United States Patent Office Patented Apr
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3,380,832 United States Patent Office Patented Apr. 30, 1968 2 3,380,832 ments of this invention. The preferred adhesive for use METHOD OF PREPARING A SOLID SEM-MOST in this invention is sodium caseinate. This adhesive, which MARBLED MEAT PET FOOD is nutritious and relatively stable at extruder-cooker con David P. Bone, Palatine, II, assignor to The Quaker Oats ditions, is preferably admixed with the other ingredients Company, Chicago, I., a corporation of New Jersey 5 prior to the cooking and extrusion in an amount greater No Drawing. Continuation of application Ser. No. than 7%% by weight based on the weight of the in 477,940, Aug. 6, 1965. This application Dec. 23, gredients. However, other caseinate salts can be used, 1966, Ser. No. 604,489 Such as those of calcium and potassium. 9 Claims. (CI. 99-7) I have discovered that the inclusion of the caseinate This application is a streamlined continuation of O adhesive in the semi-moist pet food ingredients prior to application Ser. No. 477,940, filed Aug. 6, 1965, now the cooking-extrusion step provides an extrudate which abandoned. is tacky, or sticky, at temperatures above about 120 F. This invention relates to a meaty pet food having the (The minimum amount of caseinate required to provide appearance and texture similar to raw meat which is Stickiness depends on the specific ingredient formulation marbled throughout with fat. 5 selected, and can be readily determined by adding different An object of this invention is to provide a meaty pet amounts to small trial batches.) I have also discovered food, (i.e., one containing substantial amounts of meat that such extrudate, after being shaped into sheets, may or meat by-products) of the semi-moist type containing be formed into marbled meat-like loaves by merely bring 20% to 50% moisture and having the appearance of ing the sheets in contact with each other at temperatures marbled meat. Another object of this invention is to pro 20 above about 120 F. to provide a novel pet food product vide a process by which a meaty pet food can be colored which is structurally stable and has no significant tackiness and formed to simulate different kinds and cuts of meat at room temperature and at temperatures normally con having varying degrees of marbling with or without an templated during storage. While it is essential that the overlay having the appearance of fat. A singularly im red portion contain the specified amounts of the caseinate portant object of this invention is to provide a processed binder, it is more preferred that both red and white por meaty pet food which ranks very high in palatability and tions contain the binder. I have also discovered, however, acceptability to animals. that the step of forming the superimposed extrudate sheets These and other objects which will be apparent here into a loaf-like mass must be carried out at a tempera inafter are accomplished by the product and method of ture below about 170 F. or the resulting product will not this invention. This product is a meaty substantially solid 30 resemble marbled meat. At temperatures above 170° F., Semi-moist animal food resembling marbled meat com the forming step results in a "bleeding' or infusion of the prising a red portion and a white portion, said red por lean meat-like layer into the fat-like layer and vice versa, tion containing a caseinate salt binder in an amount suf and the marbling appearance is substantially not achieved. ficient to cause tackiness at temperatures above 120 F., The average temperature of the sheets may be measured, said white portion being randomly distributed in the red for example, by forming the sheets into a baseball-sized portion, and said red and white portions being joined to wad and inserting a thermometer into the wad. form an integral mass having substantially distinct inter While the dimensions of the first sheet referred to above faces between said portions. are not critical, it may be a continuous or perforated The method for the manufacture of a semi-moist sheet-like extrudate having a width from several inches animal food resembling marbled meat comprises the fol 40 to many feet, and preferably a thickness between about lowing steps: (a) extruding by a cooking-extrusion 16 inch and about 2 inch. The dimensions of the second process a first sheet of unexpanded storage-stable semi sheet are not critical also, except, as indicated below, moist animal food having the appearance of lean red the second sheet preferably covers less than half the con meat and containing a caseinate salt adhesive in an tacted Surface of the first sheet. It also may be continuous, amount sufficient to provide stickiness at tempera discontinuous or perforated and is incorporated into the tures above 120 F.; (b) extruding by a cooking-ex finished product in an amount up to about 45% by weight trusion process a second sheet of unexpanded stor of the finished product. However, in the production of a age-stable semi-moist animal food having the appearance beefsteak-like product, it is preferred that the second fat of fat, said cooking-extrusion process comprising the like sheet be used in an amount between about 15% and steps: (1) admixing comminuted animal food ingredients 50 about 25% by weight in the interior portions of the roll which include a total moisture content between about or cut, and it is usually preferred that an overlay of ap 20% and about 50%, said ingredients having been proximately 4 inch be laid down at the circumference of Selected to provide a substantially solid, storage-stable the roll. In the manufacture of a ham-like product, it is nutritious pet food after cooking the resulting admix preferred that the second sheet be used in an amount be ture, (2) subjecting the resulting admixture to cooking 5 5 tween 5 and 10% by weight of the interior or central por conditions at a superatmospheric pressure sufficient to tions of the roll and it is usually preferred that an overlay prevent substantial expansion of the resulting plastic mass of approximately 4 inch be laid down on the circum in the extruder, and (3) extruding the resulting plastic ference of the roll. Whenever a fat-like overlay is used, it mass through a die into the atmosphere; (c) superim 60 is essential that the fat-like extrudate used in the overlay posing one of said sheets on the other; and (d) forming contain the caseinate adhesive in an amount sufficient to superimposed sheets into a loaf-like mass, said forming provide stickiness at temperatures above 120 F., and being done in such a manner as to distribute randomly that the average temperature of the sheet be between the fat-like portion in the resulting mass, said forming 120 and 170 F. when being laid down. taking place while the average temperature of said first 65 Steak-like cuts can be prepared by slicing rolls of ap and second sheets is between about 120 F. and about propriate diameter; cuts resembling chops are prepared 170° F. by slicing smaller diameter rolls or loaves which may have The selection of specific nutritive ingredients to provide a relatively heavy fat-like overlay. The most preferred a substantially solid, storage-stable, nutritionally balanced form of the product of this invention is obtained by slicing pet food is well within the purview of one with ordinary the loaves into cubes approximately /2 inch on an edge. skill in the art. Specific formulations are presented here While a loaf can be formed around a prefabricated inafter, however, to illustrate several preferred embodi bone-like structure, the preferred products of this inven 3,380,832 3 4. - tion are "boneless.” If a structure resembling bone is used, then wrapped randomly by the oncoming superimposed it must be either inert with respect to water pick-up, or it sheets as before. If a wider diameter roll is formed, it must have approximately the same water activity as the can be kneaded or worked down to a loaf of desired size, surrounding material. provided the diameter reduction is carried out while the In the practice of this invention it is essential that the interior of the loaf is at a temperature between about fat-like extrudate be distributed randomly through the 120 F. and 170 F. Generally speaking, the surface or product except for the overlay referred to above. In the "skin' of the roll will quickly fall below this tempera practice of this invention various methods of forming the ture so that the "skin' is no longer tacky. Also, a plurality superimposed sheets into a loaf-like mass may be en of smaller rolls can be formed into a "bundle' resembling ployed, therefore, providing the method results in the 0 a bundle of distinct major muscles by contacting the rolls substantially random distribution of the fat-like portion at a temperature between about 120° F. and 170° F., and through the product. A certain degree of randomization is applying sufficient pressure to convert them into an in accomplished by forming a fat-like extrudate sheet of in tegral mass. The resulting bundle can be overlaid with a consistent and irregular thickness. Also, a certain degree fat-like layer, if desired, in the manner described above. of the randomization can be accomplished by Superim 5 Slices of such multi-roll bundles can resemble the multi posing the fat-like extrudate on the lean meat-like ex muscle cuts such as, for example, round steak.