakes; ground seafood (fish, shrimp, etc.); ground meat such as milk powder and chicken fillet powder; whey powder, skim milk powder, finely ground breadcrumbs, cheese powder, cheese food powder, yogurt powder, meat powder in which seafood extract or meat extract is adsorbed on a carrier; vegetable powder such as pumpkin powder; yeast, yeast extract powder; amino acids; sugars; and flavoring powder in which an aroma component is adsorbed on a carrier.

[0027] (2) Dry pet food base granules As used herein, the term "dry pet food base granules" refers to the individual granular shaped products that form the main body of the pet food of the present invention and that have not yet been coated with the powdery or granular ingredients. These are also commonly referred to as "kibbles."

[0028] The dry pet food base granules 3 have grooves 33 on the surface. The term "groove portion" refers to an elongated concave portion on the surface of the dry pet food base granule 3, which is formed by a curved concave surface when viewed in the AA cross section.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the concave surface of the groove portion 33 is a curved surface.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the concave surface of the groove portion 33 is rounded.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the groove portion 33 extends in one direction.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the concave surface of the groove portion 33 has a shape of half a cylinder turned on its side.

[0033] In this embodiment, the groove width L1 is preferably 0.10 mm or more, more preferably 0.15 mm or more, and even more preferably 0.20 mm or more.

[0034] In this embodiment, the groove width L1 is preferably 1.5 mm or less, more preferably 1.3 mm or less, more preferably 1.0 mm or less, more preferably 0.95 mm or less, and even more preferably 0.90 mm or less.

[0035] In this embodiment, the depth of the groove portion 33 is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.03 mm or more, and even more preferably 0.04 mm or more.

[0036] In this embodiment, the depth of the groove portion 33 is preferably 0.6 mm or less, more preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.4 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less, more preferably 0.25 mm or less, more preferably 0.2 mm or less, more preferably 0.15 mm or less, more preferably 0.1 mm or less, and even more preferably 0.08 mm or less.

[0037] The number of groove portions 33 that the dry pet food base granules 3 have is not particularly limited, but is preferably one or more, and more preferably two or more.

[0038] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 have protrusions 34 on their surfaces. Here, the term "protrusion" refers to a long, narrow convex portion on the surface of the dry pet food base granules 3, which is formed by a curved convex surface when viewed in the AA cross section.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the convex surface of the protrusion 34 is a curved surface.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the convex surface of the ridge portion 34 is rounded.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protrusions 34 extend in one direction.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the convex surface of the protrusion 34 has a shape of half a cylinder laid on its side.

[0043] The number of protrusions 34 that the dry pet food base granules 3 have is not particularly limited, but is preferably one or more, and more preferably two or more.

[0044] In this embodiment, the protrusion 34 is preferably formed adjacent to the groove 33 .

[0045] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 preferably have a streaky structure in which a plurality of groove portions 33 and protrusion portions 34 are arranged alternately.

[0046] In this embodiment, the streak-like structure is a corrugated surface whose cross section is a smooth wave shape.

[0047] In this embodiment, the height difference L4 refers to the height from the bottom of the valley of the groove portion 33 to the apex of the protrusion portion .

[0048] In this embodiment, the height difference L4 is preferably 0.025 mm or more, more preferably 0.05 mm or more, and even more preferably 0.075 mm or more.

[0049] In this embodiment, the height difference L4 is preferably 1.2 mm or less, more preferably 1.0 mm or less, more preferably 0.8 mm or less, more preferably 0.6 mm or less, more preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.4 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less, more preferably 0.25 mm or less, more preferably 0.20 mm or less, and even more preferably 0.18 mm or less.

[0050] Here, the height difference L4 is preferably an average height difference. The average height difference is the average value of the height differences L4 between the groove portions 33 and the protrusion portions 34 of the plurality of dry pet food substrate granules 3. When calculating the average height difference, it is preferable to use preferably three or more, more preferably five or more, and even more preferably ten or more of the plurality of dry pet food substrate granules 3.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protrusions 34 are larger than the gaps between the grooves 33. Specifically, when there are two dry pet food base granules 3, the protrusions 34 of one do not fit into the grooves 33 of the other dry pet food base granules 3 of the same shape. By adopting the above-mentioned form, the powdery and granular material 2 adhering to the surface of the groove portions 33 of the dry pet food base granules 3 is easily retained.

[0052] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 have end portions 35 .

[0053] Also, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the convex surface of end 35 is a curved surface.

[0054] Also, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the convex surface of end 35 is rounded.

[0055] Also, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the end 35 extends in one direction.

[0056] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the convex surface of the end portion 35 has the shape of a half cylinder turned on its side.

[0057] In this embodiment, it is preferable that the two groove portions 33 are not adjacent to each other and are not adjacent to the end portions 35 .

[0058] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dry pet food base granules 3 have a bottom surface 32 that comes into contact with the floor surface when placed on the floor, a top surface 31 opposite the bottom surface 32, and side surfaces 36.

[0059] A more preferred embodiment in which the dry pet food base granules 3 have a top surface 31 and a bottom surface 32 will be described below.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 have groove portions 33 on both the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32.

[0061] Here, in the present invention, the groove portions 33 may be provided on at least one of the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32. Furthermore, there are no particular restrictions on the number of groove portions 33 on the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 of the dry pet food base granules 3, but the number is preferably one or more, and more preferably two or more.

[0062] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 have protruding portions 34 on both the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32.

[0063] Here, the number of protrusions 34 on the top surface 31 and bottom surface 32 of the dry pet food base granules 3 is not particularly limited, but is preferably one or more, more preferably two or more, and even more preferably three or more.

[0064] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 have two grooves 33, two end protrusions 341, and a central protrusion 342 on the top surface 31 and bottom surface 32.

[0065] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. Here, "substantially rectangular" does not mean to specify an exact shape, but refers to a shape that resembles a rectangle and can be considered a rectangle when viewed from above even if it has rounded corners, distorted sides, etc. Here, in the present invention, the overall shape of the dry pet food base granules 3 is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention, and may be a substantially oval or circular shape in plan view.

[0066] A more preferred embodiment in which the dry pet food base granules 3 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view will be described below.

[0067] In this embodiment, the groove portion 33 extends linearly in the width direction of the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 .

[0068] In this embodiment, the protrusions 34 extend linearly in the width direction of the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 .

[0069] In this embodiment, the width of the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 is preferably 3.0 mm or more, more preferably 4.0 mm or more, and even more preferably 5.0 mm or more.

[0070] In this embodiment, the width of the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 is preferably 11.0 mm or less, more preferably 10.0 mm or less, and even more preferably 9.5 mm or less.

[0071] In this embodiment, the length of the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 is preferably 6.0 mm or more, more preferably 7.0 mm or more, and even more preferably 8.0 mm or more.

[0072] In this embodiment, the length of the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 is preferably 15.0 mm or less, more preferably 12.5 mm or less, and even more preferably 10.0 mm or less.

[0073] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 are symmetrical with respect to a center line perpendicular to the thickness direction of the dry pet food base granules 3, and the groove portions 33, end protrusion portions 341, and central protrusion portions 342 provided on the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32, respectively, are provided in line-symmetric positions.

[0074] In this embodiment, the central protrusion 342 is formed adjacent to the two grooves 33 .

[0075] In this embodiment, the end protrusion 341 is formed adjacent to the groove 33 and the end 35 .

[0076] In this embodiment, the groove width L1 refers to the width of the groove 33 in the AA cross section. Here, the groove width L1 is the width of two inflection points between the groove 33 and the protrusion 34 adjacent to the groove 33 in the AA cross section.

[0077] In this embodiment, end protrusion width L2 refers to the width of end protrusion 341 in the AA cross section. Here, end protrusion width L2 is the width between the inflection point between end protrusion 341 and groove portion 33 adjacent to end protrusion 341, and end portion 35 adjacent to end protrusion 341 in the AA cross section.

[0078] In this embodiment, the central protrusion width L3 refers to the width of the central protrusion 342 in the AA cross section. Here, the central protrusion width L3 is the width of two inflection points between the central protrusion 342 and the two groove portions 33 adjacent to the central protrusion 342 in the AA cross section.

[0079] In this embodiment, the end protrusion width L2 is greater than the groove width L1. In this embodiment, the width L3 of the central protrusion is greater than the width L1 of the groove.

[0080] In this embodiment, the height of the end protrusion 341 is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.03 mm or more, and even more preferably 0.04 mm or more.

[0081] In this embodiment, the height of the end protrusion 341 is preferably 0.6 mm or less, more preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.4 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less, more preferably 0.25 mm or less, more preferably 0.2 mm or less, more preferably 0.15 mm or less, more preferably 0.1 mm or less, and even more preferably 0.08 mm or less.

[0082] In this embodiment, the height of the central protrusion 342 is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.03 mm or more, and even more preferably 0.04 mm or more.

[0083] In this embodiment, the height of the central protrusion portion 342 is preferably 0.6 mm or less, more preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.4 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less, more preferably 0.25 mm or less, more preferably 0.2 mm or less, more preferably 0.15 mm or less, more preferably 0.1 mm or less, and even more preferably 0.08 mm or less.

[0084] In this embodiment, the width L2 of the end protrusion is preferably 2.0 mm or more, more preferably 2.1 mm or more, and even more preferably 2.2 mm or more.

[0085] In this embodiment, the end protrusion width L2 is preferably 3.50 mm or less, more preferably 3.40 mm or less, and even more preferably 3.30 mm or less.

[0086] In this embodiment, the width L3 of the central protrusion is preferably 2.0 mm or more, more preferably 2.15 mm or more, and even more preferably 2.30 mm or more.

[0087] In this embodiment, the width L3 of the central protrusion is preferably 3.50 mm or less, more preferably 3.40 mm or less, and even more preferably 3.30 mm or less.

[0088] In this embodiment, the ratio of the groove width L1 to the end protrusion width L2 is preferably within the range of 1:1.5 to 1:20, more preferably 1:2 to 1:19, and even more preferably 1:2 to 1:18.

[0089] In this embodiment, the ratio of the groove width L1 to the central protrusion width L3 is preferably within the range of 1:1.5 to 1:20, more preferably 1:2 to 1:19, and even more preferably 1:2 to 1:18.

[0090] In this embodiment, the surface area per unit weight of the dry pet food base granules 3 is preferably 800 mm 2 / g or more, more preferably 900mm 2 / g or more, more preferably 1000mm 2 / g or more, more preferably 1100mm 2 / g or more.

[0091] In this embodiment, the surface area per unit weight of the dry pet food base granules 3 is preferably 1500 mm 2 / g or less, more preferably 1400mm 2 / g or less, more preferably 1300mm 2 / g or less, more preferably 1200mm 2 / g or less.

[0092] By adopting the above-mentioned form, the area of ​​the powdery granular material 2 adhering to the dry pet food base granules 3 that comes into contact with the tongue when eaten is increased, resulting in excellent palatability.

[0093] Furthermore, by adopting the above-described configuration, the protrusion portion 34 and / or the end portion 35 do not come into contact with the groove portion 33, which suppresses the peeling of powder due to friction between the dry pet food base particles 3, thereby providing a new dry pet food with an improved powder retention rate on the pet food surface.

[0094] In this embodiment, the hardness of the dry pet food base granules 3 is preferably within the range of 5 to 50 kgf, more preferably within the range of 5 to 35 kgf, and even more preferably within the range of 10 to 30 kgf.

[0095] The hardness (breaking hardness) of the dry pet food base granules 3 is a value obtained by the following measurement method.

[0096] (Measurement method) Using a universal tension / compression testing machine (small tabletop testing machine EZ Test EZ-SX, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation), the breaking stress when compressed at a constant compression rate is measured under the following conditions: (conditions) Plunger: cylindrical plunger with a diameter of 30 mm, platform: flat plate, compression speed: 60 mm / min, lowest point of plunger: 1.5 mm (gap between the flat plate and plunger).

[0097] Specifically, one dry pet food base granule 3 to be measured is placed on a flat plate, and a plunger is pressed vertically at a constant speed from directly above the dry pet food base granule 3 to measure stress. The peak value (maximum value) of the stress is read as the breaking stress. The hardness is taken as the average value of the measurements for five dry pet food base granules 3.

[0098] Dry pet food base granules having the above hardness can be produced by adjusting the raw materials in the method for producing dry pet food base granules described below, and by adjusting the amount of steam added to the raw materials in the extruder, etc.

[0099] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 have a residual rate of powdery or granular ingredients of 60% or more as measured by the following measurement method.

[0100] (Measurement method) (1) Prepare 100 g of dry pet food base granules with 12 g of powdered granular material attached. (2) Next, a tray is placed on the lowest level of the electromagnetic sieve shaker, and one mesh with a diameter of 210 mm and openings of 0.71 mm is stacked on top of the tray. (3) The dry pet food base granules are placed in the mesh, the lid is placed on the mesh, and the mesh is vibrated at a vibration amplitude of 1 mm for 3 minutes. (4) After the vibration, the weight of the powdered material that fell into the tray was measured, and the residual powder rate was calculated based on the following formula. Survival rate (%)={(12-W) / 12}×100 (Wherein, W represents the weight (g) of the powdery or granular material that fell into the tray.)

[0101] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 preferably have a residual rate of powdery or granular ingredients measured by the above-mentioned measuring method of 70% or more, more preferably 80% or more.

[0102] In this embodiment, an electromagnetic sieve shaker manufactured by Retsch, product name: SIEVE SHAKER, was used.

[0103] By using the above-mentioned form, it is possible to produce dry pet food with an improved powder retention rate on the surface of the pet food.

[0104] The dry pet food base granules 3 used in the present invention can be produced using the same raw materials as conventional pet foods, as appropriate, depending on the type of pet to be fed. The dry pet food base granules 3 can be made using raw materials such as processed meat products (powdered fish, beef, chicken, pork, etc.), meat by-products, vegetables, grain flours (wheat flour, whole wheat flour, corn flour, rice flour, oat flour, rye flour, etc.), starches (wheat starch, corn starch, rice starch, potato starch, tapioca starch, sweet potato starch, sago starch, processed starch, etc.), beans (soybean flour, defatted soybean flour, etc.), bran and scum (soybean meal, rice bran, bran, germ, malt, etc.), soybean pulp, wheat gluten, oils and fats, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, egg products, thickeners such as gums, gelling agents, salt, seasonings, spices, etc.

[0105] The method for producing the dry pet food base granules 3 is not particularly limited, and they can be produced using conventional pet food production methods, for example, using an extruder, an injection molding machine, a compression molding machine, etc. Of these, the production method using an extruder is preferred from the standpoints of productivity, workability, etc.

[0106] In this embodiment, the dry pet food base granules 3 may be dry pet food base granules 3 having oil or fat applied to the entire surface.

[0107] The oil or fat applied to the dry pet food base granules 3 may be vegetable oil or animal oil, and can be used without any particular restrictions. From the viewpoint of improving palatability, it is preferable to use animal oil or fat, and beef tallow is particularly preferable. The oil may be liquid at room temperature or solid at room temperature, and may be heated as needed to be liquid when applied.

[0108] <Modification> The shapes and dimensions shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples and can be modified in various ways based on design requirements and the like.

[0109] For example, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which two groove portions 33 are provided on the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32, but the number of groove portions 33 may be one or three or more.

[0110] Furthermore, although an example has been shown in which the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 have the grooves 33 and the protrusions 34, only one of the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32 may have the grooves 33 and the protrusions 34.

[0111] Furthermore, the size and proportions of the dry pet food base granules 3 may be changed to suit the target animal.

[0112] Furthermore, the powdery or granular material 2 is not necessarily required, and the dry pet food 1 may be composed of only the dry pet food base granules 3.

[0113] Furthermore, the protrusions 34 are not necessarily required, and the dry pet food base granules 3 may be provided with only the grooves 33 .

[0114] <Dry pet food in a package combined with other secondary pet foods> The dry pet food of this embodiment (hereinafter, for convenience, also referred to as the first dry pet food) is preferably in the form of a packaged dry pet food in which the first dry pet food is combined with a second pet food having a different shape from the first dry pet food.

[0115] Here, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second pet food preferably has a spherical shape with a larger radius of curvature than the groove shape of the aforementioned groove portion 33. By adopting this shape, the powdery and granular material 2 held by the groove portion 33 does not come into contact with the second pet food. Therefore, the powdery and granular material 2 is more reliably held in the dry pet food 1, resulting in a pet food with better palatability.

[0116] Here, the shape of the second pet food is not particularly limited as long as it does not come into contact with the valleys of the grooves 33, and examples thereof include heart-shaped, fish-shaped, and rod-shaped shapes.

[0117] The packaging container is, for example, a bag.

[0118] <Dry pet food manufacturing method> A preferred method for producing the dry pet food 1 of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0119] (1) Molding process S11 The molding step S11 is a step in which the raw materials for the dry pet food base granules 3 are mixed and extrusion-molded using an extruder. Here, the type of extruder is not particularly limited, but a twin-screw extruder is preferred.

[0120] First, the raw materials for the dry pet food base granules 3 are mixed after being pulverized if necessary. At this time, water and / or water vapor may be added and mixed.

[0121] When water is added, the temperature of the water is preferably 40° C. or higher, more preferably 45° C. or higher. When water is added, the temperature of the water is preferably 60° C. or lower, more preferably 55° C. as a guideline.

[0122] In addition, in the molding step S11, water vapor may be added.

[0123] In the molding step S11, it is preferable to add water and / or steam at the above temperature to the raw material mixture in a total amount of preferably 8 mass % or more, more preferably 10 mass % or more. In the molding step S11, it is more preferable to add water and / or steam at the above temperature to the raw material mixture in a total amount of preferably 18 mass % or less, more preferably 15 mass % or less.

[0124] Although not particularly limited, when both water and steam are added, the mass ratio of water to steam is preferably within the range of 1:1 to 1:0.25, more preferably 1:1 to 1:0.3, and even more preferably 1:1 to 1:0.5. Note that the amount of water and / or steam added at this stage is not included in the amount of water and / or steam added in the extruder.

[0125] The resulting raw material mixture is fed to an extruder, heated and pressurized, and then extruded from the outlet. In the extruder, the contents are preferably heated to 100°C or higher while kneading the raw material mixture. The heating temperature in the extruder is preferably 180°C or lower, more preferably 160°C or lower.

[0126] Water and / or steam may be added to the raw material mixture in the extruder.

[0127] In the molding step S11, the total amount of water and / or steam added during raw material mixing and extruder kneading is preferably within the range of 10 to 30 mass %, more preferably 15 to 25 mass %, based on the total amount of raw materials before mixing.

[0128] The total amount of water added during raw material mixing and extruder kneading is preferably 5% by mass or more, more preferably 8% by mass or more, and even more preferably 10% by mass or more, based on the total amount of raw materials before mixing.

[0129] In addition, in the molding step S11, the total amount of steam added during raw material mixing and extruder kneading is preferably 1 mass % or more, more preferably 3 mass % or more, and even more preferably 5 mass % or more, relative to the total amount of raw materials before mixing. As mentioned above, water and steam can be used in combination.

[0130] Furthermore, in the forming step S11, the obtained raw material mixture is extruded from the discharge opening of a kibble-forming die plate having grooves, and cut to form dry pet food base granules 3. By cutting the discharged raw material mixture immediately, the raw material mixture expands rapidly after cutting, and dry pet food base granules 3 of the present invention having the above-described shape are obtained. In this case, the extrusion pressure of the extruder is preferably 0.1 to 10 MPa, more preferably 0.1 to 5 MPa, 0.1 to 3.5 MPa, even more preferably 0.5 to 3.5 MPa, and most preferably 2 to 3.5 MPa, which makes it easier to obtain dry pet food base granules 3 of the size and shape required by this production method.

[0131] (2) Adhesion step S12 The adhering step S12 is a step of adhering the powdery or granular material 2 to the dry pet food base granules 3 after drying the expanded granules obtained in the molding step S11.

[0132] First, the obtained expanded pellets are dried. As a method for drying the expanded pellets discharged from the extruder, any known method can be used appropriately.

[0133] The palatable powder is then attached to the dried expanded granules. Any method for attachment can be used as long as it allows the powdery granular material 2 to be attached to the entire dry pet food base granules 3. For example, a method can be used in which oil or fat is applied to the surface and then the powdery granular material 2 is further sprinkled on top.

[0134] However, in the present invention, the specific embodiment of the method for producing the above-mentioned dry pet food 1 is not particularly limited, and any known production method can be adopted. [Example]

[0135] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples as long as it does not depart from the gist of the invention.

[0136] <Test Example 1> Production of dry pet food base granules The raw materials constituting the dry pet food base granules 3 were a mixture of 70 parts by mass of grains, 18 parts by mass of processed meat products, and 12 parts by mass of vitamins, minerals, etc., and were thoroughly mixed and pulverized using a grinder. 7.5% by mass of water at 50°C and 5.0% by mass of steam at 130°C were then added to the raw materials to obtain a raw material mixture. The raw material mixture was fed into a twin-screw extruder, heated and pressurized at a temperature of 120 to 160°C, and then discharged from the outlet of a kibble-forming die plate. At this time, 4.5% by mass of water at 50°C and 1.0% by mass of steam at 130°C were added to the raw material mixture within the extruder. The raw material mixture to which water and steam had been added was extruded through the outlet of the die plate, cut, and expanded. The extrusion pressure of the extruder was 3.0 MPa. The resulting expanded granules were then dried at 100 to 125°C to obtain dry pet food base granules.

[0137] In this case, the dry pet food base granules having two grooves on each of the top and bottom surfaces are designated as Example 1 (see FIG. 7), and the marble-shaped dry pet food base granules having no grooves are designated as Comparative Example 1 (see FIG. 9).

[0138] <Test Example 2> Measurement of surface area From the multiple dry pet food base granules obtained from the production lots of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, five granules were randomly selected as representative samples from each, and these were used as test samples for measuring the surface area. The surface area was calculated as the surface area (mm2) per unit weight (g) according to the following X-ray CT imaging conditions and surface area calculation conditions. 2 The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[0139] (X-ray CT imaging conditions) Measuring equipment: X-ray CT equipment for measurement (Shimadzu Corporation, model number "XDimensus 300") X-ray tube voltage (kV): 200 X-ray tube current (μA): 100 X-ray detector size (inch): 16 SRD(mm):300.0 CT-Z(mm):233.6 Scanning time (min): 60 Image width (pixel): 2048 Image vertical size (pixel): 2048 Voxel size (mm / Vоxel): 0.05862 FOV XY (Maximum imaging area XY) (mm): 120.0 FOV Z (maximum imaging area Z) (mm): 88.2 Material: Default Shooting mode: Step scanning Views:1800 Accumulation count: 1

[0140] (Surface area calculation conditions) The surface area was calculated using the analysis software "VGSTUDIO MAX" (Volume Graphics) for the 3D data obtained by the measurement X-ray CT device. First, the boundary between the object and the air was thresholded using a value that did not include voids. Next, the surrounding area was searched from the initial boundary, and an algorithm was applied to calculate the boundary again. The surface area was then calculated from the determined 3D surface model.

[0141] [Table 1]

[0142] As shown in Table 1, Comparative Example 1, which is a marble-shaped dry pet food base granule without grooves, has a larger surface area per unit weight (mm ) than Example 1, which is a dry pet food base granule with two grooves on each of the top and bottom surfaces. 2 / g) was found to be large.

[0143] <Test Example 3> Measurement of powder retention rate on pet food surface To measure the retention rate of powdery and granular materials on the surface of dry pet food, the following test was carried out.

[0144] Animal fat (beef tallow) was applied in an amount of 6% by mass to 94% by mass of the dry pet food base granules of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. The oil-coated dry pet food base granules of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were then sprinkled with a powdery granular material in amounts of 4% by mass (Group 4), 6% by mass (Group 6), 8% by mass (Group 8), 10% by mass (Group 10), 12% by mass (Group 12), and 14% by mass (Group 14) of the total dry pet food, to prepare 100 g of each dry pet food.

[0145] Next, a tray was placed on the lowest level of an electromagnetic sieve shaker (product name: SIEVE SHAKER, manufactured by Retsch), and a single mesh with a diameter of 210 mm and openings of 0.71 mm was placed on top of the tray. The dry pet food of Example 1 or Comparative Example 1 ("Grain" in Tables 2 and 3) dusted with a powdery granular material was placed on the mesh, the lid was placed, and the mesh was vibrated for 3 minutes with a vibration amplitude of 1 mm. After vibration, the weight of the powder that had fallen into the lowest tray ("Fall" in Tables 2 and 3) was measured.

[0146] The above test was carried out five times, and the average remaining rate was calculated. The results are shown in Tables 2 and 3 and in Figure 10.

[0147] In addition, the actual retention amount of powdery and granular ingredients in the above dry pet food (100g for each category from area 4 to area 14) was calculated using the values ​​in Tables 2 and 3 and graphed (Figures 10 and 11).

[0148] [Table 2]

[0149] [Table 3]

[0150] As shown in Tables 2 and 3 and FIG. 10, the dry pet food of Example 1 was found to have a higher residual rate of powdery and granular ingredients than the dry pet food of Comparative Example 1.

[0151] It was also found that the greater the amount of powdery granular material sprinkled on the dry pet food base granules, the greater the difference in residual rate between the dry pet food of Example 1 and the dry pet food of Comparative Example 1.

[0152] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, in the case of the dry pet food base granules of Example 1, the amount of powdery and granular ingredients retained increased as the amount of powdery and granular ingredients added increased from Areas 4 to 12. On the other hand, in the case of the dry pet food base granules of Comparative Example 1, the amount of powdery and granular ingredients retained did not change much, particularly from Areas 6 to 14, suggesting that the ability to retain the powdery and granular ingredients reached a plateau.

[0153] The above results were contrary to the expectation that a larger surface area of ​​the dry pet food base granules would allow a larger amount of powdery granular material to adhere (be able to retain).

[0154] Next, to evaluate the ability of the samples to withstand prolonged vibration during transportation, the retention rate of the powdery and granular ingredients on the surface of the dry pet food was measured using the same method as above, except that the vibration times were changed to 1, 3, and 5 minutes. The results are shown in Table 4 and Figure 12.

[0155] [Table 4]

[0156] As shown in Table 4 and FIG. 12, it was found that the dry pet food of Example 1 had a higher powder retention capacity than the dry pet food of Comparative Example 1 even when subjected to vibration for a long period of time.

[0157] <Test Example 4> Dry pet food palatability test A dry pet food prepared by applying 5.3 parts by mass of beef tallow to 82.7 parts by mass of dry pet food base granules and sprinkling 12 parts by mass of chicken liver powder (i.e., the dry pet food of Group 12 of Test Example 3) was subjected to vibration for 1 minute using the above method and used. The dry pet food using the dry pet food base granules of Example 1 is designated Example 1', and the dry pet food using the dry pet food base granules of Comparative Example 1 is designated Comparative Example 1'. The dry pet foods of Example 1' and Comparative Example 1' were subjected to a palatability test as follows.

[0158] (Preference test) Eleven cats aged approximately 2 to 12 years were used as test subjects. Each cat was simultaneously fed a dish containing 40 to 60 g of Example 1', the amount of which was adjusted to suit the individual cat, and a dish containing the same amount of Comparative Example 1' as Example 1'. A feeding test using a two-choice method was conducted once a day, and food intake was recorded. The positions of the dish plates were reversed between the first and second feedings. The palatability of the dry pet food was then evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. The results are shown in Tables 5 and 6. The 11 cats tested correspond to Nos. 1 to 11 in Table 5, respectively.

[0159] (Evaluation criteria) The average feeding ratio between the first and second feedings is less than 40%: × Average feeding ratio between the first and second feedings is 40% or more but less than 60%: △ The average feeding ratio between the first and second feedings is 60% or more but less than 80%:

[0160] [Table 5]

[0161] [Table 6]

[0162] The results of the palatability test showed that Example 1', a dry pet food with two grooves on the top and bottom surfaces, was more palatable than Comparative Example 1', a marble-shaped dry pet food without grooves.

[0163] <Test Example 5> Measurement of hardness of dry pet food base granules The hardness of the dry pet food base granules of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 was measured by the following measurement method.

[0164] (Measurement method) Using a universal tension / compression testing machine (small tabletop testing machine EZ Test EZ-SX, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation), the breaking stress when compressed at a constant compression rate is measured under the following conditions: (conditions) Plunger: cylindrical plunger with a diameter of 30 mm, platform: flat plate, compression speed: 60 mm / min, lowest point of plunger: 1.5 mm (gap between the flat plate and plunger).

[0165] Specifically, one dry pet food base granule to be measured was placed on a flat plate, and the stress was measured while pressing a plunger vertically from directly above the dry pet food base granule at a constant speed, and the peak value (maximum value) of the stress was read as the breaking stress. The results are shown in Table 7.

[0166] [Table 7]

[0167] As shown in Table 7, the hardness of the dry pet food base granules of Example 1 was 25.46 kgf, and the hardness of the dry pet food base granules of Comparative Example 1 was 15.83 kgf. [Industrial Applicability]

[0168] The present invention can be used in dry pet foods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0169] 1 dry pet food 2. Powder and granular materials 3 Dry pet food base granules 31 Top 32 bottom 33 grooves 34 Projection part 341 End protrusion 342 Central protrusion 35 End 36 Side L1 Groove width L2 End protrusion width L3 Center protrusion width L4 height difference

Claims

1. It contains dry pet food base granules with powdery granular material attached to the surface, The dry pet food base granules have, on a surface thereof, ridges, grooves adjacent to the ridges, and ends, the concave surfaces of the groove portions, the convex surfaces of the protrusion portions, and the ends of the dry pet food base granules are rounded, a width of the protrusion is greater than a height from a bottom surface of the valley of the groove to a peak of the protrusion, The protrusions are larger than the gaps of the grooves. Dry pet food.

2. The dry pet food base granules are an average height difference between the peaks of the protrusions and the bottom surfaces of the grooves is 0.025 mm to 0.6 mm; a stripe structure in which a plurality of the groove portions and the protrusion portions are alternately arranged, The dry pet food base granules have a hardness in the range of 5 to 50 kgf. The dry pet food of claim 1.

3. The dry pet food base granules have a residual rate of powdery or granular ingredients of 60% or more as measured by the following measurement method: The dry pet food according to claim 1 or 2: (Measurement method) (1) Prepare 100 g of dry pet food base granules to which 12 g of powdery granular material is attached. (2) Next, a tray is placed on the lowest level of the electromagnetic sieve shaker, and one mesh having a diameter of 210 mm and an opening of 0.71 mm is stacked on top of the tray. (3) The dry pet food base granules are placed in the mesh, the lid is closed, and the mesh is vibrated at a vibration amplitude of 1 mm for 3 minutes. (4) After the vibration, the weight of the powdery or granular material that has fallen into the tray is measured, and the remaining rate of the powdery or granular material is calculated based on the following formula. Survival rate (%) = {(12-W) / 12}×100 (Wherein, W represents the weight (g) of the powdery or granular material that falls into the tray.)

4. The dry pet food base granules have a surface area per unit weight of 800 mm 2 / g or more and 1500 mm 2 / g or less, The average particle size of the powdery or granular material is 2000 μm or less and 1 μm or more, The powdery or granular material is a palatable material containing a palatable component, The palatable ingredient is one or more selected from ground fish flakes, ground seafood, milk powder, ground meat, whey powder, skim milk powder, finely ground breadcrumbs, cheese powder, cheese food powder, yogurt powder, powder of seafood extract or meat extract adsorbed on a carrier, vegetable powder, yeast, yeast extract powder, amino acids, sugars, and flavoring powder of an aroma component adsorbed on a carrier. The dry pet food according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The dry pet food base granules have a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, The dry pet food base granules have a top surface and a bottom surface, a corrugated surface formed on the top surface and the bottom surface by a protrusion portion and the groove portion adjacent to the protrusion portion; and the top surface and the bottom surface each have two or more of the groove portions, The groove portion extends linearly in the width direction, The dry pet food base granules have a thickness shorter than the width of the top and bottom surfaces, The dry pet food base granules have a hardness in the range of 5 to 50 kgf. The dry pet food of claim 1.

6. dry pet food base granules, The dry pet food base granules have, on a surface thereof, ridges, grooves adjacent to the ridges, and ends, the concave surfaces of the groove portions, the convex surfaces of the protrusion portions, and the ends of the dry pet food base granules are rounded, a width of the protrusion is greater than a height from a bottom surface of the valley of the groove to a peak of the protrusion, The protrusions are larger than the gaps of the grooves. Dry pet food.

7. a molding step of supplying raw materials to an extruder and extruding and molding dry pet food base granules while forming grooves on the surface; and an adhering step of adhering a powdery granular material to the surface of the dry pet food base granules, The dry pet food base granules have, on a surface thereof, ridges, grooves adjacent to the ridges, and ends, the concave surfaces of the groove portions, the convex surfaces of the protrusion portions, and the ends of the dry pet food base granules are rounded, a width of the protrusion is greater than a height from a bottom surface of the valley of the groove to a peak of the protrusion, The protrusions are larger than the gaps of the grooves. A method for producing dry pet food.

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