Dehydrated Pet Food Blends Balancing Stability and Palatability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dehydrated pet foods face challenges with increased production costs, low acceptance, and stability issues, while canned foods have transportation and preservative concerns.
Innovation Solution
A dehydrated pet food blend comprising 15% to 50% protein, 5% to 40% fat, and 5% to 50% carbohydrate, with semi-moist kibbles, dried meal, and dehydrated vegetables, manufactured through extrusion and admixing processes, ensuring nutritional balance and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If dehydrated food components are used, then stability and transportation costs are improved, but production times and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the dehydrated food components into specific categories (meat proteins, vegetable proteins, grains, fruits, nuts, seeds) and processes them separately before blending. This segmentation allows for optimized dehydration of each component type while maintaining overall production efficiency through systematic processing workflows.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling moisture content at specific levels (5-15% for most components, 20-30% for semi-moist kibbles) and adjusting dehydration parameters for different food types. This enables stabilized storage while managing production time through targeted moisture removal rather than complete drying.
2Stability of the object's composition
If dehydrated food components are used, then stability and transportation costs are improved, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple dehydrated components (meat proteins, vegetable proteins, grains, fruits, nuts, seeds) into a unified blended kibble product. This combining approach allows for cost optimization by utilizing various protein sources and ingredients at different processing stages, reducing overall production costs while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite materials by formulating blends with specific ratios of dehydrated components (e.g., 25-50% meat proteins, 25-50% vegetable proteins, 5-20% grains, 5-20% fruits, nuts, and seeds). This composite approach optimizes nutritional content and production cost efficiency through balanced ingredient composition.
3Weight of stationary object
If dehydrated food components are used, then transportation costs are reduced, but acceptance by pets decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by incorporating semi-moist kibbles (with 20-30% moisture content) alongside fully dehydrated components. This creates localized moisture variations in the blend that enhance palatability and pet acceptance while maintaining the overall weight reduction benefits of dehydration for transportation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by varying moisture content across different component types within the blend. Semi-moist kibbles provide higher moisture (20-30%) for improved palatability, while other components maintain lower moisture (5-15%) for stability and weight reduction, optimizing both acceptance and transportation efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The blend provides improved acceptance, stability, and nutritional balance, minimizing preservative use and reducing production costs, with a rehydration process enhancing palatability and nutritional value.
Implementation Method 1
extruding a semi-moist kibble, extruding a dried kibble
Implementation Method 2
grinding the dried kibble to form a dried meal
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides compositions and methods directed to a dehydrated pet food blend. The dehydrated pet food blend can comprise about 15% to about 50% protein. about 5% to about 40% fat, and about 5% to about 50% carbohydrate. Additionally, the blend can comprise semi-moist kibbles, dried meal, and dehydrated vegetables.