Enzyme-Treated Bovine Rawhide Chew Toy for Digestive Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rawhide chew toys lack degradability, leading to potential digestive distress in animals due to accumulation in the digestive system, and alternatives that improve degradability often compromise on chewability and dental benefits.
Innovation Solution
Treated bovine rawhide sheets with specific enzyme solutions to enhance degradability while maintaining chewability, using a process that includes deliming and enzyme treatment to break down collagen fibers, resulting in a mass loss of at least 45% under simulated stomach conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional rawhide is used to make chew toys, then chewability and dental benefits are maintained, but degradability is poor leading to accumulation in the digestive system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by treating the rawhide with enzymes (such as proteases, lipases, or cellulases) during the manufacturing process to pre-break down the collagen fibers and other components. This preliminary enzymatic treatment creates a structure that is more susceptible to further degradation in the animal's digestive system, thereby improving degradability while maintaining chewability. The enzyme treatment is applied before the chew toy is given to the animal, preparing the material for controlled breakdown.
2Reliability
If rawhide is broken down mechanically or chemically to improve degradability, then accumulation is reduced, but chewability and dental benefits are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the enzymatic treatment parameters (enzyme type, concentration, treatment time, temperature, and pH) to achieve the desired balance between degradability and chewability. By optimizing these parameters, the collagen fibers are partially degraded to improve degradability while retaining enough structural integrity to maintain chewability and dental benefits. The treatment is designed to modify the material properties without compromising its functional characteristics.
3Loss of substance
If enzyme treatment is applied to rawhide to improve degradability, then mass loss increases, but the structural integrity for chewing may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using controlled enzymatic treatment that breaks down only a portion of the collagen fiber structure rather than completely decomposing it. The enzyme treatment is designed to achieve a specific degree of degradation (mass loss) that is sufficient to improve degradability in the animal's digestive system while preserving enough structural integrity to maintain chewability. The treatment parameters are optimized to achieve this partial breakdown without excessive degradation that would compromise structural stability.
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 treated rawhide chew toys exhibit enhanced degradability with a mass loss of up to 60% in four hours, addressing the issue of accumulation while maintaining the chewable quality and dental benefits of conventional rawhide products.
Implementation Method 1
The collagen is then incorporated into a molded pet food product and hardened. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,447 to Fisher et al. discloses compacting wetted animal food under pressure with fibers, such as collagen fibers, and baking the product to form a chew-resistant dog treat.
Implementation Method 2
U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,925 to Fisher discloses methods for preparing fibrous collagens from hides by treating comminuted hides with dilute acid in the presence of a proteolytic enzyme.
Implementation Method 3
U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,925 to Fisher discloses methods for preparing fibrous collagens from hides by treating comminuted hides with dilute acid in the presence of a proteolytic enzyme.
Data Source
AI summary
A chew for a domestic animal comprises one or more sheets of a chewable bovine rawhide formed into a shape suitable for chewing by a domestic animal, wherein the one or more sheets has a mass loss of at least 45% as measured by the Degradability Standard Test Protocol. The bovine rawhide is made with a process that includes treatment with an enzyme. A process of making a pet chew from a split bovine hide comprises treating the split bovine hide with an enzyme solution.